Portlaoise has ‘about 100’ roundabouts while Portarlington has four
The 'treacherous' Ballymorris Road roundabout in Portarlington. Image: Google Maps
PORTLAOISE has ‘about 100’ roundabouts while Portarlington has only four, including one that drivers can go straight through without steering.
Cllr Aidan Mullins made the comparison at a council meeting, as he called for badly needed safety works on the Ballymorris Road roundabout in Portarlington, the county’s second largest town.
“I think there are four roundabouts in the whole of Portarlington, while you have about 100 in Portlaoise,” he said.
Cllr Mullins stressed that the roundabout on the Ballymorris Road urgently needs safety works, as the current design means that drivers don’t even have to steer and barely look left or right.
“You can drive straight through and not have to deviate from your path,” he told the latest meeting of Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District.
The Independent councillor asked for an update on plans to improve the roundabout, saying that it was his third motion on the issue.
The motion was seconded by Cllr Paschal McEvoy (FF), who described the roundabout as “treacherous”.
Cllr Mullins said he was told in June 2024 that a topographical survey was being carried out and that a safety solution design was being prepared. A traffic survey had also revealed “very high speeds” on the Ballymorris Road, coming onto and off the roundabout.
He said: “The area engineer at the time visited the roundabout with me and agreed that improvements are needed. It certainly needs an upgrade from a health and safety point of view.”
Cllr McEvoy described the roundabout as “sort of blind” and more like “a half-roundabout” rather than the normal design. He said: “It is a treacherous roundabout and you need to be familiar with it. This is going on long enough and something needs to be done.”
In a written response, the council’s road design section said it would arrange a meeting at the location with Cllr Mullins. The response added: ‘All proposed safety measures will be assessed, with a view to taking the necessary actions required.’
