Cllr Alan Curran of the Social Democrats has called for an increase in funding for a dedicated footpath maintenance team for the city.
He said that there are growing concerns regarding the deteriorating state of public footpaths all over the city making it difficult for users to navigate our streets.
At the last council meeting on 9 October, it was confirmed to Cllr Curran that no resources were available within the roads department to fund a maintenance team.
“The city wide network of footpaths is twice the length of our road network, and yet while funding is readily available to maintain and improve our road network, there is no dedicated team to ensure our footpaths are in a decent condition for all users,” said Cllr Curran.
“Broken and uneven surfaces, encroaching grass, overhanging branches and accumulated leaf litter cause significant accessibility issues for users, especially those pushing buggies, wheelchairs and those with mobility devices.”
He said that the fragmented nature of our walking network where footpaths abruptly end, forcing pedestrians to share the road has been well documented, and there have been many calls from local community groups all over the city to complete these links.
Social Democrat candidate for Galway Central, Eibhlín Seoighthe, said that some residents have been waiting over 30 years for a footpath to be extended in their communities such as Maunsells Road, Shantalla and Newcastle Road.
New residential developments all over the city are still being approved and built without footpaths linking these developments to local services, she said.
“With more people choosing more active means of getting around it is high time that narrow, broken, disappearing and non-existent footpaths are identified, repaired and built to ensure they are suitable for all to use.”
