Rumours of compulsory purchase of gardens and driveways spread at meeting organised by Independent Ireland councillor, but plan only includes public roads and green areas. Plan includes safety and accessibility improvements to footpaths and new zebra crossings.A new active travel project in the combined urban area of Graiguecullen and Carlow town which includes safety measures outside an entrance to a school is being strongly opposed by some residents after misinformation was spread about the plans, including the loss of all parking and the use of compulsory purchase orders when neither is planned.Core details of the planIn plans published online as part of the public consultation for the project, Carlow County Council outlines that the plan includes a two-way cycle track along Church Street in Graiguecullen, an area which is partly in both Carlow and Laois.The planned route is around 750m long and runs along the north side of the road from Barrowvale Housing Estate in Laois and along Church Street, serving areas such as Oakley Park and the rear entrance of St Fiaccs National School, where it includes Safe Routes To School (SRTS) measures. The cycle path ends after running along a short section of Maher Road. The route runs along quiet shared streets and short sections of shared paths via the rear of the Croppies Grave and Croppy Place to the entrance to Carlow Town Park along the bank of the River Barrow.The council said: The project would greatly improve access for pedestrians and cyclists to nearby retail premises, educational facilities and recreational amenities and would link into the current pedestrian and cycling facilities at Carlow Town Park, which further links to the centre of Carlow Town.IMAGES: Draft drawings for the project.Misinformation on car parkingThe misinformation spread includes the claim that residents along part of the project will lose all their parking, which is untrue. Today, Carlow Mayor Paul Doogue (Fine Gael) told kclr96fm.com that these residents would have no more parking this does not reflect any of the details of the projects published by Carlow County Council. The main concern is, I suppose, where the people are directly affected by this, is that they are going to have no more parking, and there was nobody there to answer where they are going to park; theyve been parking there for generations after generations, Cllr Doogue said.On Church Street, between Clares Road and Chapel Street, 8 of the 13 houses on the north side of the road have large driveways, and parking will be maintained on the south side of the street, as well as on wide adjoining streets.IMAGE: A Close-up of the drawing showing parking retained on the south side of the street, and a Google Street View image showing the existing situation on the very wide street. The current drawings are marked as draft drawings, and similar projects around the country have had amendments made to them based on feedback at consultation. The drawings (as above) include a cross-section image (below) showing the parking retained on the south side of the street. IMAGE: A cross-section image.He said there was a lot of anger at a public meeting, which he attended and which was organised by Independent Ireland councillor John Cassin, and local rep for Sinn Fin, Aaron Kelly. The councillor-organised and attended meeting, according to Cllr Doogue, had nobody at it who could address concerns. He said another issue was narrowing of the roads which, according to national and international guidance, is a basic road safety measure. He also said that businesses would be affected, but did not clarify how. The vast majority of businesses along the road have off-street parking, and one which does not will have a parking bay outside its entrance. Rumours of compulsory purchase of gardens and driveways spread at meetingAccording to the Councils website, the project is being progressed using Section 38 of the Road Traffic Act. This legal provision only allows for changes along roads and the green areas beside them.A post on the local Facebook page All About Carlow said: Concerns raised locally included traffic flow, parking, school traffic, residential access, business access, road safety, the impact of roadworks on daily life, and the possible effect on private gardens and property boundaries.It was also stated at the meeting that concerns exist around a possible compulsory purchase or land acquisition issue affecting a private garden along the route. This appears to be one of the main issues causing anger locally, along with concerns around parking and access if the scheme goes ahead, the post on the local group said. Nothing in the plans on the councils website includes indications of the use of any lands off the road or public areas, and no impact on driveways or gardens is shown. Local policy On kclr96fm.com, Cllr Doogue whose party is in Government referred to promoting cycling as a national policy measure, but it is also a regional and local policy.In a county development plan vote, councillors in Carlow County Council agreed that it is the policy of the Council to: Seek investment in sustainable transport solutions, improved walking and cycling connectivity routes, the provision of a public bus service in Carlow Town and the expansion of rural transport initiatives throughout the county.It is also the policy of the council to develop high quality walking and cycling infrastructure and to support modal shift at a county level from private vehicles to sustainable modes (walking, cycling, bus, or train) to access work, school, college from 23% in 2016 (Ref: Table 5.1) to 28% by 2028.The council also points out that the project is planned after its inclusion in the Local Transport Plan (LTP) for Carlow/Graiguecullen, adopted by members of both Carlow & Laois County Councils as part of the Joint Urban Local Area Plan in 2024.IMAGE: Other cross-section images along the route on Church Street.