On Your Bike!

Sinn Féin local election candidate Sinéad Burke has called on MeathCounty Council to ensure the provision of continuous cycle lanes allthroughout east Meath, and says that by doing so we can address issuesranging from childhood obesity to tourism. She has also insisted thatcycle lanes be included in all new road building and upgradingprojects.
According to Ms.Burke, “The provision of a continuous cycle lane alongthe coast road between Julianstown and Drogheda, between Donore andNewgrange, in the village of Slane, between Stamullen and Gormanston,and between Duleek and Drogheda should be an essential investment bythe council. If we are really going to move on from the short-sighted,unsustainable, development which characterised the Celtic Tiger, thisis the sort of approach that is needed. Cycle lanes cost relativelylittle to install yet have the potential to improve the quality oflife for so many of our residents and visitors.
“On average eleven children are killed in cycling accidents a year inthis state. A further two hundred and thirty are seriously injuredeach year. Traffic Congestion and parking has become the bane ofbusiness people, shoppers and commuters in east Meath over the lastnumber of years and is hurting the area economically. We are told thatone in five Irish children are now considered obese. We are also toldthat in order to reduce our carbon emissions we should leave the carbehind and use alternative modes of transport such as bicycles. Asimple and obvious solution to these problems is the creation ofnetwork of safe cycle lanes throughout the area.
“However, despite all of this, there has been a haphazard approach toany implementation of so-called policy in this area. Presently cyclelanes exist on some roads and not on others. On other roads cyclelanes exist for 20 metres and then stop and disappear into thin air.Sinn Féin are demanding that this issue is finally resolved in eastMeath and that nationally the government start putting their moneywhere their mouth is.”