Calls are being made for the Galway County Council running track in Dunlo, Ballinasloe, to have its hours of operation extended from 7am to 9pm and for it to open on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Independent county councillor, Dr Evelyn Parsons, said the current track hours were “too restrictive” and “do not cater adequately” to the local running and walking community.
Her call also follows the horrific tragic killing of the young sportswoman, Ashling Murphy, and Cllr Parsons said she has been approached by women in Ballinasloe, saying they “no longer feel safe jogging alone on trails or roads before or after work/school as was their practice”.
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Cllr Parsons described the track as “an excellent facility, well used, well lit”, and said if the “will was there”, CCTV could be installed to “combat heightened fears regarding violence against women”
Cllr Parsons has written to the local authority “in the interests of female safety” to facilitate extended hours for the track.
