Urgent appeal after 'serious frights' in Laois village
Appeals have been made for traffic calming on the busy road in Crettyard. Image: Google Maps
SPEED limits in Crettyard will be reviewed by Laois Co Council, following urgent appeals from businesspeople, residents and councillors.
The existing speed limit of 100kph on the N78 in the village, outside a busy service station and Tirlán outlet, was described as far too high at a council meeting.
“Even 80kph would be too fast there,” said Cllr Pádraig Fleming. “It is danger, danger on that road all the time and there have been near misses. It’s very busy with the shop and Tirlán and the speed is absolutely phenomenal.
“Some of the businesses have been on to me because they are scared. People have got serious frights there. We need to make people aware that they have to slow down in that area.”
Cllr Fleming questioned why the speed limit is 80kph on the entire route from Castlecomer to the Laois border but is 100kph once you cross the border into Laois.
“There is a 100kph limit outside businesses and only 80kph where there are no businesses,” he said, as he sought an update on his previous request for planned road safety measures in Crettyard, at the September meeting of Graiguecullen-Portarlington municipal district council.
Cllr Ben Brennan agreed and said: “We need action. People have said they are going to go out and stop traffic on that road unless something is done. Someone is going to get swept away there. It’s going on years and we’re sick of it. We want action, not words.”
He added: “Tirlán is a big business there. You have Geneva Stores and a couple of big farmers. The speed limit needs to go down to 50kph there and Kilkenny Co Council is willing to work with us on this.”
Cllr Aisling Moran said the problem was repeatedly raised with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) but “you might as well be banging your head off a brick wall”.
She said: “Someone is going to be killed coming out of the petrol station or Tirlán. There is an easy fix, change the speed limit, but there is no desire from TII to do that. It is the same in Arles. There should be traffic calming measures and a speed van there and I guarantee you people would slow down.”
Cllr Moran declared: “I am going to ask for the 958th time, can TII come down to a council meeting? They ignore all our requests for meetings.”
Cllr Fleming said he would agree but TII had been asked many times to meet the council, without success. He was often told that TII wanted to keep traffic moving and was reluctant to bring speed limits below 100kph.
Cllr Moran commented: “They’re in a world of their own. They are paid with public money and they should be answerable to us. I would demand, not ask, that they come down. They need to look at these roads in reality, not on a piece of paper. They have no right to refuse to speak to us.”
In a written response to Cllr Fleming’s request for an update, a council official said the road design section assessed the location in Crettyard and carried out speed and traffic count surveys.
The council has made an application to the Kildare-based national road design office (NRDO) for the installation of additional signage and line-marking and is awaiting a response.
The council reply added: ‘Road design will assess the speed limit at this location and review internally.’
Cathaoirleach Cllr Vivienne Phelan asked that a request for a meeting again be sent to TII by the council.
