Please add my voice to those in favour of the proposed South Circular Road to City Centre Active Travel Scheme. This artery is of vital importance to several communities in the south part of the city, within range of several schools and one university, and by the major regional hospital as well as one of Limerick's larger shopping centres. It is unsustainable in the extreme (almost lunatic) for the city and county to require that thousands of children, young adults, and citizens of all descriptions travel only by car to these places. Planning only for cars is financially wasteful, an inefficient use of public space, and damaging to the environment and people. It also alienates citizens from each other, leading to a deterioration of civic and social life.
As a cyclist who rides regularly along the route, to medical appointments, the Quaker Meeting House, and Mary Immaculate College, I would use the new path quite often. I know from firsthand experience how dangerous it can be to travel by bicycle. More importantly, I recognise that the future must look very different from the present in terms of active travel. Walking, bicycling, and other modes of active transport are healthy for people and cities.
Thank you.
Margaret Harper
This proposal should go forward.
Safety, health, civic integrity, environmental sanity, the lives of citizens now and into the future.