Video covers 15 items approx and there is additional info on a couple of these below:
Fence covering pathway at swimming pool site
Closed on safety grounds. Council did not give a timescale so I've asked again. Current pool completion date is 26th October, but this date could move yet again.
Trees cut down again
Have reported each incident have requested replanting.
Paths and cycleways overgrown
Have raised each issue as it's come up and will get back onto SDCC in several instances.
Tullyhall open space not being cut
I've mentioned this on Facebook on numerous occasions and will continue to raise, most likely at an Area Committee meeting in September or October as Council responses have been unsatisfactory.
Griffeen Road cycleway works
Each section is supposed to take approximately two weeks and some areas will have works carried out during school times, unfortunately. I've reiterated that both sides of a pathway opposite each other should not be blocked at the same time and will monitor the width of turning points as raised by residents when each job is complete as similar installations have not had problems. Ultimately this is a safety issue, especially for children. Most people don't appear to know that cyclists have right of way on cyclepaths crossing estate junctions and this increases safety risks. Vehicles must also stop if pedestrians are in the middle of crossing, but equally most pedestrians don't seem to know that they should not start crossing as a vehicle is approaching as they don't have the same right of way as cyclists. Proper raised kerbs and tighter corners reduce the safety risks where these varying needs to cross or enter/exit intersect.
Trucks and vehicles on footpaths
The most recent area brought to my attention is the path beside the Texaco which will be put on agenda for Traffic Management at the end of September (next meeting). Myself and others have raised the ongoing Ballydowd footpath on multiple occasions and various solutions have been ruled out, eg bins, signs, barriers, raised kerbs etc. However the situation continues to be a problem and all these areas are technically Garda matters in terms of the road traffic acts. With resources limited the only way to get attention is to ensure breaches are reported on an ongoing basis. You can obviously phone the Garda station but it can also be recorded via the email form on the station page of the Garda website.
Footpath repairs need more funding
The bane of everyone's life and a serious safety issue for anyone with disabilities or infirm. Not enough done and then when works are scheduled they leave stretches uncomplete, coming to an end tantalisingly short of a full stretch of roadway, because only 100 houses or so are funded. Footpaths need more funding overall and a small amount could be raised by not reducing LPT by 15% (the only extra money available because national funding was reduced proportionately in line with LPT introduction). But people are facing many additional bills and it would not fair to impose this. And, besides, this remit of the Council foisted on us by central Government is a tiny proportion of the overall SDCC budget. In this context, every year, the Council tends not to spend its full business grant allocation, so I will be looking for this to go to additional footpath repairs for next year at least.
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