Minister of State and Green Party Senator, Pippa Hackett, and local Green Party Cllr, Mark Hackett, who have welcomed active travel funding for Offaly

€3.68m in Offaly active travel funding warmly welcomed

Many parts of Offaly are set to be transformed as a result of an allocation of €3.68m for active travel projects within the county.

The allocations, which were made by the National Transport Authority (NTA), who administer the fund, will see over 1,200 walking and cycling projects being developed by local authorities across the country.

Offaly County Council has been allocated €271,000 to cover staff costs for the setting up of an active travel office within the local authority which will oversee the 19 projects which have been granted funding for 2022.

The biggest single allocation of funding goes to Birr, which has been allocated €377,894 for footpath improvements in Birr and Crinkill, and is also set to receive a further €285,000 for upgrade works to the popular Riverside Walk.

A total of five separate active travel projects in Tullamore have been allocated funding, with the biggest tranche going to the Tullamore Urban Greenway project which is set to benefit to the tune of €371,000.

€146,000 has been allocated for the preparation of a Transport/Mobility Plan for Tullamore, while a further €116,000 has been allocated for Phase 1 of the town’s Cycle Network .

€116,000 has also been earmarked for improvement works at Spollenstown road while €200,000 has been allocated for an advance scheme at the Collins Lane junction.

North Offaly is also set to benefit from the active travel funding announced this week, with a €240,000 allocation for an upgrade on the busy junction on the R402-1 road; €75,000 for improvement works at Hare’s Lane and €69,034 for the establishment of dedicated cycling lanes through the town.

In addition to individual allocations to towns within the county, all areas in Offaly are also expected to benefit from an allocation of €246,000 for pedestrian crossings and both Birr and Edenderry have also been earmarked for improvements and tightening of urban junctions, for which €115,000 has been allocated.

Clara, Mucklagh, Rhode, Banagher, Shinrone, Ballycumber, Cloghan and Portarlington have also been included in the latest round of active travel funding, with the biggest single allocation of €200,000 going to Mucklagh for improvement works to the junction and path at Brocca road.

The funding has been warmly welcomed by Offaly Green Party Cllr Mark Hackett and Minister of State and Green Party Senator, Pippa Hackett, and also by Laois/Offaly Independent TD, Deputy Carol Nolan.

“This funding is designed to make life easier for pedestrians and safer for cyclist while reducing traffic in our towns and villages” said Minister of State, Pippa Hackett, who added that good footpaths and dedicated cycle lanes are “essential if we are to leave the car at home more often.”

Cllr Mark Hackett said the investment for Offaly is “a direct result” of the Green Party’s role in government and added that not only does it “promote accessible mobility and a move from car dependency, but also generates jobs in both construction and maintenance.”

Deputy Carol Nolan said she will continue to welcome “on a bi-partisan basis” any funding that contributes to the renewal of local amenities, such as walkways and cycleways and Safe to School programmes.

“We need rural and indeed urban communities that are healthy and safe places to live and enjoy recreational activities, and we also need to ensure that adequate levels of funding are directed towards improving footpaths and pedestrian crossings” she said.