More funding is needed for the dedicated maintenance of footpaths in Galway City, Cllr Alan Curran has said.
The social democrats councillor said that funding should be increased in the upcoming council budget for a dedicated footpath maintenance team for the city.
He said that there are concerns regarding the deteriorating state of public footpaths all over the city, and the navigation issues this can cause.
“The city wide network of footpaths is twice the length of our road network, and yet while funding is readily available to maintain and improve our road network, there is no dedicated team to ensure our footpaths are in a decent condition for all users.”
“Broken and uneven surfaces, encroaching grass, overhanging branches and accumulated leaf litter cause significant accessibility issues for users, especially those pushing buggies, wheelchairs and those with mobility devices”
Other concerns expressed by the Socs Dems related to fragmented development of footpaths, with missing sections forcing pedestrians onto the road, and estates waiting a long time for paths to be builts.
Local election candidate Eibhlín Seoighthe said that some communities have been waiting decades for footpaths to be built in areas such as Maunsells Road, Shantalla and Newcastle Road.
This is happening while, “new residential developments all over the city are still being approved and built without footpaths linking these developments to local services,” she added.
“With more people choosing more active means of getting around it is high time that narrow, broken, disappearing and non-existent footpaths are identified, repaired and built to ensure they are suitable for all to use”.
