'Offending' street light in bike lane to be removed

Poles in bike lanes on the Skehard Road.

Street lights that have been left in the middle of new bike lanes built as part of Cork’s first neighbourhood cycling scheme will be moved before it opens.

Cork City Council confirmed the plan after cyclists raised concerns about the positioning of two street light columns in a new bike lane, which has been built on the Skehard Road as part of the €6m Mahon cycle scheme.

The raised bike lane has been built around one pole, which has been left standing smack bang in the middle of the path, while a second pole nearby has been left on the side of the bike lane.

The positioning raised concerns among cyclists that they would pose an obvious safety hazard if they were left there.

However, engineers overseeing the scheme stressed the work was not finished, and the stretch with the two 'offending' street poles was not open for use.

“In recent months, construction of a two-way cycle track and footpath on the southern verge of Skehard Road east has commenced," the council said.

"While it might appear that works are complete in this area, they are not.

"The Tarmacadam that is visible currently is not the finished surface of the cycle track. The lighting columns [which gave rise to concern] are existing lighting columns.

“The Mahon project includes new public lighting throughout. We are in the process of installing the new public lighting system in this area.

The existing lighting columns need to be left in place until the new system is fully operational. When the new public lighting system is installed, the old lighting columns will be removed.

“The new lighting columns will be located at edge of footpath, leaving both the footpath and cycle track free of obstruction.” 

The council was criticised about seven years ago for a similar problem further west along the Skehard Road.

Instead of moving a pole, workers installed a bike lane around the pole, forcing cyclists to swerve to avoid it.

The council said the bike lane was developed before modern safety standards, and the pole was later removed as part of road upgrades along that stretch of road.