February: Concerns over safety of Ring Road and work begins on Croker’s Hill

Serious safety concerns were raised by councillors over the Ring Road at the February Kilkenny City Municipal District meeting.

Councillor John Coonan penned a notice of motion which stated that new developments adjacent to the Ring Road have led to an increase in the volume of pedestrians and cyclists crossing the Ring Road and asked the Council to look at measures to greater facilitate pedestrians and cyclists crossing the Ring Road safely.

Cllr Martin Brett supported the motion adding that he had previously raised the issue and Cllr Eugene McGuinness described it as ‘an ongoing issue’.

PICTURES: Crowds flock to Knockroe Passage Tomb in Kilkenny for Winter Solstice

Pictures by Harry Reid

At the same meeting Director of Services at Kilkenny County Council, Tim Butler made a presentation on a €250,000 scheme by Transport Infrastructure Ireland to widen the pedestrian path at the Ossory Bridge on Kilkenny’s Ring Road later this year.

Work also began at the Croker’s Hill site in the city for the construction of 88 social housing units and a community centre while in other news Kilkenny Squash Club made an impassioned plea to reopen their facilities.

The squash club that was founded and has played on courts inside James Stephens Barracks for 55 were told by the Department of Defence that it was not aware that the club had access to a military facility for all that time. The temporary

Covid lockdown had turned into a permanent lockout for the members who pleaded with the department to come to some arrangement with the club to ensure its future survival.

Meanwhile there was a great turnout in Clara for a drugs awareness initiative rolled out by the gardaí in GAA clubs.

Sporting stars Conor Harris and Ken Egan spoke to a packed hall on the dangers of addiction and the importance of raising awareness around substance abuse. The talk was one in a series of events promoting health and wellbeing and raising awareness around the pitfalls of drug use and the collateral damage that people will suffer if they get involved in drugs.