Road to nowhere: Unfinished Mayo cycleway branded ‘farcical’ and a ‘disgrace’ 

Mayo County Councillors in Castlebar have expressed frustration over the lack of funding to finish an active travel scheme in Balla, despite significant public consultation and community investment in the project.

Cllr Donna Sheridan launched a verbal broadside on Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and called for Minister Darragh O'Brien to meet with local representatives and residents to explain the decision.

"It's a disgrace, and I want us to write to the minister and ask him to come down here and meet the people of Balla and face us and tell us how we can defend this decision," Cllr Sheridan said.

The project would have extended an existing cycleway from the old Beaten Path Inn to Balla village, but currently terminates abruptly at a bridge near Pollavaddy, leaving a gap in active travel infrastructure.

"There is a fabulous cycleway and then boom, until you come to the bridge, it stops," Cllr Sheridan explained. "I'm not saying Pollavaddy is in the middle of nowhere, it's not in the middle of nowhere but if you're a five year old on a bike, it's the middle of nowhere. How are you going to get the next kilometre into Balla?"

The councillor highlighted the extensive community engagement that went into the project, with hundreds of submissions received during public consultations held at the local community centre.

"We've had two public consultations. We have worked with the community, we have stood, and we will stand with members of the community there, and for the minister not to include that on the active travel program, it's just farcical," she said.

Cllr Sheridan criticized the department's approach of announcing funding year by year rather than committing to complete projects, describing it as a waste of public resources.

"They only announce it year by year. Instead of announcing the money to do the footpath, they'll announce money to start it," she said. "If you start the job, finish it."

She argued that officials should be held accountable for wasting public money on designs and consultations for projects that are then not funded.

Cllr Cyril Burke echoed the disappointment, noting the significant investment already made in the area's road network.

"It’s extremely disappointing what has happened. There's been such good work done in relation to the amount of money that has gone into developing the road network there, over two phases," Cllr Burke said.

He urged officials and national politicians to push for the funding and supported the motion to invite the minister to visit the area.

"I want to support a motion to invite the minister down to look at it. We've been through the ring around this in relation to holding meetings. It was going to connect everything. So it's a huge, huge disappointment, as it hasn't progressed any further," he said.

The councillors' frustration reflects broader concerns about the lack of long-term planning and funding commitments for active travel infrastructure projects across the country.

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Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme