Call for action on East Clare speeding hot spot

SPEEDING at a scenic location in East Clare was the subject of discussion at the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, when Councillor Pat Burke called for the situation at Reddan’s Quay to be addressed. The small harbour is in walking distance of Tuamgraney and Councillor Burke noted that in recent months, increasing numbers of cars had been speeding down the long, straight road to the Quay. While the Fine Gael member asked the council to consider the possibility of installing ramps, the authority said it will conduct a speed survey before deciding on the best course of action.

“Many people, up to now, may have been unaware of Reddan’s Quay,” Councillor Burke told the meeting. “It’s often accessed from the water and it’s one of the many attractions in Tuamgraney. Recently, though, people living close by have become very concerned about the number of cars speeding down the road at night. They’re clearly not people who are going there to see the Quay itself. There is a long straight stretch of road and that’s obviously the attraction. Residents have to put up with this at all hours of the night and I’m calling on the council to look at the possibility of installing speed ramps.”

It was also noted by members that a lot of work has been done locally to enhance amenities in Tuamgraney. A historic lime kiln on the approach road to the Quay was extensively restored last year.

The idea of signage was also mooted, but Councillor Burke noted that the impact of such equipment is short-lived. “The thing is that signage will slow people down, but only for a while,” he said. “It’s not long again before people are simply ignoring it. Local people have gone so far as to put up signs themselves, but what they really need is a long-term solution such as speed ramps.”

Councillor Alan O’Callaghan noted a worrying increase in instances of speeding and said there was also a particular problem in Kilkishen. “I’ve raised this previously and there is a serious issue with the straight stretch of road,” he said. “People are speeding there late at night and locals are highly annoyed and concerned.”

Fellow councillors noted an increase in late-night speeding across the region and hoped that Gardaí might have more success in detecting drivers breaching lockdown restrictions to travel to hot-spots in the east of the county.

Replying to Councillor Burke’s motion, Senior Executive Engineer Niamh Madden said that a speed survey will be carried out. “That will really help us to capture that data about what’s going on here,” she said. “The results will determine the most appropriate course of action to mitigate any excessive speeding on this road.”

Responding to concerns from Councillor Burke that a survey conducted during the day would not record speeding drivers, Ms Madden said the study would record traffic movements on a constant basis and provide an accurate survey and assessment of the situation.