Road safety and pedestrian improvements planned for West Cork village

Councillors heard lack of safe pedestrian access in Crossbarry remained a significant concern

Councillors welcomed the expected improvements while emphasising pedestrian access through the village remained an issue requiring action. File picture

Road safety and pedestrian improvements are set to be rolled out in a West Cork village over the next two years.

Cork County Council said traffic lights and improved pedestrian links at Crossbarry crossroads are due to be delivered in 2027, while further traffic-calming measures on the R589 approach are planned for 2028.

Councillors welcomed the timetable but said concerns remained.

Social Democrats councillor Ann Bambury welcomed the plans but said the lack of safe pedestrian access remained a significant concern. 

She told the council’s Western Division committee her Bandon-Kinsale colleagues had repeatedly raised the difficulties faced by people moving through Crossbarry. 

Ms Bambury highlighted the bridge as a particular problem, and said it continued to cause difficulties for pedestrians. 

Fine Gael councillor John Michael Foley also welcomed progress on the village’s pedestrian safety works and stressed the importance of moving them forward.

The council’s director of services for roads and transport, Pádraig Barrett, said officials were seeking to combine funding sources to deliver the improvements. He said the work would be advanced through a low-cost safety scheme and a National Transport Authority-funded scheme.

Mr Barrett said bringing those sources together would help the council develop the scheme needed in Crossbarry over the coming years.

The proposals feature in the council’s Towns and Villages Programme, which supports measures to improve access and safety for people walking and cycling. 

Eligible works under that programme include footpath improvements, pedestrian crossings, junction changes, traffic calming, and public lighting upgrades.

The written timetable separates the work at the crossroads and pedestrian links from the later traffic-calming measures on the R589 approach. The report does not give a construction start date or project cost for Crossbarry. 

Councillors welcomed the expected improvements while emphasising pedestrian access through the village remained an issue requiring action.

• This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme