Dublin councillor says ‘treacherous’ footpaths need to be gritted urgently

Fiona Frawley

ice on a footpath with an assortment of footprints

The councillor has described the icy paths as “treacherous for all who use them”.

Green Party Councillor Janet Horner has spoken out about the danger of un-gritted footpaths, saying that a change of policy is urgently needed.

In a post on her website, Horner writes:

Like so many others, I have been really frustrated over the past few days as the temperatures have plummeted and our footpaths have become incredible dangerous and icy.

Dublin City Council currently has a policy of only gritting the road carriageways when conditions are icy to make it safer to drive but they do not grit the footpaths. This leave the paths treacherous for all who use them.

The Councillor added that the current policy “flies in the face of the hierarchy of street users”, pointing out that DCC believe in prioritising cycling and walking, but that the current state of the footpaths confines pedestrians and cyclists to their ‘often freezing’ homes.

The city has agreed to and supposedly supports the hierarchy of street users. It should be a given that this applies in all weather conditions!!! Leaving pregnant, older and more vulnerable people housebound when it gets cold is not a fair approach. pic.twitter.com/RZGV7KUPw3

— Janet Horner (@JanetPHorner) December 12, 2022

She also said that claims the current gritting regime focuses on keeping public transport moving don’t add up, as “the paths surrounding our transport hubs have been some of the most inaccessible due to slippiness over the past few days, rendering it effectively unusable for many“.

Horner also pointed out that the cost of treating people who have been injured by slipping on the ice is twice as high as the cost to grit the footpaths would be.

Last week, Fingal Councillor Joan Hopkins expressed similar concerns regarding Dublin footpaths, saying the current regime “will have to change”:

Currently we do not salt/grit footpaths, only roads. If we are serious about prioritising walking, cycling (& we say we are) then this will have to change. I’ll be proposing a change of policy on this asap. #ActiveTravel #ClimateEmergency https://t.co/qslTqzDnJ7

— Cllr. Joan Hopkins (@hopkins_joan) December 9, 2022

With icy weather conditions continuing to affect roads and footpaths across Ireland there have been a number of calls for footpaths to be gritted on social media. One Twitter user wrote: “Please, for the sake of preventing a surge in fractures, please grit the footpaths. A hip fracture has a 25% mortality at 1 year. Gritting the footpaths is a public health measure“.

Please, for the sake of preventing a surge in fractures, please grit the footpaths.

A hip fracture has a 25% mortality at 1 year.

Gritting the footpaths is a public health measure. https://t.co/QYOhfyi1Cw

— Colm Byrne (@colmpbyrne) December 10, 2022

Another said: “Is there a reason they don’t grit footpaths in icy weather? Why is it just roads? Am I missing something or is it just another instance of ‘if ur not on ur way to spend/earn money, we do not care about u’”.

Is there a reason they don’t grit footpaths in icy weather? Why is it just roads? Am I missing something or is it just another instance of ‘if ur not on ur way to spend/earn money, we do not care about u’

— Eve Belle (@EveBelleSongs) December 12, 2022

Header image via Shutterstock