Fears that road fund may not be enough

A
LOCAL councillor fears that an allocation of e250,000 from the National
Transport Authority (NTA) may not be enough to build a long mooted cycle path
and pedestrianisation scheme in Dublin 15.

The
cash was allocated to Fingal County Council for improvements to the Old Hansfield
Road between Ongar and Latchford.

The
road was once part of the Clonsilla to Clonee road but was closed off when the
Ongar Road was built. A scheme to pedestrianise the old road in 2008 had to be
shelved by the council due to lack of funds.

Cllr
Kieran Dennison (FG) said the council made an ap- plication for e500,000 to the
National NTA in June to pedestrianise the Old Hansfield Road and to provide for
a network of cycle routes and paths throughout the Ongar and Littlepace area.

Cllr
Dennison has welcomed the allocation of half that amount but said he would be
calling on the local authority to provide the rest of the funding.

“I
am conscious that this is half the cost of the project,

? he said.

“I
will be asking Fingal County Council to provide the remaining funds so that the
scheme can be completed as originally designed.

“This
is not just a matter of just dickying up an old roadway. This will be an
important route for students attending Scoil Setanta and Scoil Grainne at
Phibblestown as well as those using the new sports and community facilities
there.

?

Cllr
Dennison added that there had been some serious assaults on the old road in the
last year and said local residents were fed up with the rubbish being dumped
there.

He
said it was important that the shortfall in funding would not mean that vital
works such as the provision of lighting were shelved.

“Upgrading
the road and providing adequate lighting is essential to safe access, espe-
cially in the dark winter evenings,

? he added.

In
a statement, Minister for Transport and Dublin West TD, Leo Varadkar (FG), said
that the council had to carry out the scheme before the end of this year to
qualify for the funding.

“The
road that is currently closed to traffic will be cleaned up,

? he said.

“New
cycleways, pedestrian routes and railings will be provided along the road.

“I
receive a lot of complaints from residents about the condition of the Old
Hansfield Road and the illegal dumping that occurs there.

“I
am confident that this allocation of funds will kick-start Fingal County council’s
long-standing plans to develop the road as an attractive, tree-lined cycle and
pedestrian link between Ongar Village and the large open spaces between Ongar
and Latchford.

?

In
addition, the minister said the NTA has also agreed to fund the cost of
planning a more extensive network of cycle ways throughout Ongar and Clonee.

A
spokeswoman for Fingal County Council said:

“Council staff are currently
working on identifying the works that can be carried out under this grant which
will contribute significantly to enhancing and improving cycle and pedestrian
routes in the Ongar area.

“Works on the project are
expected to commence in the next month or so.

?