New path at Ballinderry welcomed

The lack of a footpath at the Elms in the Ballinderry area of Mullingar had been an annoyance for people in the area for years, but finally there has been progress.

Cllr Ken Glynn has been raising the matter at council meetings, for, he believes, a decade “maybe longer”.

“It has been a frustrating time, a dangerous time, but what we’ve achieved in the last few weeks is a fantastic job,” he said. “There was an allocation we put in the budget which helped to build a lovely stone wall and open up the path, and I warmly welcome that.”

Cllr Glynn also welcomed new pedestrian crossings at Millmount and the Ardmore Road, on either side of Saunders Bridge, where a new pedestrian crossing is to open shortly. He said he will continue to work on improvements for people living in and passing through that area. “It’s hopefully the first step of a plan from that road out towards Newtown. With the development of houses ongoing, there is a need for additional measures along that stretch of road – certainly the ramp at Oakcrest needs to be raised, the pedestrian crossing there. I would say that there was also a need for tabletop ramps at each entrance of all the estates, because it’s going to be a much busier road, and then with Newtown there’s a few bad corners, so a major job in hand is to get that stretch of road done.”

He said the new pedestrian crossings are an important first step for residents in that part of Mullingar. “It’s something I’ve worked on for quite some time in both cases and I warmly welcome the development.”