Icy roads cured thanks to bins

Salt bins are being made available to communities to help alleviate concerns over treacherous roads around the county.

As part of Cork County Council’s Winter Service Plan, a limited number of the bins are being made available to residents associations and community groups on a shared funding basis. The bins and salt will be available at a subsidized rate to aid dealing with icy road and footpath conditions in areas that are not covered by the council’s Road Treatment Routes.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley noted that with the likelihood of further cold weather, this initiative will be beneficial for many communities: “Cork County Council has a longstanding and proven partnership with the many hardworking community groups in Cork county and this approach has been successful not only with large scale initiatives, but also with practical measures such as this. The application process is simple, and the shared funding arrangement makes this a sustainable initiative for community groups and residents associations.”

Chair of the Cork County Older People’s Council (OPC), Liz Maddox, welcomed the initiative saying: “Any initiative that improves accessibility is most welcome. Icy footpaths and roads can be particularly challenging to older people and those with mobility impairments, so it is great that Cork County Council is partnering with communities to provide these bins.”

Stocks are limited and provision of bins will be agreed by the council and the applicant groups. Application forms are available at corkcoco.ie and should be submitted to the Area Roads Office in which the community group or residents association is active.