LIMERICK City and County Council has welcomed confirmation from the Department of Transport that it has selected the council’s proposal to create a more comprehensive Active Travel cycle and walking network for the city as part of a new sustainable transport project.
The ‘Limerick Metropolitan Area Active Travel Pathfinder Project’ creates connectivity and continuity of active travel infrastructure to the city centre from the main residential and employment areas in the city and its environs.
This project is designed to achieve a shift to more sustainable forms of transport, helping to contribute to the target reduction of 51 per cent in Greenhouse Gases by 2030 and net zero by 2050.
The Active Travel network aims to create connectivity between the city and the large residential areas and employment zones at the National Technology Park, Raheen Business Park and Ballysimon.
The Pathfinder project will create cross-city connectivity from Caherdavin and the North Circular Road in the north of the city to Ballinacurra and Raheen/ Dooradoyle on the south and across to Castletroy and Monaleen in the east.
It will also link the main third level institutions of University of Limerick, Limerick College of Art and Design TUS, TUS Moylish and Mary Immaculate College, along with a number of primary and secondary schools and further education centres along the route.
The projects are to be delivered within the next three years.
Mayor Francis Foley said that the Pathfinder Projects are a key element in providing sustainable options for people to get into the city centre from outlying areas.
“We need to create connected routes that are safe to use, so that we can entice people from their cars for their short to medium journeys,” he explained.
Limerick City and County Council chief executive Pat Daly said that the projects are key element of the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (LSMATS) and will meet the key demands for sustainable travel and reduced emissions into the future.
