The current Arctic snap is causing some elderly people to become prisoners in their homes as they fear venturing out on lethal footpaths.

Fianna Fáil Councillor Alan Cheevers is so concerned about the situation across city estates which are not being gritted with salt that he has written to the Minister for Local Government Dara O’Brien urging him to allocate emergency funding to local authorities to make the footpaths safe.

He had been told by Galway City Council that it only had resources to grit the roads, which were a priority to keep traffic moving.

“The Council should be going into Council estates, at the very least. This is about elderly people and disabled people and people with mobility issues. They’re prisoners in their own homes. They’re too afraid to go to the shops or go out for their pension in case of slipping and breaking hips, ankles, legs and wrists. It’s an urgent health and safety issue.”

Cllr Cheevers said he had been contacted by a city centre businessman on Shop Street who had slipped on an icy path after shutting up for the evening and had broken his ankle in three places.

“This is his busiest time of the year. He was not happy and how can you blame him. He’s paying rates, he’s paying property tax. The Council should be gritting the main pedestrian area and the footpaths that have heavy traffic. I think if we’re going to put all this money into junctions because of the safety of pedestrians, surely we can salt and grit a few footpaths,” he stated.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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