Councillor calls for changes to "discombobulated" cycle lanes on Jocelyn Street in Dundalk

Independent councillor for Dundalk Ciarán Fisher called for Louth County Council to make changes to cycle lanes on Jocelyn Street and Castle Road, which he said just "two people use" and called "discombobulated". 

He said nobody uses the two either side of Jocelyn Street unless "they want to take their life in their hands and get hit by a car door."

"You've two cycle lanes on Jocelyn Street that are going nowhere, what's the point?", he said. 

Cllr Fisher also called for the council carry out an audit of Dundalk's traversability. 

"Between broken footpaths and bins blocking footpaths it is very difficult to get around and we have an older population," he said. 

Fellow independent councillor Maeve Yore also commented on the condition of the town's footpaths.

Cllr Yore said footpaths at Seatown Gardens were in very bad condition and needed work. 

Patrick Callan, Executive Engineer with Louth County Council acknowledged the issues and said a plan is in place under the Active Travel Scheme for works to Jocelyn Street. 

Mr Callan also agreed that footpaths needed "rejuvenating" and said old and narrow footpaths, like the those in Seatown, lead to "slips, trips and falls".  

Elsewhere, Sinn Féin councillor Antóin Watters has warned that continued investment is needed for the town's road infrastructure. 

Cllr Watters appealed to Louth County Council to go to the Department of Transport for additional funding. 

He told the meeting that although the Community Involvement Scheme (CIS), an initiative funded by the local authority for the improvement and maintenance of regional and local roads was successful, he said "every week you're waiting for another storm" to cause damage. 

Cllr Watters had previously told the December meeting of Louth County Council that if another storm hit in the wake of Storm Bram, "roads would be gone". 

Mr Callan said the council would liaise with the Department regarding additional funding. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme