By Avril Horan

CONCERNS have been raised over dangerous footpaths and inadequate public lighting in Gort following a recent near-miss.

Uneven footpaths on George’s Street and Bridge Street pose a significant trip hazard, particularly for older people and those with mobility difficulties, according to Independent Cllr Geraldine Donohue.

She said safety fears in the area are compounded by poor lighting, especially under the bridge, which contributed to the near miss.

“The person involved was wearing dark clothing and the lighting in the area was very poor,” Cllr Donohue told the Connacht Tribune.

“Better lighting would have made them visible,” she said, adding that the area under the bridge, along with Bridge Street and George’s Street, is ‘extremely dark’.

She stressed that such incidents should be treated as a warning and addressed proactively.

“The fact that no one was injured should be seen as a positive,” she said.

“It means a more serious accident or fatality was prevented. But it also highlights a serious safety issue that needs to be dealt with.”

Cllr Donohue said the footpaths in question do not fall under the town’s public realm works and should be treated as basic, ongoing maintenance.

“You don’t need a feasibility report to fix a footpath. This is about public safety,” she said.

“We are spending so much money on the Square and redirecting traffic, yet we can’t get the basics right on the upper end of town, and on Georges Street.”

Council officials confirmed at this month’s meeting of Loughrea Municipal District that no funding is currently available for the footpath works.

They said costings could be prepared for consideration through Notice of Motion funding.

In relation to public lighting, officials said correspondence has been received and that a review of the areas highlighted will be carried out, with works expected to be addressed in the coming weeks.

Councillors also raised concerns that the change to LED lighting does not provide the same level of coverage.

While officials said their understanding is that the illumination is “like for like”, Cllr Jimmy McClearn (FG) said the lights are “too focused and don’t have the spread.”

Cllr Michael Regan (FF) agreed there are “dark spots since we changed the light bulbs from orange to white” and argued that “they are not strong enough.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Ivan Canning (FF) raised concerns about the visibility of road signs from Shannon to Gort along the motorway.

He said the signs did not reflect clearly in the dark and questioned whether a different cleaning product may have caused the issue.

“I couldn’t read the signs until I was right up on them,” he said.

“They didn’t reflect off the light and I couldn’t see them. It was like some washer went over the letters. Is it something we are cleaning the signs with?”

Officials confirmed the visibility issue will be investigated, as it could pose difficulties for motorists travelling at night.

■ Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Pictured: Concerns…Cllr Geraldine Donohue.