At a recent meeting of the Transportation, Safety and Emergency Services SPC, Committee members heard about the plans for the winter salting in Kildare. It was proposed to allocate €690,000  in 2020-21 from the Council’s own revenues with the balance of €35,000 coming from Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

However, when asked about salting of Main Streets (to facilitate shoppers accessing shops), around schools (to facilitate children walking or cycling to school) or cycle track (to facilitate cyclists), the response was that no funding had been allocated for any such areas.

The Design Manual for Roads and Streets (DMURS) sets out a road user hierarchy which prioritises pedestrians and cyclists at the top and with car drivers at the bottom. Kildare County Council has lots of policies and reports which refer to promoting cycling and walking and their financial, health and environmental benefits but when it comes to the commitment of resources, there is only one priority.