Importance of signage warning at accident black spots highlighted by Sligo councillor

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

With road fatality figures revealing 185 people lost their lives on Irish roads last year and 32 so far this year, Cllr Dara Mulvey has called for the reintroduction of signage warning motorists of areas that have a high proportion of accidents.

In his motion before the April meeting of Sligo County Council Cllr Mulvey called on “Sligo County Council to contact the RSA to reintroduce black spot signs in areas where regular accidents are occurring on our roads. In 2016 these signs were removed and there is now a lack of awareness for people who travel on unknown roads as to the dangerous conditions along certain stretches they are travelling along.”

Speaking to his motion Cllr Mulvey remarked, “In many other countries when there is an accident there is a lot of investigations as to whether that accident location should be redesigned, but in Ireland, from what I am led to understand does not happen, so you can have many accidents on the same stretch of road and nothing changes for years.

“Up to 2016 high accident locations were marked by black spot signage and all road users knew what these signs stood for and slowed down – but after 2016 these effective signs were removed, and many people ask why.”

Cllr Mulvey expressed the view that repeat accidents along a stretch of road should result in roads being redesigned quickly, not taking years. “There is an infrastructural change needed along with the constant emphasis on driver behaviour,” he said.

Cllr Mulvey told the meeting repeat accidents in locations in other European countries are dealt urgently with realignment work on that stretch of road.

He also noted a lack of enforcement saying, “Ireland is down 43% on dangerous driving offences and this is not down to a high surge in safer driving behaviour, it’s down to less road policing and a lack of it in certain areas.”

Referring to the reply he received from Sligo County Council in relation to his motion Cllr Mulvey commented, “The reply notes (black spot) signs were replaced with other warnings but I think accident black spot signs should be used in conjunction with other signs. We have to do something. The N17 is on the programme but it will take years. We need something to alert drivers.”

The motion was supported by Cllr Barry Gallagher who referred to the stretch of road between Bellaghy and Curry saying there had been four accidents there in the past two months, which he raised at the most recent Municipal District meeting.

Cllr Ann Higgins also gave her backing to the motion saying road deaths have increased significantly since the withdrawal of the black spot signage adding with limited traffic corps numbers, “You can’t rely on a visible presence to be a deterrent.”

Cllr Donal Gilroy also offered his support for the motion saying, “This needs to be done at local level. The Council staff and members know the local needs.”

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.