Lucan on right path as work begins on dirty 30

Work has begun to repair footpaths across Lucan which are badly in need of repair.
Cllr Liona O’Toole told The Gazette that many of the repairs are due to wires from utilities and tree roots tangling underground and forcing their way up through the paths.
She said: “It’s like technology meets nature. The wires of the utilities and the roots of the trees have become tangled up with each other.”
Cllr O’Toole said that there were over 30 paths in need of repair and that it was one of the most frequent issues that she has to deal with. “There is such a demand for footpath repair,” she said.
One area that is badly in need of repair is Airlee Heights. Concerned local Ruth Murray contacted The Gazette earlier this week after she fell on the footpath in Airlee Heights due to the poor condition it was in.
Ruth suffered cuts and bruises on her knee and her clothing was damaged by the fall.
“I fell and ripped the knee out of myself and my trousers,” she said.
She provided pictures that show a utility that has been forced over an inch above the ground.
Ruth’s 82-year-old mother lives in Airlee Heights and has recently started to use a wheelchair.
She said that she was concerned for her mother’s safety and the safety of the many other elderly residents of the area. She said that the paths were so bad that: “You have to push the wheelchair on to the road to get up the footpath.”
Due to such an obvious health and safety concern, South Dublin County Council have made Airlee Heights the first priority for repair.
Repairs to the footpaths in the area are being carried out this week. The council have said that they will then begin repair works on footpaths in the Dodsborough area, followed by the Arthur Griffith Estate.