At the monthly meeting of Castlebar Town Council last week, Fine Gael councillor Noreen Heston raised the issue of why the traffic lights in Newtown were out of order for so long. Cllr Heston told the meeting: “It is an important issue, I know it’s a county council matter, but the lights were left out of order for a very long time and there were a number of accidents there. There should have been a member of the Gardaí or a traffic warden placed at the lights because it was very dangerous.” Cllr Heston said that she had been in contact with the gardaí about the issue and was told that it was a matter of resources that they couldn not post someone there all the time, while the council said it was a similar issue for them.
Cllr Michael Kilcoyne told the meeting that, “I agree with Cllr Heston, they were left out of operation for far to long. I believe the fact that they are about 20 years old now and there was difficulty in getting a part that was broken was the reason for the delay in getting them back working. But it is something that we can’t see happening again.”
Durcan warns over closing off of right of ways
Independent councillor Frank Durcan warned the councillors they could be facing into problems down the line, unless they make sure that no one’s right of way is effected by the works taking place on the Main Street. Cllr Durcan said that “There are six to eight right of way access off the Main Street, but looking at the work there is only one which has been taken into consideration by the works. You can’t extinguish a right of way because you choose to. You have to go down the correct legal channels or we could end up in court. Mayor Ger Deere told Cllr Durcan that he had been informed by the council management the project engineer was in discussions with all the right of way holders about the issue.
Praise for accessibility in Castlebar
Fine Gael councillor Brendan Henaghan told the meeting that he had recently been told that Castlebar was the most accessible town in the county for people with mobility issues. Cllr Heneghan said “I just want to pass on a good news story for a change. Recently I had a woman come into my shop and she was full of praise for the town. She told me that she lived closer to Galway, but she would come to Castlebar to do shopping because she found it by far to be the most accessible town for both disabled people and people with mobility problems. It’s good to see that the work we are doing is being recognised by the people from not just the town but outside the town.”
More bike stands are needed.
Sinn Féin councillor Therese Ruane, raised the issue that there needs to be more bike stands placed in the centre of town as part of the rejuvenation works that are currently being completed. Cllr Ruane told the meeting that she was disappointed to find out that there would only be one bike stand on Main Street as part of the works being carried out. She told the meeting that more stands should be put in place in the centre of the town if the council is serious about promoting alternative transport in Castlebar. Cllr Ruane’s stance was supported by Cllr Henaghan who said that, “I agree with Cllr Ruane on the need for more bike stands in the town. We will have a number of plazas on Main Street where they should be incorporated.
