Provision for walking in Celbridge falls short of meeting national standards at a number of pinch-point locations where footpaths are insufficiently wide to cater for buggies, wheelchairs, etc. let alone the cyclists who use them in the absence of safe cycling infrastructure. Some footpaths are also cluttered with obstacles such as lamp-posts. The only option for distancing from other pedestrians during the pandemic or for passing a buggy or wheelchair is to walk on the road along stretches where vehicles are travelling at speed - this is frightening with young children.
10.4 Improved Footpaths
COVID-19 restrictions limiting cafes and restaurants to outdoor dining highlighted the lack of footpath width to allow many establishments to implement outdoor dining. Improvements in footpaths need to consider the incorporation of sufficient width to implement outdoor dining.
Measure WALK2 regarding the implementation of footpath improvement schemes is of particular importance for Celbridge due to issues with insufficient widths and unnecessary clutter.