County Mayor's Diary
By the Mayor of Cork Cllr Christopher O'Sullivan
Last week I attended the Be Winter Ready campaign launch at St Mary’s Health Campus, Gurranabraher.
The message of the national campaign is that communities need to be informed, prepare in advance, and work together. I hope that this Be Winter Ready campaign will also be a catalyst for encouraging communities to prepare for future emergencies in order to help minimise the impact that that these events can have.
I encourage everyone to keep an eye on older neighbours and relatives during periods of cold or other severe weather. Older generations often have more difficulty in getting about, to buy food and medical supplies, and to attend medical appointments. They may not have access to the latest information from the internet and social media, so they will really benefit from ongoing personal contact.
Bí Ullamh don Gheimreadh, Be Winter Ready!
Moving east now: Last week I visited a key village in the East Cork Municipal District, Castlemartyr, for the official opening of two footbridges. Castlemartyr is on the main Cork-Waterford-Rosslare N25 road. This new footbridge, at the intersection with the Mogeely and Ladysbridge roads, was installed by Cork County Council, and received great support from the Castlemartyr Family Carers and Disability Group.
The group had highlighted the difficulties wheelchair users faced in crossing from one side of the village to the other over a narrow footpath. The new footbridge is adjacent to the existing the triple-arch limestone bridge, which dates back to the 1750s.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, and a lot of vehicular traffic crosses it today. Some 15,000 vehicles pass through Castlemartyr daily. The new footbridges is 10 metres long and two metres wide. The width allows for dual use by cyclists and pedestrians.
With many people living on the Killeagh side of Castlemartyr, the new footbridges will also promote a sense of unity between the two halves of the village. Better pedestrian access between residential and commercial areas will promote walking for quick journeys to the shops.
Looking to the west, there is good news in our battle against plastic pollution. Cork County Council have approved the installation of a public water refill station at Astna Square in my hometown of Clonakilty.
This is a pilot project, and a counter will be installed on the device to measure the number of people using it.
If successful, the hope is that water refill stations could be rolled out county wide.
I encourage everyone to invest in a glass or metal refillable bottle. Over eight million tonnes of plastic leaks into our oceans every year. That’s the equivalent of one lorry load each minute.
The battle against plastic pollution requires a cultural change.