Council forced to install lights following assaults
By Aideen O'Flaherty
PLANS for LED lights on Cookstown Way got the green light at this month’s Tallaght Area Committee meeting, following a number of serious assaults in the area over the last six months.
In one instance earlier this year, a boy in his late teens was assaulted after he got off the Luas at Cookstown.
LED lights will be installed on Cookstown Way following incidents in the area
The young man was walking along Cookstown Way when he was pushed to the ground and robbed, and one of his teeth was knocked out during the assault.
In a bid to combat assaults like this, Solidarity councillor Brian Leech tabled a motion at this month’s Tallaght Area Committee meeting calling for the installation of LED lighting on the Ambervale side of Cookstown Way, as a “necessary safety measure”.
Cllr Leech told The Echo: “There have also been near misses – like people getting chased or being ran after.
“For anyone getting off the LUAS at night, they’re being left in a very vulnerable position if there’s no lighting [once they walk away from the LUAS stop].
“The LUAS are responsible for the lighting at the stops, but not the part in between.”
Cllr Leech’s motion went through without debate, with hopes that the LED lighting will be installed in the coming weeks.
The Solidarity councillor also added that Fianna Fail councillor Charlie O’Connor was “instrumental” in getting the LED lighting installed.
A spokeswoman for SDCC told The Echo: “We have made commitments to put additional LED lighting between the Cookstown LUAS stop and Ambervale in response to requests from councillors.
“The LED lighting will be installed in a matter of weeks.”
