Cathaoirleach slams town's 'dirty-looking' cycle bollards

“THE only thing missing from the cycle lanes is cyclists,” quipped cllr Fergal Browne, as members offered their criticism of the “dirty-looking bollards” on Green Lane in Carlow town.

While discussing Active Travel and plans for further cycle and pedestrian lanes at a recent meeting of Carlow Municipal District, thoughts quickly turned to the town’s existing cycle lanes.

Cllr Browne revealed that some cyclists were choosing not to cycle in the cycle lanes because they are “too dangerous”, pointing out that road sweepers cannot access the laneways, leading to a build-up of debris.

Cllr Browne offered his opinion that the bollards at Green Lane “haven’t worked”, adding that they were now “getting quite dirty-looking and not looking well at all”.

He asked if the council members could have an input into the type of bollards used on cycle lanes, adding his preference for the smaller bollards he has seen in other part of the country, or perhaps no bollards at all. 

“The higher bollards are unsightly,” he remarked.

Cllr Fintan Phelan felt that segregated cycle lanes were necessary for safety reasons, adding that it would be quite dangerous without them. He said a change of mindset was required to make cycling a viable option for people and pointed to the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands, which was visited by council members to observed their attitudes to cycling.

Cllr Adrienne Wallace agreed that the bollards at Green Lane were looking “dirty and broken” and accepted there would have to be a shift in the culture to make cycling more appealing to people. She also welcomed the lighting on raised kerbing installed on the Dublin Road, adding it was important for visually impaired.

Seamus Loughlin, senior executive engineer, stated that he would raise the matter of cleaning inside the cycle lane bollards with the council’s maintenance team and have a suitable sweeper used.