‘We are going to block the road’ – Foxford residents warn of protest over delays to pedestrian crossing safety works
Foxford residents are prepared to protest and block the N26 if long-promised safety upgrade plans for q pedestrian crossing in the town are not published this month.
Mayo County Council has confirmed that design proposals and the Section 38 are due to be published in the first quarter of the year.
However, pressure to make progress on the crossing has increased following a recent near-miss at the site.
Local councillor Neil Cruise has warned council officials that residents are ready to take matters into their own hands if there is no immediate progress.
He said the urgency of completing safety works was brought sharply into focus when a member of a voluntary community group narrowly avoided being struck while helping to take down Christmas lights near the crossing.
“I saw someone nearly getting killed at that pedestrian crossing,” he said. “Something has to be done now.”
At a recent council meeting, Cllr Cruise asked Director of Services for Roads Tom Gilligan to provide an exact date for the publication of the Section 38 notice and the detailed design proposals for the safety upgrades.
“We are going to have to take it into our own hands if there isn’t a date coming up, and we are going to block the road - we are going to do it,” he said.
He explained how proposed improvements have faced repeated delays over a number of years, and that work on the crossing has been “kicked down the road”.
“We are only one step away from a worse accident,” he warned.
The crossing was installed in 2014, and Cllr Cruise said Foxford has “had problems with it since”.
He said that initial safety concerns were dismissed until the community came together and created a petition.
“A lot of people were denying there were problems with it until we bought a petition that was put together over a weekend that had over 2,000 signatures,” he explained.
The petition, submitted to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in October 2022 by Cllr Cruise and the Foxford Enhancement Group, called for urgent safety improvements.
TII allocated €87,300 in March 2025 for enhanced safety measures and junction improvements at the crossing, but no works have been carried out since.
The pedestrian crossing is located at the main junction in Foxford, where two national routes meet, and local traffic also feeds into the same spot.
The N26 runs directly through the town, carrying vehicles from Ballina on the southbound approach and from Swinford on the northbound side. The N58 links Main Street with traffic travelling to and from Castlebar and Westport.
Lower Main Street brings more traffic through the area with cars coming and going from St Joseph’s Secondary School, the Foxford Woollen Mills and Moy Davitts GAA Club.
A difference in road levels between the N26 and N58 affects visibility, particularly for drivers travelling from Ballina towards the town, who can’t see the crossing clearly until they are close to it.
The residents’ petition called for the crossing to be raised to match the level of the N58 to improve sightlines.
It also sought enhanced public lighting, additional warning signs, and the possible introduction of a push-button-operated system with red and green pedestrian signals.
Cllr Cruise has raised the issue repeatedly at council meetings and is now seeking publication of the designs so the project can move on to public consultation.
In response, Mr Gilligan committed to publishing the design proposals by the end of February.
He acknowledged that progress had been slower than anticipated, noting the works were “supposed to be completed last year”, but said the team was working to get the project “over the line”.
Mr Gilligan said he was aware of the risks associated with the location and expressed his intention to “get this wrapped up in the next couple of weeks”.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.