Godfrey's Gospel: New walkway could attract unwelcome visitors

I AM ALL FOR anything that will improve the overall appearance of Carlow. God knows there are far too many boarded-up buildings around the town which act as an eyesore, so the idea of a walkway from the railway station to the town centre is a welcome one.

However, a note of caution: if this walkway is going to be a success, and I very much hope that it will, there needs to be a little thought put into how it will be safe for people to use.

The project aims to provide a walkway from the station through the grounds of Carlow College and into the town centre, but that isn’t the centre of the town.

Remember, I am all for improvement, but creating a walkway on its own isn’t an improvement; sometimes it can actually be the reverse. I speak especially about the River Barrow and the walkway from Carlow Rowing Club up towards the site of the former sugar factory.

When the fine weather comes along, just as it had for the past two weeks, anyone with an eye in their head could see how popular that route was during daylight hours.

But does anyone remember seeing a woman walking there alone? I ask that question because I have spoken to many women who would love to take a stroll along by the River Barrow but are simply too afraid to do so.

Why, because there is too much loitering going on, people drinking and generally making a nuisance of themselves – all because they feel free to do so in the knowledge that the walkway is isolated and if they do get up to no good, they will have time to disappear before help comes for the person they are intimidating – or worse.

Unfortunately, the Barrow Track and similar isolated areas attract the wrong element, and as night follows day, I can guarantee you the same will happen along the proposed walkway from the railway station to the town centre. First you will see graffiti on the walls, or damage to street lighting. Then groups of young or not so young hooligans will begin to congregate and eventually someone will feel empowered enough to intimidate those who are using the new walkway.

Unless it is policed from the get-go, it will become another underutilised amenity in the town. Remember, the same happened in the play area of the town park, for God’s sake, where parents and children felt afraid to go there.

I also take issue with elected representatives or council officials who believe removing car parking along Tullow Street is the answer to better traffic management.

Call a spade a spade – people use their cars to go everywhere nowadays, and that means they want to park nearby. Remove on-street parking and you will find the streets of the town empty. People will naturally migrate to where they have easy access to their cars, adding another nail in the coffin to what was once the town centre.

Some years ago, I clearly remember traders in Dublin Street and Tullow Street lamenting the disappearance of the temporary car park at the old Royal Hotel site, especially at Christmas.

When motorists could park there – for free – the place was full and consequently the shops nearby benefited. I know there is the multi-storey car park at Carlow Shopping Centre and irrespective of the parking fee, it is just a little too far for people to be bothered parking there and then walking to Tullow Street. Equally, whenever the Haddens car park (even though it is not owned by Haddens) is full, you will see motorists drive off and go to one of the shopping centres, where parking is free.

It is all very well for the authorities to make recommendations, well intentioned I’m sure, but unlike small businesses in the town centre, they don’t have to pay rates or other overheads.

Businesses are already crippled with increased costs and in September they will face an added cost when auto enrolment comes into law for pensions. I accept that everyone should try to provide additional funds for when they retire, but just because you own a business does not mean you have a licence to print money.

They also get little or no respite when the local authority calls to collect what is due to them, so before any decision is made on parking, there should be serious consultation with those who pay the rates, which allows the local authority to balance its books.

Again, I stress that I am not against change and do accept that for a town to grow and develop it must evolve and change. But let’s do a little forward thinking and examine the various scenarios before we create more problems for ourselves.