Covid-19: Councils to receive funding to widen footpaths

Funding will be provided to local authorities to widen footpaths and accommodate higher numbers of people walking and cycling as the country re-opens from strict coronavirus restrictions.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has written to the 31 local authorities to "offer technical and financial support" to review their current street layouts, and make allowances for social distancing requirements as the lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Councils are being asked to consider pedestrianising some streets to allow for socially distanced queuing outside shops and businesses, and to provide additional temporary cycling infrastructure on roads.

Measures that will be considered include making some streets one-way systems to allow for footpath widening, or pedestrianising entire streets “particularly where this supports business activities,” the NTA has said.

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Other steps include adjusting traffic lights to reduce pedestrian waiting times to avoid crowds gathering, and to introduce automatic activation to avoid people pressing the traffic light signal buttons.

Minister for Transport Shane Ross announced the measures on Thursday, which he said would help increase the number of people walking or cycling to work as the economy re-opened.

“In recent weeks we’ve all had to reassess how space should be shared in our cities and towns to better reflect the needs of pedestrians and cyclists,” he said.

“Improving our infrastructure is crucial so that people will feel confident about choosing to walk or cycle while enabling social distancing,” Mr Ross said.

The Minister called on drivers to be conscious of additional cyclists on the roads while driving.

NTA chief executive Anne Graham said the State agency would grant funding to various proposals by local authorities as part of the plan.

The measures would be needed to ensure local authorities provided a “space for safe movement” of people as the coronavirus restrictions were eased, she said.

“We are conscious that such measures are required urgently in various places which is why the process of NTA agreement and funding will be simple and fast,” she said.