Sir, – It was great to see the Royal Canal Greenway recently voted European Cycle Route of the Year 2022. This is a prestigious award and to achieve this ahead of stiff competition from our European neighbours who have well-planned and developed cycling infrastructure is a major achievement. The benefits of a cycling network include tapping into a vast tourist market as well as offering a simple health-promoting way to travel.
The news, however, is not all good. The Royal Canal route remains unfinished with the section from Dublin City to Maynooth largely undeveloped. I would like to draw particular attention to the failure of Kildare County Council to develop the section from Leixlip to Maynooth, effectively excluding access to a university and one of Ireland’s largest technology sites, both of which are accessible from the Royal Canal.
The Leixlip-Maynooth section was inexplicably omitted from the original development and it appears now that the consistent failure to achieve many rescheduled start dates for work to commence is down to petty squabbles between Waterways Ireland and Kildare County Council. There is a cruel irony in the fact that Eamon Ryan, leader of the Green Party, controls the Government departments with responsibility for the squabbling parties. Perhaps it is time for the Minister to take control and right the wrong of the omission of this section from the Greenway. – Yours, etc,
DAVE CORMACK,
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Leixlip,
Co Kildare.