By Sean Moriarty

The Safe Streets programme, to allow for social distancing on the town's streets during the height of the pandemic, has cost €158,953.

The measures were introduced to town centres in the summer of 2020 and the Killarney figure is much higher than the combined costs of the other four Municipal Districts.

The total figure follows two different rounds of funding from the National Transport Authority (NTA).

In the first round in July 2020, Killarney spent €149,479 and second round of funding totalling €9,474 was received under the Additional Outdoor Infrastructure Scheme bringing Killarney’s total to €158,953.

This compares to the €38,081 spent in the Tralee Municipal District. A total of €55,075 was spent in the Kenmare District, and €67,535 in the Listowel District.

Killarney was the most expensive Safe Streets programme in the county, and came in at one third over the total cost of the second most expensive district – Castleisland/Corca Dhuibhne - which cost €106,460 and includes both Castleisland and Dingle town centres.

A Monday’s monthly meeting of Kerry County Council, Brendan Cronin, who is elected in the Killarney Municipal area, asked for a breakdown of the total amount of money spent by the Council “for each Municipal District on street and footpath alterations, buildout costs, bollards etc”.

A Council official explained that Kerry County Council commenced its “Safe and Welcoming Streets – Town Mobility Plans’ in May 2020.

“The physical infrastructure required to implement these plans included the provision of footpath widening, buildouts and bollards and the like,” the official told the meeting. “The Council received grant assistance from the NTA for their mobility plans.”