A Laois County Councillor fears that ‘somebody will be killed’ if safety measures that he has been calling for for a long time are not carried out.
Independent Councillor Ben Brennan made the claim at a meeting of the Portarlington-Graiguecullen Municipal recently.
Cllr Brennan was speaking in relation to a stretch of road including Crettyard Creamery and Geneva Stores on the N78.
Cllr Brennan said: “Vehicles travel at 80/100km/h on that road and there is a sharp bend there where a farmer crosses with 100 cows.”
Cllr Brennan received support from his fellow Councillors and he was not one bit pleased with the reply he received from a Council official.
Senior Engineer in Roads, Paul McLoughlin, said: “Laois County Council, in consultation with the Road Safety Section, will review this location to establish what safety measures may be appropriate.”
Cllr Brennan described the reply as ‘being fobbed off’.
He said: “We met at the creamery before and we were assured this would be sorted but nothing has happened.
“People there are so angry that they are prepared to block the road. Somebody is going to be killed.
“Vehicles are travelling at 80km/h and are going to crash into the back of a tractor.
“It is simply not good enough.” Cllr Aisling Moran requested that a timeline for works be established.
In a second motion, Cllr Brennan requested that the Council repair the gullies outside of a house on the junction between the N78 and R431.
He explained that dirt is stuck in the gullies and about six inches of water lodges there when it rains.
Engineer Philip McVeigh said the Council would investigate this problem and determine what works were required.
In a final motion, Cllr Brennan requested that a weight restriction on lorries using the Doonane Road be put in place.
Engineer Paul McLoughlin said that this request would examined.
SEE ALSO – Laois County Council sells greenfield site worth €170,000 to garage company
