Longford 'needs to be more proactive' in relation to traffic calming measures

A Fianna Fáil councillor has said he is confident his recent call for Longford County Council to review its current policy on traffic calming measures in order to improve road safety will lead to positive change.

Councillor Mick Cahill submitted a motion at the June monthly meeting of Longford County Council and there was strong support from councillors.

Read more: Longford’s new first citizen Garry Murtagh hailed as ‘a man of his word and of the people’

The motion was seconded by Cllr Pat O'Toole.

“I am confident it will be discussed at the SPC on roads and it will be changed,” he told the Longford Leader.

The motion stated, 'I call on Longford County Council to, through the relevant SPC, review its current policy on traffic calming measures throughout the county in our towns, villages, residential areas and on approach roads to rural schools in the interest of road safety'.

Cllr Cahill stated that the current road safety measures in County Longford are not effective and called for a thorough reconsideration of how the local authority implements these measures.

He specifically highlighted serious concerns in Kenagh, where motorists entering the village from the Longford and Ballymahon directions frequently travel at high speeds.

Cllr Cahill emphasised the urgent need for appropriate safety interventions, particularly given the presence of a school and residential estates in the area.

The local representative stressed that the safety of residents and road users is of paramount importance.

"One place that comes to mind is Kenagh, coming in on the Longford road to Kenagh is quite a dangerous area, we need to take some action to manage the traffic and slow it down.

"We need to look at other measures.

"If every other county around us has all forms of traffic calming, from ramps to other measures to modify our behaviour, we need to be more proactive."

Cllr Cahill's party colleague Cllr Seamus Butler backed the proposal and described it as a 'great motion'.

"The mantra we get anytime we propose grants is that we have to do a speed survey," he added.

Cllr Butler said an area that needs attention is the N4 coming into Clondra and additional safety measures were required in residential areas, in particular.

"We are calling for speed ramps there (in Clondra), because people nearly continue on the road down to the harbour via the N4 and it's a built up area and they seem to adapt the speed limit on the N4 going down there.

Read more: Longford Storm Éowyn response ‘would restore your faith in humanity’

"We seem to have had a reluctance in Longford towards speed ramps and they are a safety measure," he added.

Other local representatives who supported the motion included Cllr Pat O'Toole, Cllr Colin Dalton, Cllr Martin Skelly and Cllr David Cassidy