LIMERICK could benefit enormously from being at the hub of a Greenway tourism attraction.
That’s according to Brian Leddin, the Green Party candidate for Limerick City North who has called for Limerick to be at the centre of a greenway network stretching from Kerry to Clare.
“We need to build on the great work of volunteers that established the Great Southern Trail and connect Rathkeale to the city along the old railway alignment which is still largely intact”, he said.
“Adding a high-quality city centre corridor from the railway station to the greenway to UL would create a greenway spanning the whole county”.
Pointing to the 80,000 visitors who spent €7 million in the first year of the Westport to Achill greenway, and the 250,000 visitors who have used the Waterford greenway, Mr. Leddin commented “According to Fáilte Ireland, Limerick receives roughly a quarter of the tourists that Galway and Cork receive. A greenway spanning the city and county could be a real boost to the city, and it has proven to attract visitors in other counties”.
The Green Party candidate added, “A greenway would not only attract tourists, but would form part of our commuting infrastructure, helping to reduce traffic and provide a safe way to cycle to school and work. A feasibility study is urgently needed to help us take advantage of the infrastructure on our doorstep”.
Noting the proposed greenway would lie along the railway line from Limerick to Foynes, Mr Leddin commented, “The Limerick to Foynes railway cannot be reinstated in its current form as the deterioration of the alignment would need a complete relaying of track and ballast. What a greenway would do is to help preserve the alignment. As the overpasses built as part of the M20 are all double-track width, a greenway could co-exist beside the railway at a later date if a decision was taken to re-open the line.
