Work to get underway to make Clon street more accessible

A DECISION to revamp footpaths on a busy street in Clonakilty has been welcomed by a local advocacy group.

The work due to be carried out on Asna Street has been welcomed by Clonakilty Access Group – which campaigns and lobbies locally for enhanced access and safety for people with physical disabilities and mobility issues, visual impairments, and child carers with buggies and prams on footpaths.

The group says that Asna Street has been a ‘no-go area’ for years for people with mobility issues and ‘totally impractical for wheelchair users due to the narrow footpaths and unsuitable surfaces’.

‘The group hopes that the new footpaths will comply with best practice and universal design in terms of width and gradient with proper and safe ramped areas for crossing and with practical and safe surfaces for walkers,’ Clonakilty Access Group said in a statement.

The group also appealed to householders who have hedges overgrowing onto footpaths to cut them back, ensuring they are safer for pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities or visual impairments.

‘It’s not a major issue in Clonakilty but there are a few isolated areas where overgrowing hedges intrude onto public footpaths and walkways and a small effort by those property owners would resolve these problems