Older residents in Salthill who enjoy leisurely strolls on the promenade are worried about speeding cyclists who they say are posing a danger to them by “weaving in and out” through pedestrians.
They fear they are going to be knocked down and injured as the issue is an ongoing problem. One man spoke about a “close brush to his fingers” from a cyclist “whizzing by”. He said that this has happened a few times in the past year and he is concerned because he is no longer “steady on his feet”.
He went on to say that some days he meets up to four cyclists on his daily walk. He emphasised that parents with young children on tricycles were not a concern.
Oranmore senator Fidelma Healy Eames says she has been contacted by a number of residents who are anxious to have the issue rectified.
She has written to Galway city manager Brendan McGrath regarding the safety of people who walk the “prom”. She wants the city council to find a way to “provide for cyclists be that a cycling lane or otherwise”.
“Daily walkers encounter cyclists weaving in and out among them,” she says. “Some residents expressed worry about being accidentally knocked down, taking a fall or breaking bones, a source of anxiety for older people with more brittle bones.
“I am asking the city council to table this as an early and urgent item on its agenda in the New Year. While it is great to see people cycling they should not inadvertently endanger walkers. Each needs their separate space.
“I will support an application for funding to the Minister for Transport for provision for cyclists, once the council has decided the best way to facilitate them.”
