Motoring

BUS Éireann has been accused of “attacking the most vulnerable members of society”, when its drivers refuse to pick up passengers at certain unofficial but quite safe stops. The accusation was levelled at Monday’s meeting of Clare County Council in respect of along the company’s Public Service Obligation routes. Councillor Paul Murphy proposed a motion asking that the Council contact Bus Éireann and “insist on reinstatement of their heretofore policy of picking up passengers at all safe points along their Public Service Obligation routes”. He said that initially he had come up with the motion with the 343 Ennis-Limerick route in mind, but that since then he had become aware of people on other routes being “left behind on the roadside”. The Clarecastle man said that he knows of one young man with epilepsy who can’t drive, who relies upon being able to catch a bus, but in recent times has been left behind. Fine Gael’s Johnny Flynn said that …

TWO people have been taken to hospital following a single vehicle road traffic collision in south Clare this afternoon. The crash occurred on the R473 Kildysart to Labasheeda road at Cahercon at around 3.40pm. Emergency services were alerted to an incident where a car was reported to have left the road and collided with a tree. National Ambulance Service paramedics, Gardaí and units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station responded to the incident. On arrival, fire crews used their appliances to close the road to ensure the safety of everyone at the scene. Paramedics assessed and treated two men before they were both removed by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. It’s understood that neither man suffered serious injuries The R473 was reopened at around 5.15pm after the car had been removed and the scene declared safe. Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of the collision.

DISABLED parking spaces removed and replaced with Age Friendly parking in Ennis’ Cabey’s Lane will be relocated to the Lower Market area of the town, Clare County Council has confirmed. The Clare Champion was contacted by concerned members of the public who questioned why the disabled parking spaces were transformed into ‘Age Friendly’ spaces, fearing that the disabled spaces had been taken away for good. Can you help us out @ClareCoCo & let us know where those 2 ♿🅿️bays were moved to from Caby's Lane in Ennis? Same 2 spots are now repainted as "Age-Friendly". We had heard changes were made but assumed it meant relocation & not a very different type of relabelling? 🤷🏻‍♂️❓ pic.twitter.com/LRoyO0d9gE — The Struggle Is Wheel (@struggleiswheel) November 21, 2022 A council spokesperson has explained that the space available at Cabey’s Lane did not meet the current design standards for disabled parking. New disabled parking bays are to be installed in the Lower Market area …

CLARE County Council has been asked to put in place a “suitable and attractive” design for the junction at Lemenagh Castle. At last week’s meeting of west and north Clare county councillors, Joe Garrihy put forward a motion to that effect and he said there is “a double opportunity here”. He pointed out that as well as improving safety at the junction, the Council could create a “landmark experience” at a junction that people use to visit parts of the Burren, the Michael Cusack Centre, and Poulnabrone. He pointed out that at a meeting of Clare County Council earlier this year, there had been a discussion of leveraging roundabouts throughout the Council to help local tourism. Councillor Garrihy said that his proposal could not only help road safety, but could allow the Council to “take advantage of an iconic location”. Councillor Joe Killeen said that it is an area where boy racers do wheelies, while he said that the cross …

SAFETY at a notorious junction in East Clare was raised again when members of the Killaloe Municipal District met in Scariff this Wednesday. Councillor Pat Hayes appealed for greater efforts to address the issue and avoid a fatality at Henchey’s Cross. He noted that works have been done recently to improve visibility and alert drivers to slow down ahead of the road narrowing and the hidden dip. However, he scored the works “1/10” in terms of their impact on road safety. “We have campaigned a lot to get this much work done,” he said. “I welcome the recent work done, but to my mind, it has highlighted the issue even more. There is a far greater need now for further funding. “These are very localised and small works. In terms of an improvement in safety, they haven’t generated major change. They are, to my mind, confusing signs that create difficulties.” The Fianna Fáil member made his remarks almost a year …

The M18 motorway has been closed southbound between junction 14 Barefield and junction 13 Tulla Road while emergency services deal with a vehicle fire. Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis and Shannon stations are dealing with the incident. Gardaí are also at the scene. A van is understood to have burst into flames while travelling towards Ennis shortly after 11am. The driver of vehicle managed to pull into the hard shoulder and jump out of his van to safety. The southbound lanes of the motorway have been closed while the northbound carriageway is not affected. Fire crews have brought the fire under control and it’s expected that one lane could be reopened to traffic once the incident has been dealt with. The remainder of the southbound carriageway will be reopened once the vehicle has been removed from the scene.

PLANS for the delivery of a “much needed” local bus service for Ennis town and its environs are driving forward with confirmation the National Transport Authority have “advanced” their design and are due to undertake a route inspection this month. However, former mayor of Ennis Councillor Johnny Flynn, who has been a long time campaigner for the service has criticised the “snail’s pace” of the project and is calling on the county’s Oireachtas members to attend the next meeting of the Ennis Municipal District and push for the service’s delivery. Details of the progress of providing a local bus were outlined at a recent meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where the service’s importance was emphasised by local councillors. Seeking an update on the service, Councillor Paul Murphy insisted that a local bus service is “vital” for the town of Ennis. “I am requesting a progress update on provision of a much needed local bus service for Ennis Town and …

TWO fatal road collisions, which happened within days of each other, have left the community of East Clare reeling.  The incidents, which claimed the lives of a two men, have also prompted an appeal from Gardaí for vigilance on the part of all road users, particularly in bad winter weather.  Last Saturday night, Billy Hickey, a man in his 80s died in an incident on Main Street, Mountshannon, shortly before 8pm. Warm tributes were paid by those who knew him. Senator Timmy Dooley, a Mountshannon native, extended his sympathies to Mr Hickey’s family.  “I’ve known Billy all my life,” he said. “The entire community is just shocked at his untimely passing. He was a kind and friendly gentleman and deeply rooted in the area, even though he was a native of Tipperary. “His wife is from Scariff and the community is in shock there too. His grandchildren are part of the GAA community and well known, particularly in Clare camogie. …