Public lighting in County Laois came under scrutiny again this week, this time at the April meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory-Mountmellick Municipal District.
Fine Gael Cllr Conor Bergin raised the issue, calling for Laois County Council to “provide a single infill light in Castletown village outside the village store.”
Mr James Dowling, Senior Executive Engineer for Roads said Laois County Council Public Lighting Dept “will provide a new infill public light at this location.”
Cllr Bergin welcomed the response, saying the light in Castletown is all on one side of the street, stressing the importance of public lighting in terms of safety, especially for young families and the elderly population.
There was strong support for the motion from Cllr Paddy Bracken, who who called for an immediate improvement in public lighting across the Borris-in-Ossory-Mountmellick Municipal District.
Cllr Ollie Clooney also supported the motion, calling for penalties to be implemented for the contractor(s) responsible.
Next, Cllr Bergin called on the County Council to “address the severe road surface issues on the L-5052 at Clonoghil, Coolrain.”
Cllr Bergin said the road has deteriorated significantly in recent times and that decent roads are a must in terms of attracting and satisfying tourist concerns.
Mr Dowling said that maintenance crews will attend to this road in the coming weeks, despite it not being on the current roads programme for 2024.
Cllr Bergin ended by calling for Laois County Council to install ‘children at play’ signs at Killanure on the R440 road.
Mr Dowling again responded, saying Municipal District staff “will meet Cllr Bergin on site to discuss measures to highlight the safety of children at this location.”
