No funding for Churchill traffic calming despite speeds reaching 120km/h
As traffic surveys record speeds of up to 120km/h near Churchill, a local councillor has warned that he fears somebody could be killed if action is not taken .
Councillor Michael McBride believes there was no reason why an Active Travel project could not be developed through the village to slow traffic and make the area safer for pedestrians.
He brought the issue before the September meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District.
“We cannot continue to accept what we are having to experience in that village at the moment," he said.
Cllr McBride's motion called for a traffic counter to be installed in Churchill “ASAP” as the starting point for a project to slow traffic through the village.
The council’s response said three traffic counts had already been carried out on the regional road close to Churchill since 2022.
While 85% of vehicles were travelling at or below the speed limit, surveys recorded maximum speeds of 120km/h north of the village junction, 119km/h south of the junction and 106km/h through Churchill village.
The speed limits at the three locations were listed as 80km/h, 80km/h and 50km/h respectively.
The council said there is currently no specific funding available for traffic-calming measures in the Churchill area.
Cllr McBride said his repeated calls for action appeared to be “falling on deaf ears”.
“There is no reason why an Active Travel project couldn’t be done through that village, to slow traffic and put in a footpath that is needed,” he said.
Cllr McBride said that traffic-calming works in Newtown are an example of what could be achieved.
He described it as a “Rolls Royce job” and said it was highly effective.
“That’s what we have to aspire to,” he said.
Cllr McBride also acknowledged that resurfacing works had improved a number of roads in the area, but could sometimes lead to speeding.
“It’s not all bad news up there. A lot of roads have been resurfaced and it has been a great help,” he said.
“But unfortunately, with the improvement of roads leading into villages, it tends to increase the speed through them as well.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme