AT last week’s meeting of Shannon Municipal District, Councillor Gerry Flynn highlighted anti-social behaviour that has the “potential to cause serious accidents”.
The Independent member asked that the Council to investigate possible improvements to the attachment of safety signage throughout the district.
He said in some instances anti-social behaviour is “causing health and safety concerns for road users, due to malicious moving of signs, that has the potential to cause serious accidents”.
In a written reply to his motion Senior Executive Engineer Tom Mellett said, “As the office becomes aware of damaged or missing signs we will arrange for their replacement.
“We work with our sign suppliers to ensure that all signs are in accordance with current standards of attachment.”
However Councillor Flynn said that the existing standards may not be adequate and that there is a need to give feedback about the issue to suppliers.
He said that “scumbags” are responsible for turning the sides the wrong way around.
“They are liable to cause a serious accident,” he warned.
Sinn Féin’s Donna McGettigan said that she knew of one person who got a speeding fine, because a sign had been turned around, giving the impression that one could drive at 80km rather than the 60km speed limit in place in the area.
Also at the meeting, Councillor McGettigan requested that the Council put a small ramp or rumble strip in place at the entrance to the new car park at the graveyard in Illaunmanagh.
“This will help slow down cars exiting the car park, following complaints of drivers racing out of it,” she claimed.
In his reply Mr Mellett said that the Shannon Municipal District will engage with the Council’s graveyards team and introduce a deterrent to speeding.
The meeting heard that ‘boy racer’-type drivers go into the car park there, doing doughnuts and other stunts, and end up driving away at high speeds.
Councillor Flynn said that he would rather see rumble strips or signage introduced rather than putting in a ramp, which he said would be inappropriate at the entrance to a cemetery.
He also criticise the people who use the graveyard car park to drive inappropriately.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.