Serious concern raised over speed on roadway in Laois
Councillors want the speed reduced along the N78 at Crettyard.
A CALL has been made to the National Roads Authority (NRA) and Laois County Council to review the current speed limits and road safety measures on the roadway between the filling station in Crettyard and the creamery due the large volume of vehicles entering and exiting both commercial premises in the existing 100km speed limit zone.
Cllr Pádraig Fleming made the call at the October Graiguecullen/Portarlington Municipal District Council meeting.
He said a number of near misses had taken place on the road in recent times.
In a written reply to his request he was informed by the council acting director of services Paul McLoughlin that the council’s road design office would conduct speed and traffic surveys at the location as well as reviewing available accident data. He said the survey findings would be brought to the attention of NRA.
Cllr Fleming said there were a lot of people using the petrol station and shop as well as the creamery.
He said: “There’s a problem with speed along this road and a lot of near misses. There’s cameras there at the petrol station to prove that people coming down the road at speed are creating a danger. It’s the same at the creamery. It’s a start getting the data. But I hope it’s not going to take too long to do that.”
Cllr Aisling Moran said: “We brought this up last year and got the same story, waiting for the NRA to come back about it. This is the same problem we have with the NRA. Every year we’re bringing in motions over the same issues.
“There’s a petrol station and a creamery and people going in and out of them onto a 80km/ph road. Because it’s such a straight part of the road most people are probably driving over the limit.
“We need an answer from the NRA. They met us once in five years. How many times have we called for them to come to our meetings? They’re sitting up in their offices looking at a map of a road saying, ‘sure that’s not too bad at all’. Let them come down and see it. Let them drive into the creamery and the petrol station and let them try to drive out of them onto that road. Then they’ll realise what it’s like. Unless they have a baby in the back of their car, their own baby they’re not going to realise how stressful it is coming out onto that road. We need action now and a response from NRA and have it by our next meeting (November).”
Cllr Ben Brennan said: “There’s a farm down there with over 100 cattle that going across that road as well. That farm had to get an under-passage because of health and safety because the TAI would not listen. We have asked them to bring the speed limit down from the junction to the crossroads.
“Slow moving vehicles are coming out of both of those premises. NRA have done nothing about this. We need a meeting with NRA immediately because there will be a serious accident there. People are breaking the speed limit because it’s such a good road.”
He said: “I’m living in that area and this has being going on for over five years. We’ve had meetings in the creamery yard and on the road over this and NRA are doing absolutely nothing about it. They’re sitting in their offices, pressing buttons and looking at Google. It’s the biggest disaster - that Google. Everything is Google now. Let them forget about Google and come down and look at the road. Then they’ll know the danger.”
