Our newly inaugurated Irish Cycling Campaign (formerly Cyclist.ie) has made its first formal planning related submission to Sligo County Council, together with our member group Sligo Cycling Campaign. And what better place to start than the lovely seaside town of Rosses Point west of Sligo Town. Note that the image above shows a present view of the Rosses Point coastal road.
The Rosses Point Public Realm Enhancement project is a scheme aimed at providing improved walking and cycling facilities along the main coastal road in Rosses Point. Interestingly, this project is funded from the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF) and not through available Active Travel funding. Last year’s active travel funding allocated a separate €70,000 for footpaths in the village itself. This was out of a total active travel allocation of €3 million for the county of Sligo for 2023.
Both Sligo Cycling Campaign and the Irish Cycling Campaign were supportive of the project, which Sligo Cycling Campaign views as the beginning/end of a Sligo Coastal Mobility Route from Rosses Point to Strandhill. We both made a number of suggestions for proposed improvements. Our submissions can be read HERE (for the ICC one) and HERE (for the Sligo CC one). Our main points related to:
- Compliance with the Cycling Design Manual
- Speed limit reduction to 30kph
- Consistent narrowing of the main carriageway to help reduce speeds
- Controlled pedestrian and bike crossings
- Consistent bike track width
- Junction design improvement
- Bus Stop shelter provision
- More inclusive bike parking
Sligo Cycling Campaign members try out a potential Coastal Mobility Route to Rosses Point
We would be hopeful that Sligo County Council will take our considered points on board, and we look forward to the building of the proposed scheme sometime soon.
These two submissions are the first of many that will be submitted in the coming year by the Irish Cycling Campaign and its members across the country. We will continue to make these submissions to Local Authorities and national bodies, to ensure that proposed active travel schemes are planned and built to a high standard. Last year alone in 2023, as Cyclist.ie, we made over 50 submissions on Active Travel projects nationwide!
If you would like to support us in this valuable work in making Ireland better and safer for cycling and walking why not join Irish Cycling Campaign, or consider making a donation – or even better, get involved in our work through our many local groups?
You too can be the agent of change!