Speeding concerns aired about Clare village

CONCERN has been expressed over the speed of traffic travelling through the village of Quin, particularly on the busy approach from the Dromoland side. 

With a number of routes leading into the village, an appeal has been made by Councillor Pat Burke for safety works to protect the many pedestrians that walk in the area, particularly those going to and from school. The Killaloe district councillor described the speed of many motorists as “unbelievable”. 

“The Ballykilty/Dromoland Road, as it is known locally, is particularly busy,” Councillor Burke said. “Quin itself is a very busy village with a big and growing population. Between six and eight weeks ago, I was called after an incident where a car left the road and went through a boundary and into someone’s property. Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured, but it could have been an awful situation if there was someone walking in the area at the time.”

The Fine Gael member pointed out that the Ballykilty/Dromoland Road is very popular, at all times of the day, but is particularly busy in the mornings. “There is a loop walk if you take a left on the Ennis Road and come back around on this route,” he said.

“There are often people on horseback along the roads too. While drivers slow down a bit out in the rural areas, they travel at speed through the village, even within the speed limit zone. In fact, the speeding is unbelievable at times.

“There’s also the issue of children trying to walk to and from Scoil na Mainistreach. Their parents have to walk along with them to make sure they’re safe and they have to stand in on the verge when cars are passing because there’s no footpath. I would like to see the Council putting paths in, because they’re badly needed in the interests of safety.”

The matter was raised by Councillor Burke at last month’s meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District, where it received the support of the committee chairperson.

Cathaoirleach Councillor Alan O’Callaghan seconded Councillor Burke’s motion. “This is timely, especially when you see the influx of development in Quin,” he said.

“This area seems to be zoned for development. I would suggest that, for the village of Quin, a plan be put in place for the whole village. There are a lot of roads coming into the village and it is lacking in infrastructure. Footpaths are pretty scarce around the village. There might be scope for a town and village renewal funding application.”

Councillor Burke welcomed a written response to his motion from Acting Senior Executive Engineer Derek Troy, whom he met in Quin to examine the roads and paths.

Mr Troy’s reply said that, “Killaloe Municipal District will consider the installation of a footpath including provision of public lighting from a point approximately opposite Maigh Dara, to the speed limit on the Ballykilty Road. A project outline proposal will be submitted to Clare County Council Road Design Section for inclusion in a countywide funding submission to the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Active Travel Investment Programme.”

Mr Troy’s response noted that it is anticipated that a call for project submissions will happen in December, with funding approval to be announced next January.