Priority should be given to pedestrians

Cllr Finola Armstrong-McGuire asked that Leitrim County Council give full consideration to making public spaces as well as footpaths as safe as possible for pedestrians. 

"Pedestrians get Priority" should be the understanding for cyclists and vehicle drivers, she said adding that "areas outside schools, creches, pre-schools, health centres, playgrounds, quay sides and more must be made safer for all."

She continued that she felt this would establish a call to courtesy that many but not all could adhere to and could be a national call led by our municipal area and County Leitrim.

Speaking at the Carrick-on-Shannon MD meeting, Cllr Armstrong-McGuire said that she believed it was "time to give pedestrians more and more priority" adding that areas such as Drumhierney Lodge (leitrim Village) and Center Parcs (Longford) ensure that this is the case.  

She stressed: "I would love to see it as a Leitrim-wide thing - if you are in Co. Leitrim and you are walking, you get priority."

She said that scooters and mopeds "are taking over footpaths in areas and they are frightening older people" and "nobody should be allowed to whizz past a private door on a Main Street or side street of a town."

Cllr Sean McGowan supported the motion and said that while some people are respectful to pedestrians, "others just keep going and don't pass a bit of remarks."

Cllr Des Guckian also supported the motion.

A report by the Economic Development section said the council currently endeavours to make all public areas it has responsibility for as pedestrian friendly as possible. It said that the basic rules of the road considers all pedestrians to be vulnerable and Leitrim County Council delineates the public areas outside schools, creches, hospitals etc. to reflect this principle.

The response continued that an awareness campaign that ''Pedestrians Get Priority'' could be raised as a potential initiative at the next JPC meeting and a live project that is consistent with the above is the Safe Route to School Scheme (SRTS) for Scoil Mhuire, Carrick-on-Shannon which the Active Travel team is developing. 

It said: "This scheme will improve infrastructure outside of and on routes to school with the aim of increasing the number of children who walk, cycle to school. The underlying design principles of this scheme have the pedestrian and cyclist at its core."

Justin Fannon of Leitrim County Council said that the pedestrianisation of the Quayside area in Carrick is in the works as part of the Town Centre First Plan.