Catherine Conlon: At a time of global uncertainty, the Cork-Kinsale Greenway cannot be allowed to fail
Michael Collins TD in July with committee members of the campaign group against plans for the Cork to Kinsale greenway. Picture: David Creedon
While scientists warn that climate change is warming Europe twice as fast as the global average, Ireland continues to battle against even the smallest action that could impact on business, personal assets, privacy or economic growth.
At an IFA meeting in August of over 100 farmers and landowners in Carrigaline to discuss the Cork to Kinsale Greenway, it was reported that the group heard the preferred route put forward by Cork County Council is totally unsuited for a Greenway project and that the views of the farming and local rural community had not been taken on board.
IFA infrastructure project team chair, Paul O’Brien, told the meeting the IFA had challenged Cork County Council on their attempt to impose a greenway on all private farmland and their failure to utilise any public or State-owned lands.
IFA Munster regional chair, Conor O’Leary, said attempting to impose a greenway on all private farmlands is unacceptable to the IFA and farmers, adding it creates major disruption in terms of severance and could destroy the viability of some farms.
Mr O’Leary said Cork County Council has agreed to undertake a total review of the entire greenway project in view of the opposition from the farming and rural community on the serious shortcomings regarding the preferred route corridor.
Farmers and landowners were reported to have concerns over the disease risk and implications for their livestock herds from infrastructural projects including an increased risk of TB, privacy, security, litter, excessive costs, and environmental concerns.
This type of opposition is not unexpected but it is disappointing that there such hostility to a proposal that has the potential to be transformational to the lives of so many. Potential benefits include a significant boost to tourism and the local economy in the hinterland surrounded by the route, active travel, climate targets, nature conservation; as well as physical and mental wellbeing.
The greenway would give people in rural areas an option not to use their car for certain local journeys. There may be a silent majority that would support the route, but it seems the most vociferous are being heard. The Cork Cycling Campaign spoke to Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan who mentioned that if this was for the re-opening of the railway line she didn’t think it would be as fiercely opposed.
The greenway would provide a functional use for structures that have lain idle for decades, such as the old Chetwynd railway viaduct and Goggins Hill Tunnel, while providing a scenic and largely traffic-free corridor for active travel between Cork City and Kinsale. It would have immense heritage value, offering a unique opportunity to celebrate Cork’s rail history through a living piece of infrastructure re-purposed for the future.
The route would allow integration with communities such as Ballinhassig, Riverstick and Belgooly promoting local connectivity and daily active transport use – not just leisure tourism. The wonderful thing about greenways is the moderate gradients redolent of their use as old railway routes, that support cycling and walking for all ages and disability.
More children walking or cycling to school could put a significant dent in a target that was once the norm for almost every child in Ireland. The study, conducted pre-pandemic among almost 7,000 students across Ireland, found that only a third of children commute to school by walking or cycling and that parents are a big part of the problem with an ongoing heavy reliance on car commutes.
Barriers to active travel identified by students include heavy school bags, heavy traffic and unsafe road crossings; the same issues that cross my mind when considering my commute to work.
But cycling and walking offers more than just physical activity. It also offers independence. Research published in the 'Journal of Paediatrics' (2023) suggested that adults’ effort to guide and protect children and teens has deprived them of the independence for mental health that is contributing to record levels of anxiety, depression and suicide among young people.
The greenway would be a huge boost to tourism in Kinsale through sustainable transport that aligns with Fáilte Ireland’s tourism goals. Imagine being able to cycle to Kinsale for the day rather than spending up to an hour in the car with the headache of car parking removed.
While the top 10 health challenges across the world are generally the same everywhere, the contribution of each to reducing life expectancy is different in various countries. In Vietnam and Thailand, road traffic injuries are a leading problem. In the US it’s gun violence and road traffic injuries. In Japan it’s poor mental health and suicides. In India, it’s dirty air and tobacco.
In Ireland, it’s chronic diseases linked to unhealthy diet and sedentary behaviour with often inaccessible healthcare.
The Cork-Kinsale Greenway would improve rural mobility, giving people in smaller towns and villages a viable, safe and enjoyable means of getting around without needing a car. In cost-benefit terms it makes sense, reducing chronic disease costs to individuals, communities and healthcare services as well as improving physical and mental wellbeing.
A recent report from the Pew Research shows that Public Health initiatives deliver big returns on investment. Data analysis shows that every dollar spent on such efforts saves about $14 in medical and societal costs.
The fact is that small investments in public health save lives and money. As policymakers look for ways to rein in soaring healthcare costs, public health offers some of the most effective solutions.
The mind-blowing effects of nature on our minds was revealed in Marc Berman’s fascinating book . The book outlines how even short periods in nature like cycling down a greenway can improve focus, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and lower stress by decreasing cortisol levels and blood pressure.
Benefits include better cognitive performance, improved mood and enhanced working memory suggesting that nature can be harnessed to combat the distractions of a busy, often chaotic city life.
Experience from other greenways - such as the Westport to Achill and Waterford routes – shows their abilities to revitalise communities, create enterprise and employment opportunities, and build sustainable transport habits.
The Cork-Kinsale Greenway is no less important than large-scale strategic road investments like the Dunkettle Interchange, the Macroom Bypass or the Cork-Limerick motorway and it deserves the same level of commitment and urgency.
The Cork- Kinsale Greenway has the potential to be a transformational active travel corridor for the South-West Cork region. While the proposal inevitably provides challenges particularly involving landowner engagement, and meaningful consultation to ensure local concerns are addressed is an imperative, such challenges must not cause avoidable delays or even worse, risk the proposal being shelved.
- Dr Catherine Conlon is a public health doctor in Cork
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