Sir, – Winter is closing in and footpaths have become dangerously covered in wet leaves. Most road-sweeping nowadays, particularly in suburban areas, is undertaken by sweeper trucks that have little impact on footpath clearance.
I would appeal to the local authorities to make the clearing of leaf-covered footpaths at this time of year a priority.
Footpaths in this condition pose a particular risk to elderly pedestrians. A fall on these slippy paths can have life-changing consequences for some elderly victims. For others, the fear of a catastrophic fall can confine them to their homes, depriving them of much-needed pedestrian mobility.
Local authorities have not been addressing this very real problem in recent years. Perhaps budgetary constraints were to blame. Now that local authority funding has been put on a more solid basis, it is hoped that the necessary resources will be allocated. I would ask that the Minister for the Environment would encourage the local authorities in this regard.
Individual businesses and households can also assist by keeping their footpath frontage clear and safe. – Yours, etc,
DERMOT IGOE,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.