A delegation from the Darragh Road Safety Committee recently met with Minister of State for Road Transport Sean Canney to discuss concerns about road safety issues in their community.
The meeting was organised by Deputy Cathal Crowe and attended by Deputy Crowe, Minister of State Timmy Dooley, Deputy Joe Cooney and Senator Martin Conway. Although Deputy Donna McGettigan was unable to attend on the day due to other commitments, she recently raised the issue of road safety in Darragh with Tánaiste Simon Harris in the Dáil.
Committee Members – Michael Fitzgibbon, Mairéad Collins and Kevin McNamee presented Minister Canney with a folder containing details of the road safety concerns in the area, a history of representations made over the past 7 years to secure safety improvements.
1182 petition signatures and 9 personal impact statements all seeking immediate intervention to make the road safe for all using it.
Also included were details of an NRA Road Safety Review carried out over 2 years and released in 2011 in which the Darragh area was identified as a high risk location because the “relative frequency of junctions is higher than over the remainder of the scheme”. Between Bansha Cross and Darragh North Cross, a distance of approx 2 km, there are 43 access/egress points – 5 junctions, 20 private residences, 13 farmlands, 3 to the shop, garage and hair salon, 1 to a construction company yard and 1 old creamery yard, most of which – the junctions in particular – are associated with a high levels of turning movements. This section of the road has also been the site of 4 fatalities over the years – 2 of which were pedestrians. A Garda Collision Analysis Report confirmed 33 collisions occurred on the N68 around Darragh with a concentration of these occurring in a “clustering location” between the L41701 and L4190 junctions and the Darragh North Cross, primarily around McNamee’s shop. Minister Canney acknowledged particular concerns in relation to the absence of raised footpaths for pedestrians and cyclists, especially those using bus stops for school transport and commuter links between West Clare and Ennis, within a 100 km/h area where there has already been 2 pedestrian fatalities.
Minister Canney committed to investigating and assessing the situation in Darragh, engaging with his officials, the TII and local authority to see what can be done. A response from the Minister is anticipated within the next 4-6 weeks.