New Athlone cycle corridor to link Baylough with TUS and N6
Athlone is to get a new cycle corridor linking Baylough on the west side of the town to the N6 Kilmartin roundabout at Creggan and the TUS campus as part of transformative plans by the Department of Transport to increase active travel options across the country within the next three years.
The Pathfinder Programme, details of which were announced by Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan TD this morning (Monday) will see 35 active travel projects being developed in villages, town and cities, including19 walking and cyling routes serving over 500 schools.
The Athlone cycle corridor is designed to improve connectivity with the Technological University of the Shannon – Midlands (TUS) , and the report issued by the Department of Transport also reveals that the TUS campus is to be earmarked as “a hub location” for Athlone's new bike hire scheme.
According to details issued by the Department of Transport, the proposed cycle corridor in Athlone is to be developed along the old Galway Road/Old Dublin Road to Creggan, and build in connectivity with the Dublin-Galway Greenway “at multiple locations.”
As well as providing infrastructure for cycling, the proposed route will also provide walking facilities to a number of key destinations in the town, including business, retail, residential, educational and leisure, and will link in with the pedestrian/cycle bridge currently under construction across the River Shannon as part of the Dublin-Galway Greenway.
The report also states that the TUS campus in Athlone has “a significant student population” who will benefit from having more active travel options available to them, which is one of the reasons the campus has been selected as a hub for the town's new bike hire scheme.
The Pathfinder Programme is focused on reducing carbon emissions in the transport sector, by enabling the shift to cleaner transport choices, and will be delivered in each county by the local authority. Project were selected as a result of a call out to Council's across the country over the summer to submit projects that could make the greatest difference to people living in their counties.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Eamon Ryan said the huge volume of projects submitted demonstrates “a real appetite for change” and those shortlisted have three things in common “they are innovative, they are ambitious, and critically, they will be delivered at speed.”
“By 2025 the selected pathfinder projects will be in action, improving the communities in which they will be implemented, and demonstrating to other localities how our system can be transformed” said the Minister, who pointed ouyt that decarbonising transport presents “an enormous challenge” including “a shift in our mindset and choices.”
All local authorities will be invited to participate in “Smart and Sustainable Mobility Training Workshops” over the next three years. These workshops, which are themselves a pathfinder project, are being developed through the Regional Assemblies to build capacity in the sustainable mobility space.