Decade-long wait for greenway crossing at Cork accident blackspot 

Campaign spokesperson described delay as disappointing as people have been asking for a safe crossing point for years.

There has been a delay to the proposed active travel improvements at the Carrigrohane Bridge accident blackspot that are designed to provide the 'missing link' between the Curraheen and Inchigaggin cycle and walking routes.

Construction of a safe crossing to link two busy greenways near an accident blackspot in Cork city could be a decade away, it has emerged.

It follows confirmation of a delay to proposed active travel improvements at the Carrigrohane Bridge accident blackspot that are designed to provide the 'missing link' between the Curraheen and Inchigaggin cycle and walking routes in the western suburbs.

“This is disappointing as it is a popular walking and cycling route and people have been asking for a safe crossing point here for years. It is long overdue. This is not just a nice-to-have leisure route,” a campaign spokesperson said.

Linking the two greenways has been mentioned in various city development and cycling strategy documents since 1998.  

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has allocated some €580,000 in active travel funding to Cork City Council since 2022 for the design of improved active travel infrastructure at Carrigrohane bridge, with initial target dates suggesting work would start this year.

But the council has now confirmed that its designs for improved biking and walking facilities here have been bundled into a proposed BusConnects route at this location, which could be several years away.

Preliminary designs

In a statement, the council said thanks to the NTA funding, it prepared preliminary designs for the replacement of Carrigrohane bridge and for the realignment and improvement of its approach roads.

But it said due to the “limited sight distances available”, it has deemed not possible to deliver the proposed active travel connection between the two greenways in advance of the bridge and road widening realignment works.

“These (designs) have been submitted to the NTA and the authority will be incorporating the proposals for Carrigrohane bridge in the overall package of improvements for the Ballincollig to city Sustainable Transport Corridor under the BusConnects programme,” the council said.

However, planning for the BusConnects route may not be sought until the third quarter of 2025, with delivery of the work several years away.

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The Cork Cycling Campaign called on the council and the NTA to consider “interim infrastructure measures” to provide a safe crossing between the two greenways until the BusConnects route is delivered.

“The Curraheen and Inchigaggin pathways are very popular routes for active travel and leisure, especially since the much-welcomed surface upgrades carried out in recent years," the spokesman said.

“If active travel is to be prioritised as in the Cork City Council Climate Action plan and City development plan, alternative solutions should be found in the interim to safely connect these two sections rather than leaving people waiting another five to 10-years for a safe crossing.”

Labour Cllr Laura Harmon, who is also the party's Dáil candidate in Cork South Central, said a safe crossing is urgently needed.

"It's unfair that residents have already been waiting years for it," she said.

"People are crossing here anyway because there is no convenient safe crossing visible nearby.

"With housing estates and new apartments being built on one side and the cycle/walk-way and many businesses on the other side - there is a requirement to get from one side of the road to the other. "This is a safety issue and people can’t afford to be waiting years again for this safe crossing to be built.’’