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EXTRA employment will be created in Kerry County Council following an announcement of funding today from Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan T.D. for up to 248 new jobs in local authorities to expand walking and cycling facilities all over the country.
As part of the plan developed by the National Transport Authority, up to 218 additional staff will be employed across all local authorities with an additional 30 proposed for Regional Cycling Design Offices.
Kerry County Council could not confirm today how many of the jobs will be created in the county.
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The new staff will be dedicated to delivering and promoting active travel in Ireland and will work across design, communication/community liaison and construction oversight functions. The new staff will support the delivery of almost 1,000 kilometres of improved walking and cycling infrastructure by 2025.
Local Green Party Chairman, Anluan Dunne, welcomed the announcement, saying; “This is great news for Kerry. We have a well established regional design office. These additional staff enable the creation of multidisciplinary active travel teams. It’s extremely important that engineering skills are complimented with urban designers, landscape architects and experts in accessibility.”
“Working with the heritage officer and county architect we hope to see ambitious active travel projects for our county. The €50 million euro fund announced by Minister Eamon Ryan is specifically to enable local authorities to provide safe walking and cycling routes. These extra staff will help to ensure that all aspects of design are taken into account and high quality projects are delivered.”
