Wobbly cobbles in Portlaoise to get safety check
Uneven cobblestone paving is causing trip hazards on Portlaoise streets and laneways. File image
A SAFETY check is to be carried out on ‘wobbly cobbles’ that are causing trip hazards in Portlaoise.
Cllr Marie Tuohy requested the check at a council meeting, when she raised concerns about uneven cobbled surfaces on streets and laneways in the town centre, particularly around the old post office and the corner of Railway street leading on to Main Street.
“I like the look of them, they do look well but they can have uneven surfaces,” she told the latest meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District.
Other councillors agreed that the interlocking paving stones are becoming loose and sticking up out of the ground, causing serious trip hazards.
Proposing that the county council undertake a safety check on paved paths in the town centre, cllr Tuohy said: “They need extra maintenance as they tend to get rough and they are a problem during snow and ice.
"The post office and the Railway Street corner are the obvious areas that need repairs but others need to be looked at too.”
Cllr Tommy Mulligan agreed and commented: “They have become a trip hazard. We don’t want to leave ourselves wide open.”
The proposal was also supported by cllr Barry Walsh, who said: “On Make Way Day, when I was pushed around in a wheelchair, I could see that they could be a hazard.”
Senior engineer Wes Wilkinson confirmed that problem areas would be examined with a view to carrying out repairs.
