Drivers using main street in north Tipperary town ‘like a runway’
Motorists in one town in Tipperary are using the main street “like a runway” with the speeds they’re going.
That was the claim of Fine Gael councillor for Ballina Phyll Bugler who raised the issues of speeding through the town since the new bypass opened earlier this year.
"Since we pedestrianised the old bridge, cars are speeding down the Grange Road and on Main Street, this is really, really serious, because now we don’t have any more traffic jams coming into Ballina, which is a very good thing, now they’re speeding straight through Ballina,” Cllr Bugler said.
“We really need to do something immediately, it really is a big problem for us,” she added.
Calling for measures to be taken to reduce speeds going through the town, Cllr Bugler said that people are treating the roads like a runway.
"People are coming in that road and they think it’s a runway, it’s very, very dangerous,” she said.
"Could we consider putting down some of the rubber bollards that we have, we really need a couple of those on the Main Street and maybe on the Grange Road until you come up with some other permanent solution,” Cllr Bugler added.
In response, district engineer Barry Murphy said they had applied for funding under the Low Cost Safety Scheme to tackle the issues.
"Hopefully we’ll get a successful application which will allow us to tackle some of the speeding, and we’ll design a scheme early next year for that,” Mr Murphy said.
“We’re not in favour of vertical deflections or bollards, and the small stick-on deflections are probably the least favoured option of all, they are disruptive and not good for emergency services at all.
“The issue primarily is an enforcement one, and one for the gardaí, but that people take it upon themselves to speed through Ballina, that’s not acceptable,” he added.
Cllr Bugler said that the town can’t wait for the safety scheme, and that the garda superintendent at a previous meeting said that engineering measures were needed to slow down drivers in the town.
"It’s such a long stretch of road and the superintendent at the last meeting said we do need some engineering solutions as well,” she said.
"We just can’t wait for this Low Cost Safety (Scheme), because that’ll be another year,” Cllr Bugler added.
Director of services for roads Liam Brett said that the district had spent all its money for 2025, and all that can be done is to try and seek funding next year.