Cllr Richard Daly of Fine Gael and leas Cathaoirleach of Athy Town Council has welcomed the public meeting being called by the local branch of the IFA to organise a campaign to advance the solution to Athy’s crippling traffic problem.
“The IFA are being very proactive in addressing an issue which is very important to the business development of Athy. As a group of people who are daily affected by the difficulty of accessing the town they are calling a public meeting to get opinion and advance solutions in the interest of all who use the town.
The remit of any organisation is to address the issues which concern their members and their community and Athy at this stage is almost synonymous with traffic jams and delays. Having a group as powerful as the IFA putting its weight to a solution can be very favourable for the town.
Over recent years some progress has been made on planning for a Southern and Northern route around the town but progress has been slow. Even with an expected date for the construction of the Southern Distributor road proposed for 2010 it is dependent on sourcing the necessary finance which is not guaranteed.
The support of every organisation to ensure that the €40 million needed for the route is guaranteed is imperative and at a time of economic decline spending on such infrastructural projects could be seen as a way of supporting the construction industry while at the same time creating future potential in a town which was outside the influence of the Celtic Tiger.”
“I would urge all interested people to avail of the opportunity to express their views and support at the public meeting in the Clanard Court on Jan 7th and help to make 2009 a positive year for Athy” said Cllr Daly.