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‘Safe Streets’ to be extended until Easter

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EXCLUSIVE

By Sean Moriarty

The ‘Safe Streets’ programme and concurrent road closures in Killarney town centre are set to continue until at least next Easter.

Safe Streets was introduced by Killarney Municipal Council in July to allow ‘social distancing’ on the town’s streets as part of an effort to reopen the town following the first COVID-19 lockdown.
It was further extended in September to allow for an anticipated strong footfall and an increase in visitor numbers before and after Christmas.

The ‘Safe Streets’ plan includes the permanent pedestrianisation of Plunkett St and Kenmare Place and the widening of several town centre footpaths and the cost of about 50 car parking spaces.
The plan divided the elected members of Killarney Municipal Council with some claiming it is a covert attempt to introduce full-time pedestrianisation to the town without a proper public consultation. Others say the plan enhances the town centre and helps promote the town as a tourist destination.
This is outside of a long-running row on the previous arrangement to pedestrianise Plunkett St from 7pm to 7am every day.

At Wednesday’s Killarney Municipal Council, town manager Angela McAllen revealed that the ‘Safe Streets’ programme will be extended for another four months to include the double Bank Holiday Easter Weekend which falls on April 3 to April 5 next year.
“Why four months? Easter is a very busy part of the year for Killarney,” she told the meeting. “This can be reviewed in the event that we don’t need it.”

In a move different to previous ‘Safe Streets’ closures, KMD will be inviting submissions from the public. An invitation to participate in the public consultation will be published in the Killarney Advertiser in early December where members of the public will find details on how to submit their own proposals for the ‘Safe Streets’ programme.

Public consultation welcomed

The public consultation process has been welcomed by Cllr Maura Healy-Rae.
She raised a motion at Wednesday’s meeting asking Kerry County Council to liaise with town centre retailers, but particularly Plunkett St traders ahead of a future extension of the ‘Safe Streets’ programme.
“It was like a foreign tourist destination there during the summer, and I am not talking about the positive connotations of a tourist resort,” she told the meeting. “We need to look at it so it doesn’t favour one type of business over another.” KMD confirmed that the public would be invited to make submissions.

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Contactless payments launched on Local Link services

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Passengers using TFI Local Link Kerry services in Killarney and across the county can now pay for their journeys using contactless card payments.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) confirmed the rollout this week, allowing commuters to simply tap their debit card, credit card, or mobile devices, such as Apple Pay and Google Pa, when boarding.

The move is designed to offer more convenience for those using high-frequency rural and regional routes.

In Killarney, the new payment option will be available on the TFI Anseo town services, which have seen a significant increase in passenger numbers since their introduction.

The contactless system is currently available for single journey fares, while those using daily or weekly passes can continue to use the Leap website or the TFI Leap Top Up App.
Alan O’Connell, General Manager of TFI Local Link Kerry, welcomed the modernisation of the fleet.

“The introduction of contactless payments is another welcome step forward for public transport in Kerry,” he said. “It complements other major projects in the county, including the expansion of TFI Local Link services and the delivery of TFI Anseo in Killarney, which is proving to be another great initiative.”

While the new technology offers a modern alternative, traditional payment methods are not being phased out. Cash payments, TFI Leap cards, and Free Travel Cards all remains fully valid across the network.

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How will our Kerry TDs vote tomorrow?

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Tomorrow, Sinn Féin will be tabling a motion of no confidence against the Government after the protests that took place nationwide during the week.

Earlier today we asked our readers how would they vote in a no confidence motion against the Government?

Most of our readers said they would vote no confidence, while some said, yes they do have confidence in the Government.

One reader said: “Vote confidence. The only proper leadership over the last few days came from government. Courage came when needed despite how unpopular it looked in the moment. By contrast, opposition politicians wanted the country to burn to suit themselves”.

Another reader stated: “No confidence. Shambolic and heavy handed handling of protests this past week”.

However, some people didn’t have any confidence in either side with a reader saying: “No confidence in the no confidence! Different wings of the same bird! We need a complete overhaul of the political system”.

We asked the question to our 5 Kerry TDs before lunch-time today, asking them what their vote will be tomorrow.

We received one reply from Sinn Féin’s Kerry TD Pa Daly.

He will be voting no confidence in the Government tomorrow along with his party.

Other media outlets are reporting that Independent TD Danny Healy-Rae is undecided at the moment.

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