Work on west Mayo street safety scheme ongoing

WORK to resolve the safety issue at Georges Street in Newport is continuing.

An options study has thrown up an issue with parking, and loss of parking spaces, and that is currently being looked at.

Councillor Brendan Mulroy raised the safety scheme at a municipal district meeting, asking if it had been sent to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and when they could expect to see funding for it.

“It is a death trap,” he stated, highlighting the urgency of the matter for pedestrians, and particularly school children.

District head Padraig Walsh said a feasibility of options report was done where an issue emerged about impact on parking and the loss of some parking, and the need to identify replacement parking.

That needs to be teased out before a report goes to TII.

TII, he said, would then have to approve and commit funding to it.

That would take time, noted Councillor Mulroy, who asked that the council and TII work with the community about putting a lollipop person in place at a safe crossing.

This would alleviate some of the danger in the meantime.

The community, he added, would be disappointed to learn the project was no further down the line.

Councillor Mulroy was told the council do not have the resources for a lollipop person.