The current Cathaoirleach of Laois County Council Paschal McEvoy has expressed his extreme frustration over a previously-approved footpath/cycle lane in his native village in Timahoe now being taken off the table.
Speaking at this week’s meeting of the Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District in Laois County Council, Cllr Paschal McEvoy outlined the timeline of events which seems to make the proposed path from the Timahoe GAA grounds to the local village a non-runner.
Funding of €200,000 was applied for in 2021 and granted in early 2022 under the Active Travel scheme for the project – and Cllr McEvoy informed the meeting that he was told in September of last year that the work would begin in October.
He was later told that the work would start in 2023.
“But nothing has happened in 2023,” he told the meeting.
And his proposal that Laois County Council give an update as to when the work would commence was met with a response that completely frustrated the councillor.
“The NTA is targeting schemes in highly-populated areas where maximum benefit can be achieved from investment funding,” stated the response from Diarmuid Donohue, senior executive engineer in the Active Travel Office.
“This scheme does not meet the criteria for an Active Travel Scheme due to the current speed limit of 80km/h and low levels of daily usage.”
Cllr McEvoy responded by saying that “all the paperwork seems to have disappeared”.
“This is the strangest thing. €200,000 was approved for this and according to this response it now doesn’t meet the criteria.
“This was promised, approved and now it has disappeared,” he added.
“It appeared in local media that the work was starting and I have to go back and tell people it’s not going ahead.
“We’re wasting our time if this is what is happening.”
SEE ALSO – Check out more stories from the Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District here
