Background
Cork City Council has published plans for the Passage Railway Greenway Improvement Scheme project. These plans are available to view at the following link.
Analysis
The Campaign welcomes this consultation on proposed options and encourages all users and visitors of the Greenway to review the plans and make a submission. There are five options under consideration at the moment. We feel that Options 1 and 2 offer a unique chance to create a wonderful waterside amenity path with high degrees of amenity for all users.
In addition, the Campaign would like to point out:
- The project is part of the proposed ‘Lee 2 Sea’ Greenway, a once in a generation project that would create a unique greenway from the beautiful Lee Valley to the Crosshaven in the harbour of Cork. This Greenway would provide amazing recreational and commuting opportunities for tens of thousands of people in Cork and be a major tourist attraction. Further information can be found here.
- Option 4 and 5 would be unpopular with people walking and cycling as they would need to cross a busy road twice. We are concerned that many people would continue to walk and cycle on the existing path and the investment might be turn out to be a ‘white elephant’.
- We encourage Cork City Council to follow the lead of Cork County Council and install ancillary infrastructure to support people cycling either at Harty’s Quay or Hop Island. This may include bike repair stations or public bike pumps.
- As the Greenway is very popular at peak times, we recommend that consideration be given to providing separate or segregated space for people walking and cycling in order to reduce potential conflict between users.
How you can help?
The Campaign is calling on people to submit an observation to Cork City Council before the closing date of the 5th of February 2021. Your observation does not need to be technical or follow any format. Please state your concerns and opinions in the way you feel most comfortable. Even a simple line will do if you state your viewpoint clearly!
You can submit your observation via the online portal at this link or in writing via the post.
You can also read our submission at the link below
Passage Railway Greenway Improvement Scheme – Phase II
