Roundabout needed
DROGHEDA Municipal District do not have the money available to undertake a traffic study to determine if a mini roundabout is needed on the Termonfeckin Road at the entrance to Termon Abbey (right), it has been stated.
The council was responding to a motion from Councillor Kenneth Flood who said a mini roundabout was much needed at this site.
‘It was recognised as needed in 2003 and the developer never did it,’ he said. ‘It is more needed now than ever.’
Supporting the motion, Councillor Oliver Tully said: ‘In the absence of being able to deliver the roundabout I would ask that traffic lights be installed.’
However, in a written response to the motion, the council said that in order to establish ‘whether additional traffic management is necessary at the junction, whether that be a miniroundabout or other appropriate intervention, would require a full and detailed analysis of traffic flows and traffic management at the junction.
‘ There is no funding available at this time to undertake a traffic study of the junction or to carry out any improvement works.’
Speaking following the meeting, Cllr Flood said: ‘ The roundabout was contained in conditions of planning for Aston Village and approved in 2003. But although the need for the roundabout was recognised way back in 2003, fourteen years later and it still has not been delivered but yet the houses and the large school it was to serve have been built and even more are being built with the addition of Beaulieu Manor to the area.’
Councillor Frank Godfrey said: ‘ This is all down to bad planning and poor foresight by our planners. This is going to take years. Something has to be done.’
Councillor Pio Smith said there are 600 housing units in these two estates alone not to mention traffic from Termonfeckin and Clogherhead and the school. ‘How do we allocate money to analyse traffic flow at this junction?,’ he said.