Council seeks permission for €1m cycling infrastructure on Newtown Road in Wexford

WEXFORD County Council has submitted a planning application for the creation of a €1 million segregated cycleway which is to run the length of Newtown Road in the town of Wexford.

The Newtown Road cycle scheme will start at the New Ross Road roundabout, west of the Maldron Hotel and run approximately 1km east to the junction with Coolcotts Lane. It will see a reduction in the width of the existing R769, with a complete reconfiguration of the existing carriageway.

Plans call for a narrowing of the road to allow for a 1.8m wide separate footpath and a separate cycle lane at least 1.75m on both sides of the road, while maintaining right turn lanes existing.

Initial reviews have shown that no significant environmental effects are likely and an environmental assessment report is not required. Submissions and comments on the scheme can be made in writing to Wexford County Council’s Planning Department in Carricklawn, Wexford, by June 22.

The move will be widely welcomed by local cyclists, many of whom have been calling for separate cycling infrastructure around Wexford for some time. The million euros for the project was allocated by the National Transport Authority in January this year.