Tralee to Fenit Greenway

stevielenihan

I read in the paper saying the CIE are in progress of selling:( the rest of the line over to the KCC. It said it could be mid 2016 before any works starts out to Fenit. Thats seems a long way off to wait,.

TigerTim

It's taken so long to do the little bit behind Dunnes, 'twill take at least 10 years to get to Fenit.

whisky_galore

stevielenihan wrote: »

I read in the paper saying the CIE are in progress of selling:( the rest of the line over to the KCC. It said it could be mid 2016 before any works starts out to Fenit. Thats seems a long way off to wait,.

Sounds like the CIE Property Dept can't be ars*d dealing with the NIMBYs so it's becoming KCC's problem to sort out?

carchaeologist

To be honest I can't see this ever getting out to Fenit. Not in my lifetime anyway.

whisky_galore

carchaeologist wrote: »

To be honest I can't see this ever getting out to Fenit. Not in my lifetime anyway.

Not when the people holding the show up could hardly have reasonable grounds for objecting, (a) it's not encroaching on their property anyway and (b) all the scaremongering about bringing bad elements to the locality, small children being abducted and all night crack cocaine parties I suppose...:rolleyes: Sure why not 'take up the roads' altogether, I hear that a lot of criminals use roads to get to houses to rob them.

A1 Dan

Is it now time for the people to claim the line?
Can the public walk the accessible sections of the line to Fenit?
They could possibly organise to have weed killer to spray on overgrown areas! And slowly but surely bring the whole line back into use as a walkway. Kerry needs it badly and elected officials have ignored it. The money and time invested on the short section from Rock St. to the station is nothing short of ridiculous.

sheesh

A1 Dan wrote: »

Is it now time for the people to claim the line?
Can the public walk the accessible sections of the line to Fenit?
They could possibly organise to have weed killer to spray on overgrown areas! And slowly but surely bring the whole line back into use as a walkway. Kerry needs it badly and elected officials have ignored it. The money and time invested on the short section from Rock St. to the station is nothing short of ridiculous.

true, I wonder if it is an attempt to drive up the apparent cost of doing the rest of the route?

I know a bit of a conspiracy theory-ish but it would solve the problem.

Quackster

A1 Dan wrote: »

Is it now time for the people to claim the line?
Can the public walk the accessible sections of the line to Fenit?
They could possibly organise to have weed killer to spray on overgrown areas! And slowly but surely bring the whole line back into use as a walkway. Kerry needs it badly and elected officials have ignored it. The money and time invested on the short section from Rock St. to the station is nothing short of ridiculous.

I would definitely be on for that. I walked most of it a while back and it is generally doable (machete in hand) - apart from a bit shortly after the split from the Limerick line which an upstanding member of our community has concreted and fenced off as a yard for his business and another bit near the Spa that the owner of a former level-crossing cottage has incorporated into their garden.

Although I'd get a great kick out of a large group suddenly appearing and ploughing through said garden en route to Fenit!!

Other than that, there are two(?) gaps to negotiate around where bridges have been decommissioned.

BTW, attempting to walk the Limerick line after the split fares no better as you quickly find yourself in the back garden of another fine citizen!

amadain

One idea / solution maybe to start from the Fenit end first, going into the Spa / Oyster Tavern.

To continue from there atm, there is a fine walk of 'The Bank' into Blennerville / Tralee.
Cyclist would have to wait until the rest of the greenway is completed.

amadain

amadain wrote: »

One idea / solution maybe to start from the Fenit end first, going into the Spa / Oyster Tavern.

To continue from there atm, there is a fine walk of 'The Bank' into Blennerville / Tralee.
Cyclist would have to wait until the rest of the greenway is completed.

No deal, would provide a wonderful amenity as quickly as possible so not a runner I'd imagine.

Really winds me up to think people might get away with stealing assets from their fellow citizens. Would love if a costly legal process was initiated at their expense but would settle for them getting off our property!

whisky_galore

Deleted User wrote: »

Really winds me up to think people might get away with stealing assets from their fellow citizens. Would love if a costly legal process was initiated at their expense but would settle for them getting off our property!

Just one of the signs of rampant cute hoorism that's endemic here, with a dash of Bull McCabe.

djmc

A1 Dan wrote: »

Is it now time for the people to claim the line?
Can the public walk the accessible sections of the line to Fenit?
They could possibly organise to have weed killer to spray on overgrown areas! And slowly but surely bring the whole line back into use as a walkway. Kerry needs it badly and elected officials have ignored it. The money and time invested on the short section from Rock St. to the station is nothing short of ridiculous.

This could be another jenny Johnson it should be tendered out to private companies like bam or other road construction companies like the bypass
I cannot understand people who build gardens or yards on property owned by the cie and expect to be able to keep it.
I can understand as a farmer people having concern about getting there animals across the line or breaking onto it maybe causing and accident and getting sued or a bunch of cattle heading to Tralee of fenit for a bit of shopping.
These things can be worked around if proper fencing and animal crossing points are put in place from the outset .
A guy with a tractor and mower could clear the track in a few hours with very little expence to make it walkable at least.

carchaeologist

Looks like this project is mothballed now for the foreseeable future.

whisky_galore

carchaeologist wrote: »

Looks like this project is mothballed now for the foreseeable future.

Well done Nimbys, for picking up your ball and going home. Or rather what you think is your ball, but actually isn't.

sheesh

carchaeologist wrote: »

Looks like this project is mothballed now for the foreseeable future.

really? have they just stopped working on it or was there some announcement?

xxyyzz

Funding isn't available anymore.

sheesh

xxyyzz wrote: »

Funding isn't available anymore.

so fundings a problem?

should we hire a couple of strimmers and belt away ourselves?

manoverboards

Kerry CoCo councillors have indicated that funding is not a problem for this, and lets not forget that a community group secured 1/4 million euro funding for this project which was lost due to inaction by Kerry CoCo just last year !

so ya you are right... get your strimmers out as Kerry CoCo ain't interested in this.

sheesh wrote: »

so fundings a problem?

should we hire a couple of strimmers and belt away ourselves?

Firbolg

manoverboards wrote: »

Kerry CoCo councillors have indicated that funding is not a problem for this, and lets not forget that a community group secured 1/4 million euro funding for this project which was lost due to inaction by Kerry CoCo just last year !

so ya you are right... get your strimmers out as Kerry CoCo ain't interested in this.

There are clearly some vested interests held by certain individuals within Kerry Co Co directed at torpedoing any attempt at progressing this project. The fact that that funding went unused and was lost is beyond scandalous but, as per usual, no-one within the council administration is held to account.

The only way of ensuring this progresses is by a local group coming together and directly confronting the squatters by holding organised clearances.

sheesh

Firbolg wrote: »

There are clearly some vested interests held by certain individuals within Kerry Co Co directed at torpedoing any attempt at progressing this project. The fact that that funding went unused and was lost is beyond scandalous but, as per usual, no-one within the council administration is held to account.

The only way of ensuring this progresses is by a local group coming together and directly confronting the squatters by holding organised clearances.

I suggest we turn up with pitchforks to clear out all the stuff a collect it in piles and then burn them to ensure we have fire I'll bring flaming torches!

I'm hiring a strimmer for the garden tomorrow so I might give a blast down there (genuinely)

anyone want to tell me where to start?

whisky_galore

Meanwhile.

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/newrossstandard/news/475m-walking-routes-to-transform-new-ross-area-31363776.html

djmc

sheesh wrote: »

I suggest we turn up with pitchforks to clear out all the stuff a collect it in piles and then burn them to ensure we have fire I'll bring flaming torches!

I'm hiring a strimmer for the garden tomorrow so I might give a blast down there (genuinely)

anyone want to tell me where to start?

What would it cost to go it alone with local fundraising.
Hire a tractor and flail mower 50 euro a hour would make fast work of it.
Not sure how much a load of screening from the likes of John a wood would be but if a local community group made a start would the co. co stop it or step in and take over or do nothing and see what happens.

whisky_galore

More than likely you'll get a number of "concerned residents" threatening all sorts, solicitor's letters etc...

A1 Dan

I agree that it is time for Joe Public to get on with this project. I am willing to put some time in during the week. My suggestion would be to start quietly at the Fenit end and work up a publicity campaign to see if there is a public desire to see this through.
My thoughts on the engineering side are that clearing between the rail lines, which I believe are still in place, would provide an adequate walkway.Set a possible target of 100m a week. This could then be used later as a kerbing for gravel infill to generate a cycleway.
. If you get the public on side not even the people who should be backing the project, councillors, T.D's etc , could stop the runaway train. (Sorry!)

whisky_galore

From what I gather from another article is that there is a funding battle between the South Kerry (ex-Valentia Branch) and North Kerry.

I don't know how the South Kerry is fixed but imagine it will be way more expensive to convert as the route will have to be compulsorily purchased from landowners, CIE had washed their hands of the Valentia branch shortly after closure.

whisky_galore

A1 Dan wrote: »

I agree that it is time for Joe Public to get on with this project. I am willing to put some time in during the week. My suggestion would be to start quietly at the Fenit end and work up a publicity campaign to see if there is a public desire to see this through.
My thoughts on the engineering side are that clearing between the rail lines, which I believe are still in place, would provide an adequate walkway.Set a possible target of 100m a week. This could then be used later as a kerbing for gravel infill to generate a cycleway.
. If you get the public on side not even the people who should be backing the project, councillors, T.D's etc , could stop the runaway train. (Sorry!)

Good idea, esp. winning 'hearts and minds' beforehand rather than going in bald-headed.
The rails and sleepers would either have to be lifted (maybe rails sold off to generate cash for trail development with permission from Irish Rail I assume...still their kit but life expired and obsolete now) or filled in with material. Old rotten timber sleepers will be full of holes and quite slippery to walk on.

carchaeologist

What about the squatters of which there are a few...

Quackster

The biggest obstacles to developing a continuous track would be the bridges that have been removed.

Only two major squatters I can think of. One involves the garden of a former level-crossing cottage near Spa that has been extended over the line. Only a hedge blocking the line so easy to break though here.

The more difficult squatter is the business just outside the town that has built and blocked in a yard on the line. Heavy machinery would be needed to clear said obstacle!

sheesh

I suggest that we clear what we can

amadain

amadain wrote: »

One idea / solution maybe to start from the Fenit end first, going into the Spa / Oyster Tavern.

To continue from there atm, there is a fine walk of 'The Bank' into Blennerville / Tralee.
Cyclist would have to wait until the rest of the greenway is completed.

A1 Dan

I agree that it is time for Joe Public to get on with this project. I am willing to put some time in during the week. My suggestion would be to start quietly at the Fenit end