Minane Bridge Footpath Must Be Progressed
Writes Leo McMahon
A strong call for a footpath between Minane Bridge village and the local Knocknamanagh National School was made by a deputation representing the local school, GAA Club and Community Council at the monthly meeting of Cork County Council’s Bandon-Kinsale Municipal District.
“The school is in full support of the footpath and appeals to you from a safety point of view to help protect the 130 children, including special needs, who need this footpath as a matter of urgency”, said the first speaker, parent and board of management member John Ryan.
“It is only a matter of time before a serious incident or death occurs as a result of not having a safe passage to school along this hazardous stretch. There have been numerous incidents over the years and only recently, a lady was struck when a driver’s vision was impaired by the glare of the sun. A footpath would give protection against this happening. It is ironic that in an era of obesity, that children are not walking to school because of a lack of infrastructure”.
He urged the council to purchase the land required for a footpath as a priority and progress the matter to its next stage so that the council was ready to go when funding was in place.
Many Juveniles
Robert Farrissey, who described himself as being ‘conceived, born and bred’ in the locality, pointed out that Tracton juvenile GAA and camogie clubs had excellent community facilities within walking distance of the village where over 300 members under the age of 17 enjoyed sport and socialised.
Parents were concerned that their kids had to walk on the busy road because there was no footpath along a section between the GAA field and the village.
Tracton GAA also provided a hall for the local community playgroup and here again, families in the village whose children attended it, had to walk on the busy carriageway, some with prams. “This is far from ideal and the construction of the remaining section of footpath would provide safety to these parents when taking their kids to the playgroup”, he stated, adding that the road was even busier in the summer with traffic to and from the nearby beaches.
Oliver O’Leary said he had two grandchildren whom he hoped would be pupils of local school. He stressed the need to make the locality a safe place for both adults and children to walk.
There was huge emphasis at present on various aspects of road safety yet in Minane Bridge, there was a short section of road that wasn’t safe for children and adults. What the people were seeking from the council wasn’t anything extra ordinary, merely a basic footpath from the school to the village.
Fellow members of Tracton Community Council told him they had been looking for a footpath for over 20 years only to be frustrated time and time again.
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