Cork County Council has welcomed the allocation of more than €6.6m for Active Travel and Climate Change Adaption measures in Cork County under the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus Plan. The allocation is part of an overall €115 million package for sustainable transport and transport infrastructure renewal nationally.
The Active Travel grant scheme will bring an investment in excess of €5million for enhancements in Cork County’s Towns and Villages and will see communities benefit from improved accessible walking and cycling infrastructure. This investment compliments and builds on projects already commenced by Cork County Council under its project ACT initiative. The Climate Adaptation funding will support Cork County Council to alleviate flooding to roads and property, through the future proofing of vital infrastructure against the effects of climate change, improved drainage as well as essential road, bridge and embankment repairs associated with recent severe weather.
Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley welcomed the announcement saying:
“The Active Travel funding will facilitate projects that improve quality of life in our communities from making it easier for children to walk or cycle to school and to their clubs and activities, to improving safety on footpaths and pedestrian crossings and making local amenities more accessible by public transport. A further €1.6m is earmarked for Climate Adaptation measures and will be important in meeting the challenges associated with climate change like the recent floods, which were particularly devastating for communities in West Cork. The funding will assist in supporting Cork County Council in undertaking the extensive repair operations that are ongoing, as well as guarding against future severe weather events.”
Deputy Chief Executive of Cork County Council, James Fogarty added:
“Cork County Council secured this significant funding from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in order to implement a range of targeted measures to enhance Active Travel and to put in place some of the necessary climate adaptation steps to protect our county’s infrastructure and build resilience. Cork County Council’s Project ACT has been delivering great improvements for our towns and villages and while the recent impacts of severe weather events hit our communities hard, this funding will allow us to build on the work of Project ACT while future proofing our communities and our infrastructure. This funding, in addition to the recent investment of over €950,000 from the National Transport Authority, will help significantly in achieving our sustainable travel goals for towns and villages in Cork County.”
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