Council to conduct safety audit of Tralee’s ‘most dangerous junction’
KERRY County Council is to complete a safety audit of a crossroads previously dubbed the “most dangerous junction” in Tralee.
Last January council management said they had no plans to carry out safety upgrade works at the junction of James Street and Basin Road near the Low Field soccer pitch in Tralee.
Labour Cllr Terry O’Brien had called for an urgent review of the traffic situation at the junction which has become increasingly busy in recent years, particularly at peak times when it is used as a ‘rat-run’ by commuters.
Despite high traffic volumes at the junction there are no traffic lights, no pedestrian crossing and little street lighting in the area which has been the scene of several serious accidents.
In late 2011 a woman suffered near- fatal, life-changing injuries in an accident just yards from the junction.
Despite Cllr O’Brien’s impassioned pleas Council management said at the time that they had no plans to upgrade the junction.
Management added that if money for junction upgrades became available it would be used to upgrade one of the 16 potentially dangerous junctions identified during the preparation of the Tralee Transportation Strategy.
At the time Cllr O’Brien expressed severe disappointment at the decision taken by management.
The Council has now backtracked and a safety survey is to take place at the junction this month.
Pedestrian and motorised traffic counts will be undertaken and the results will dictate what, if any, traffic calming measures are necessary.
The surveys are due to be completed by the end of this month.
When the issue came before the council in January Management said that the estimated cost of upgrading the Basin Road Junction would be in the region of €70,000.