BEARA-based Cllr Finbarr Harrington has called on Cork County Council to extend street lighting outside Ardgroom village.
At a meeting of the West Cork Municipal District, the Independent councillor said additional lighting is needed on the R571 road to Castletownbere to include the houses that don’t have lighting.
‘People in that area don’t find it safe to walk to town,’ said Cllr Harrington, whose proposal was supported by Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy (FF).
Executive engineer Kevin Lynch informed the councillors that the local authority’s policy prohibits the extension of public lighting into rural areas outside of the speed limit.
When considering priorities for projects, which merit funding from public lighting programmes, he said certain criteria applies. As an example, he said small scale infill projects within town and village centres are given consideration. So, too, are urban roadways within the environs of Cork City, where there are significant traffic volumes and a lot of pedestrian use late into the evening.
Links to housing estates on the fringes of towns and villages – where public lighting exists within the estate already – and where a footpath exists are also considered, he said.
The engineer said the Council avoids erecting new lights outside of speed limit zones except for exceptional circumstances, such as a rural bus stop or amenity walkways, and in such circumstances consider the use of solar powered lights as an alternative.
