Elderly man’s brush with death on beach road

THE road to Inchydoney needs a safe space for pedestrians, a local TD has claimed, following an incident which resulted in a man having his leg broken while walking on the road.

Deputy Christopher O’Sullivan (FF) said it was ‘another near-fatal incident’, after the man, in his 80s, was walking his dog when he was hit by a car last Tuesday.

‘It left him with a broken leg requiring extensive surgery,’ the government deputy said. The man is now recovering in hospital.

‘It’s only going to be a matter of time before there’s a fatal incident on the road into Inchydoney,’ said Deputy O’Sullivan. ‘It is the jewel in the crown in terms of amenities in the Clonakilty area. Every day, hundreds of people take their lives in their hands when they walk from the town to Inchydoney Island and Inchydoney beach,’ said Deputy O’Sullivan, who is a member of the Inchydoney Walkway Committee.

‘For years, we’ve been calling for a safe walkway to the beach. And this incident has once again underlined the importance of delivering that walkway.’

Deputy O’Sullivan said Cork County Council has been engaging with the group in order to deliver a safe walkway, but things are progressing slowly.

The committee has put together a practical preliminary design for a solution and most landowners along the proposed walkway are 100% behind the project. The FF TD said there was now funding available from Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the Department of Community and Rural Development.

Cork County Council must work with the committee to apply for funding to deliver the much-needed walkway, he said.

Meanwhile, local business woman Dena O’Donovan posted on her Facebook page on Saturday that 72 cars and vans had been parked on double yellow lines or on footpaths at the beach.

‘If the emergency services were needed they would not have been able to get through. Folk need to be aware of the dangers of illegal parking. The road needs to be maintained for emergency vehicles or larger vehicles to get through,’ she said and urged beach-goers to be more sensible in future.

Many locals commenting on her post agreed with a suggestion to run shuttle buses from the town to the beach.