E

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.