Charleville Community Forum to host further public meeting on town centre traffic
The past year was a horrendous one for the people both living in and frequenting Charleville town in that two elderly people lost their lives in incidents involving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on the Main Street, bringing to ten the number of people who have perished in similar circumstances in the last decade.
Little has changed since the most recent deaths to remedy the situation by Cork County Council, save for electronic signs at the southern and northern entrances to the town, urging motorists to look out for pedestrians.
Smaller signs telling people to use the controlled pedestrian crossings to cross the street have also been erected, but to no great affect as they are too high up on poles to be seen. So, people continue to persist in crossing the street heedlessly, still risking their lives.
It is also hugely distressing for the drivers of these HGVs, and grossly unfair to them, as they already have an enormous responsibility ensuring that they safely negotiate the street without causing harm or damage to people or property.
The call locally is for a ring road around the town to take the HGVs off the street to alleviate the 15,000 vehicles using the Main Street daily.
Despite this being raised in Dail Eireann by Michael Moynihan TD, and at Cork County Council level by Cllrs Ian Doyle and John Paul O’Shea, and being approved by the T.I.I., and being further recommended by the Coroner for Co. Cork, who conducted the inquests in to the latest deaths, nothing has happened, at least outwardly. This calls into question the effectiveness of the town’s representation at both national local levels.
Charleville Community Forum organised a public meeting last June, but neither has this borne any fruit in providing an effective solution to the traffic problem. They have now organised a further public meeting for the Charleville Park Hotel for Monday evening, 29th January.
They will be inviting all local and national public representatives, and the members of the Cork County Couuncil roads authority to be present to outline their response to providing Charleville with a ring road that is so badly needed.
Commenting on the proposed meeting, community council chair Evelyn O’Keeffe said: “Charleville Community Forum wants better engagement between Cork County Council, the local community, and our elected representatives. Too many announcements have been made over the years, and nothing delivered in terms of HGV traffic reduction on Charleville’s Main Street.
“The latest announcement from Cork County Council is just another feasibility study (see report on page 10) and we know how long that takes,” she said.
“Putting table tops on the pedestrian crossings will have little effect on pedestrian deaths, and won’t take one HGV off of the Main Street.
“The meeting will give us a chance to pin down what is or what is not happening,” Evelyn added.