Call for road markings to be reinstalled at N72 junction
CLLR FURIOUS OVER LACK OF SIGNS AT DANGEROUS WATERLOO JUNCTION
THE decision to remove road markings on the Mallow side of the N72 Waterloo junction near Ballyclough has been slammed by a Cork County Councillor who said their removal is posing a serious danger to local traffic.
Cllr John Paul O’Shea (Ind) recently wrote to Cork County Council officials calling for the markings, which were burned off when a section of the N72 was being re-aligned, to be reinstated.
“These markings were specifically put in place a few years ago following lengthy discussions with council officials afters complaints from local residents of being rear ended as they tried to turn right at the junction,” said Cllr O’Shea.
He pointed out there was no filter lane at the junction and no possibility of one being put in place in the short term as it would require the purchase of additional land.
“Bearing this in mind, it is imperative that these markings be reinstated. Locals are genuinely concerned that there will be a serious accident at the junction if they are not,” said Cllr O’Shea.
Cllr O’Shea said he was informed by council officials that they had been told by the Kerry section of the National Road Design Office (NDRO), who are managing the contractors, that the marking were “not in accordance” with Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s (TII) Traffic Signs Manual. He was told that TII had also instructed similar markings be removed from roads across the country.
The NDRO had further advised the council that off-setting the centre line of the road to provide a passing bay at the junction would mean narrowing the hard shoulder, forcing cyclists onto the main traffic lane.
“Taking these observations into consideration the Kerry NRDO advise that the right turning arrows will not be provided at this junction,” wrote the council’s divisional manager Jim Moloney.
A furious Cllr O’Shea branded the decision as “ridiculous”, asking if the Kerry NDRO had informed the council of the proposed changes prior to the removal of the road signs.
“It would appear changes are being implemented without prior notice to public representatives or the public, often resulting in different layouts and signage for road users,” said Cllr O’Shea.
“If road users are not informed of changes, it is likely to result in a serious road traffic accident. My fear is that the removal of the road signs at Waterloo has turned this junction into an accident waiting to happen,” he added.
Mr Moloney suggested that Cllr O’Shea contact TII directly on the issue as they has chosen to deal directly with road markings and signage on national roads rather than going through local authorities, in order to get consistency along routes.
Cllr O’Shea has since written to TII requesting they address the junction at Waterloo “as a priority” and reinstate the burned off markings.
“TII say they have put this policy in place to get consistency along all routes. This is ridiculous as it does not take into account different situations at individual junctions,” said Cllr O’Shea.
“These markings were in place before, so there is a clear indication from the council that this is a potentially dangerous junction. It beggars belief that TII would go against this and by doing so put the lives of road users in danger,” he added.