Extra road safety measures needed in Four Roads

Additional road safety measures for the village of Four Roads are needed, according to councillors for the Athlone Municipal District.

At the May meeting of the MD, Cllr Emer Kelly asked that the council review the crossroads in Four Roads to identify what additional measures could be implemented to reduce vehicle speed and improve road safety for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle users.

She acknowledged that signage and road markings had previously been installed, but stressed that “additional measures are required urgently”.

In response to her motion, the council said it had provided driver feedback signs and road markings on all approaches to Four Roads village.

“The current signage and road markings ensure that drivers on all approaches to the village are aware of the speed limit and that they are entering a village environment,” the council said. It added that the enforcement of speed limits was a matter for An Garda Síochána.

Speaking at the MD meeting, Cllr Emer Kelly said speeding was an ongoing issue for the village.

“There is a straight road through the village and motorists are not slowing down as they approach,” the independent councillor said. “When you are coming from the Roscommon side or Ballyforan side, it is very difficult to see traffic coming down the hills.” The location had seen a number of accidents, she continued, and “there’s a house there that has had a windowsill hit more times than you can count”.

While she acknowledged that speed enforcement was a matter for gardaí, Cllr Kelly asked that the council examine the junction to see if visibility and safety could be improved, “before something more serious happens”.

Cllr Laurence Fallon said it was a difficult junction on two very busy roads, agreeing that visibility and speeding were significant issues.

Cllr John Keogh said it was a “particularly dangerous junction”, remarking that his brother and a passenger were involved in a very serious accident there a number of years ago.

“Thankfully they weren’t killed in it,” he said. He suggested that rumble strips could be used to alert people as they approach the village, saying there were locations where they could be installed. He also suggested that additional signage further away from the village could be put in place.

MD Cathaoirleach Domnick Connolly said that speed ramps at the church in Four Roads would help solve the problem.

Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme