Calls to light up Cork's rejuvenated Marina this winter 

People out walking at the Marina, Cork which is now pedestrianised. Picture: Dan Linehan

Calls are growing for one of Cork's best-loved public amenities to be lit in the winter evenings to allow families, cyclists, and essential frontline workers to maximise their exercise times during the Covid-19 pandemic's next phase.

Pedestrianising the Marina near Páirc Uí Chaoimh earlier this year proved to be one of the most successful moves by Cork City Council during the early months of the pandemic, allowing a new lease of life for families and exercise enthusiasts.

Beginning at the entrance of Páirc Uí Chaoimh to the junction with Church Avenue, the road was closed to cars 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with unmanned barriers in place, with support from gardaí.

Save for local residents needing to use the road, traffic levels have virtually disappeared, with thousands of cyclists, joggers and pedestrians using the Marina during the week but especially at weekends. 

Now that the clocks have gone back, cutting the evening light by an hour, citizens have reacted enthusiastically to calls from a Cork city councillor to kit out the newly pedestrianised roadway with LED lighting or an equivalent.

Cllr Des Cahill told the Irish Examiner that he will lobby Eamon Ryan directly on Friday for funds to light up the amenity when the transport and environment minister joins Cork city councillors at various online committee meetings.

Calls have been made to light up the Marina so that people can enjoy their walks, runs, or bike rides into the winter evenings. Picture: Larry Cummins

Mr Cahill, who chairs the roads, transport and mobility committee, said he hoped to see the money provided from the Government's much-publicised vow to spend at least €1m a day on walking and cycling infrastructure in the 2021 budget.

Mr Ryan insisted upon the budget's unveiling earlier this month that Cork's set-up allows such measures to be put in place relatively pain-free and quickly.

“There is huge potential in my mind in Cork to connect, in the South Mall along some of the other routes where we could put together really exciting construction in Cork, and relatively quickly,” Mr Ryan said at the time.

Mr Cahill said that while many projects could take months or even years to get over the line, lighting the Marina should be simple.

"You would hope that if there is €1m a day to be spent on projects to encourage cycling and walking, then the Marina would be ideal. 

"With the evenings getting shorter, it would allow essential workers to get their exercise in a safe environment, while at the same time thinning out the crowds that are beginning to accumulate there during the periods of light."

LED lighting should not be prohibitively expensive, according to Mr Cahill, whose proposal on social media was met with almost universal approval from would-be exercise enthusiasts.

The Marina is used for walking, running, cycling, and by rowing and boating clubs, especially on weekends. 

Photographs from 100 years ago which circulated recently showed that the usage of the facility remains the same today as it did back then.