Appeal for crossing at ‘lethal’ Portlaoise cemetery
The busy road outside SS Peter and Paul's Cemetery was described as 'absolutely lethal' at a council meeting. File image
ANOTHER appeal has been made for a pedestrian crossing on a “lethal” road outside a Portlaoise cemetery.
The road outside SS Peter and Paul’s Cemetery was described as “absolutely lethal” at a council meeting, where councillors renewed previous pleas for a controlled crossing near the front gates on the Dublin road.
As the large cemetery is located on a national route, the installation of a crossing depends on a green light from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
Cllr Barry Walsh made the latest proposal at the November meeting of Portlaoise Municipal District. He asked the council to send a request to TII for the installation of a controlled pedestrian crossing, near the graveyard entrance on the N80 opposite Beladd.
He said: “There is a pedestrian crossing further down but, for people who are not great on their feet, they need a crossing nearer the cemetery. People have asked me if they can get one closer to the entrance.”
Cllr Paddy Buggy agreed, adding: “There is a crossing down at Bracken's shop but if we could get one nearer the cemetery gate, it would be very helpful.”
Supporting the request, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley said that she and others on the cemetery committee had been looking for a crossing nearer the entrance for a long time.
She said: “It is absolutely lethal trying to cross there, especially on certain days such as Cemetery Sunday, when you could have up to a thousand people coming out of the cemetery at the same time, while traffic is going by.”
Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald, who is also a member of the cemetery committee, welcomed the proposal and said: “We’ve been banging that drum for a long time.”
Cllr Fitzgerald also thanked the council for improvements that are already under way, including pavement works and widening of the entrance gates.
In a written response to the proposal, an official from the road design section said that Laois Co Council would issue a letter to TII, requesting a controlled pedestrian crossing at the site.
