RESIDENTS in Dooradoyle are angry with Limerick City and County Council, who they claim have “jumped the gun” by putting down road markings for Active Travel measures before any public consultation has taken place.
Russell Court residents told this newspaper they feel ignored and disregarded by the local authority’s Active Travel department.
After submitting 28 formal objections and a signed petition, residents say the local authority has not yet met with them over their concerns for a proposed cycle or scooter path in their estate. They also feel let down by Mayor John Moran, who has not responded to their pleas for help.
“This route was never planned to include Russell Court or any other housing estate in the city,” Russell Court residents said in a statement to the Limerick Post.
“When Limerick City and County Council Active Travel encountered some difficulties and objections elsewhere, they decided to re-route through the Russell Court estate, without consultation or consideration of the concerns of the residents.”
Independent councillor Maria Donoghue hit out that road markings were laid in advance of a Section 38 Notice being advertised. This, she said, has led to a lack of trust between the residents and the local authority.
“Safety concerns need to be addressed more comprehensively in this proposal, and I hope this ultimately gets resolved to the satisfaction of the residents,” Cllr O’Donoghue commented.
Russell Court residents insist that their estate is not suitable for active travel measures as its roads have many sharp corners and blind spots causing possible hazards for all users. They expressed disappointment at what they consider the “senseless and dangerous” decision of LCCC Active Travel, and plan to continue their efforts to reverse the plan.
They say the plan is “is a makeshift attempt to cover up the cockup caused by the failure to complete the cycle paths down to the St Paul’s roundabout and would have been implemented without any Section 38 public consultation if a number of the Russel Court residents had not questioned the placement of the road markings in May”.
“There is a broad demographic of residents, including families with young children, elderly, and some with disabilities. The use of housing estates as thoroughfares for scooters and bicycles is unheard of and unsuitable. This is a dangerous proposal for residents and visitors alike.”
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan told this reporter that local residents in Russell Court have every right to be upset in relation to the proposed development.
“The Father Russell road cycle lane is really fantastic but it was never proposed to link this with St Nessan’s Road through a quiet residential estate. The reality is that cyclists are just going to continue straight on the Fr Russell Road and won’t be going through Russell Court. This proposed amendment is a waste of time and money in my opinion,” Cllr O’Donovan declared.
Cllr O’Donovan said there are “some teething issues in my opinion with the Fr Russell Road cycle lane and it will take people a while to get used to the new layout. I would rather we focus on that and then re-look at how we can connect it to St Nessan’s Road.”
There was no response from Limerick City and County Council at the time of going to print.
