Dollard wants Active Travel for Clongowney

The exclusion of the road between Clongowney and the Mullingar Park Hotel from the next round of planned Active Travel works has been questioned at Municipal District level by Cllr Mick Dollard.

At the November meeting, Cllr Dollard asked that the road be included in a future Active Travel scheme. The response from the district explained that funding allocated by the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Active Travel Investment Programme is being targeted at the larger urban areas with high commuter levels, in order to achieve a shift away from the use of cars.

Six ‘strategic routes’ have been identified for development in Mullingar and a consultant has been appointed to design them.

Continued the response: “There is currently no scope to add additional routes to the programme until such time as the ones currently under consideration are substantially implemented.”

It added that at that stage, the route suggested by Cllr Dollard can be considered, if it meets the NTA criteria.

Cllr Dollard pressed to have all factors taken into account: “This particular location has totally changed,” he said, arguing that the Longford Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB) is located there, which gives rise to a certain footfall, as does the presence of Lidl.

“So I would ask that the Active Travel team look at that location at some time in the future,” he said.