Plea for Laois crash barrier after tractor overturns

A FRIGHTENING incident in which a tractor overturned in a collapsed roadside bank has prompted appeals for a crash barrier to be installed.

The single-vehicle crash happened on a rural road in Ballynakill, near Ballylinan, where a roadside bank has been eroded by a stream.

Cllr Aisling Moran (Ind) told a council meeting that a tractor recently overturned in the collapsed bank, which cannot be seen by drivers on the narrow road.

While the tractor driver fortunately escaped serious injury, Cllr Moran said a safety barrier must be installed to prevent further accidents.

“They can’t see that there’s an actual dyke there and it is dangerous. A tractor crashed and turned over when it went into that dyke one day,” she told the latest meeting of Graiguecullen-Portarlington municipal district.

The Killeen-based councillor proposed that a crash/safety barrier be installed on the L7890 local road at Ballynakill, ‘where a stream has eroded the bank close to the road edge’.

Cllr Moran said she raised the matter with the council on a previous occasion and the need for a barrier was highlighted again by the tractor crash.

She said: “The barrier doesn’t need to cover a large distance but it is needed in the interest of safety.” 

The proposal was seconded by Cllr Ben Brennan (Ind).

In a written reply, senior engineer Tom Drennan said Laois Co Council would carry out an assessment at the site. If works were warranted, the road would be considered for a funding application under the 2026 ‘Climate Adaption Resilience Works’ programme, which covers a variety of measures that include embankment stability.

Mr Drennan added: ‘Any measures required to ensure road safety at this section of road in the interim will be considered.’