I think there is a very great deal to be admired in the plan overall. The leadership needed to transition away from our current near-total car dependency to a greener, healthier alternative is desperately needed.
The development of safe, segregated active travel and public transit options has huge potential benefits in terms of health and wellbeing, as well as efficiency and the attractiveness of Limerick as a business/tourism option.
My biggest fear with the project is that it will be watered down and "compromised away" into a useless waste of time and money.
Safe actuve travel infrastructure must not be viewed as a treat for those who already walk or cycle, or otherwise enjoy the public realm outside of a motor vehicle. If implemented properly, it should encourage all kinds of people to walk and cycle, including vulnerable groups like children and the elderly. If the infrastructure leaves these groups feeling exposed to the threat of road traffic they will not make this transition. As a parent of young children I can attest that even one or two "hotspots" along the route, (prioritising volume or speed of traffic) will completely undermine the idea of Safe Routes to School.
I endorse the Limerick Cycling campaigns "5 Key Asks" from their submission:
-Delivery of all sections to the highest standard as the designated primary active travel route for more than 25% of city residents.
-Full filter at Lifford Ave.
-Full segregation from New St to St Gerard St to provide a safe route to schools.
-Continuity across junctions with cyclist priority signals
-The addition of a connecting cycle path to the Model School via Quinn St.
Congratulations on bringing such a valuable project to this stage, and good luck in steering this vision to implementation
Maintain the overall vision of encouraging modal shift
Climate change, societal benefit, generational legacy