A plea before someone is killed at junction
A CORK county councillor has made an impassioned plea to Transport Minister Shane Ross to ensure action is taken to improve safety at a road junction in North Cork branded “one of the most dangerous in the country”.
Cllr Moynihan has taken the unusual step of writing directly to Minister Ross asking that he intervene to secure the funding needed for traffic calming and safety works at Ballymacquirke Cross near Kanturk.
Cllr Moynihan had raised the issue at council level and was told the junction was identified as being among 15 ‘ high accident’ locations in Cork.
This week he insisted that this issue can no longer be put on the long finger.
“It is simply no longer acceptable to leave this junction in its current format and it is critically important that action is taken at this location before a tragedy occurs here,” wrote Cllr Moynihan.
“I am now appealing to you [Minister Ross] to ensure that immediate action is taken to rectify this extremely dangerous situation. I sincerely hope the necessary funding can be made available to alter this junction in the very near future.”
Cllr Moynihan said he hoped his plea does not fall on deaf ears.
“It is impossible to overstate just how dangerous this junction is and unless action is taken, it is only a matter of time before someone is killed there,” he added.
A CORK County Councillor has taken the unusual step of writing directly to Transport Minister Shane Ross requesting he take “immediate action” to address what has been described as ‘one of the most dangerous road junctions in the country’.
As previously reported in The Corkman, Cllr Bernard Moynihan (FF) had raised the issue of Ballymac-quirke Cross near Kanturk at Council level, calling for a safety audit to be undertaken at the junction, with the possibility of installing a roundabout there.
At the time Cllr Moynihan was told that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) had identified the junction as being among 15 sites in Cork branded as being ‘ high accident locations’.
“TII has requested Cork County Council to review these sites and prepare a solution report for each of them, including design options and cost estimates. The National Roads Office is preparing these reports at present and liaising with TII,” wrote senior council engineer Bob O’Shea Mr O’Shea.
However, Cllr Moynihan has insisted that this issue can no longer be “put on the long finger” and has written to Minister Ross asking him to ensure funding is set aside for traffic calming works at the junction.
He said the junction was deserving of its tag as one of the country’s most dangerous, with enormous volumes of traffic using it on a daily basis.
“It is simply no longer acceptable to leave this junction in its current format and it is critically important that action is taken at this location before a tragedy occurs here,” wrote Cllr Moynihan.
He said the issue had galvanised the local community, with road users, businesses and community groups expressing their concerns to him and other councillors.
“I am well aware that An Garda Siochána also has serious safety concerns about this junction and I understand Cork County Council has previously raised the issue with senior TII management. While it is to be welcomed that TII has accepted the danger that exists at this junction, the fact remains there has been no progress made to address this danger at all,” wrote Cllr Moynihan.
“I am now appealing to you [Minister Ross] to ensure that immediate action is taken to rectify this extremely dangerous situation. I sincerely hope the necessary funding can be made available to alter this junction in the very near future.”
Speaking to The Corkman, Cllr Moynihan said he sincerely hoped his pleas would not fall on deaf ears.
“It is impossible to overstate just how dangerous this junction is and unless action is taken, it is only a matter of time before someone is killed there,” he said.