Councillor Derren Ó Brádaigh has expressed his frustration at the Councils response to a motion he raised at the March Area Committee meeting for Lucan-Pamerstown-North Clondalkin calling for a key pedestrian connectivity walkway in Neilstown to be adequately lit with much needed public lighting.
Cllr Ó Brádaigh said: “A motion I had down at the recent Area Committee meeting sought approval by fellow councillors and agreement from South Dublin County Council to instal public lighting on a 280 metre section of pedestrian walkway, referred to locally as the ‘Black Path’ – a stretch totally void of any lighting. This important pathway provides direct access to the residents of over 400 homes and runs from Neilstown Shops through Ronanstown and Wood Avens and providing access to Foxdene residents too.
“The call for public lighting at this particular location comes on the back of recent survey research, outlining the concerns for lighting at this location amongst its key findings. A ‘Safety and Inclusivity in Clondalkin Scoping Study’ within the perspective of gender-based violence and commissioned by South Dublin County Council as part of the ‘300K Have Your Say Participatory Budget’ goes on further to recommend that the Black Laneway is lit, particularly at night! The survey also points to the fact that the area is not overlooked by houses and is eerily isolated.
“In the response to the motion, I was confused to read that the rationale for the reluctance not to agree lighting along the laneway was for the reason that the vicinity is ‘not overlooked’ and users may be vulnerable mid-section between lighting – this being the very reason lighting is recommended in the first instance in the report. The area is not a segregated park but a key practical and busy residential pathway en-route to local services.
“There seems to be somewhat of a contradiction if, on one hand we are agreeing to the allocation of funds to commission a study and then ignoring the recommendations of those very same important study findings. Having found myself strenuously arguing the merits for the requirement of lighting here, I was encouraged by the managers openness to reassess the case for public lighting along the ‘Black Path’. I thank the council for their willingness to listen to the voice of the local community and I congratulate the 157 individuals and 14 organisations that took the time to participate in the overall survey work in this regard.
