Seven roads to Castlepollard - but just one ramp on the way

There are seven roads leading into Castlepollard, and pedestrians are taking their lives in their hands as they cross the streets because of the speed at which traffic comes into the town, Cllr Alfie Devine has informed Municipal District officials.

The Fianna Fáil man tabled a question at April’s meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad requesting detail on what traffic calming measures are in the pipeline for Castlepollard.

The response from the district officials stated that it is proposed to construct a tabletop ramp along the R394 adjacent to the new town park, and a ramp will also be placed beside the “give and take” system.

“The district has applied for funding to construct a raised pedestrian crossing on Finea road,” the reply added.

Cllr Devine pressed for more action on the issue, drawing their attention to the fact that there are seven roads leading into Castlepollard.

“In fairness, we’ve worked hard to get a lot of ramps in towns and villages all over the place. And in the latest round of funding for Castlepollard, we are getting one ramp,” he said, also bemoaning the fact that the district has to apply for funding for a raised pedestrian crossing on the Finea Road.

“There’s massive issues on the Finea Road,” he said, explaining that there’s an estate there which has no footpath accessing it, meaning children coming from there have to cross a main road.

“There’s 20, 30 kids in that estate. And they have to come out of that estate and walk straight across the main road. No pedestrian crossing. No traffic lights. Nothing.

“Something serious is going to happen there soon if there’s something not done there,” he warned.

Cllr Devine said there should be a path provided to that estate, but if that can’t happen, “some sort of a pedestrian crossing with lights on it” will have to be provided.

Cllr Devine said there is also a need for action at the library to protect pedestrians as cars coming in from the Mullingar Road aren’t slowing down.

“There’s ramps needed on every road going into Castlepollard. And one ramp is not enough. And it’s not going to be near enough,” he said, adding that he is constantly being asked why there is no traffic management in Castlepollard while such issues have been addressed in neighbouring Fore and Collinstown.

“I’m not happy with ‘one ramp’ for Castlepollard. We need to do something soon,” he stated.

Director of services, Deirdre Reilly, defended the council’s record, stating that while she served with the council’s regeneration team, she and her colleagues met members of Castlepollard’s regeneration Town Team and the proposal of an all-of-town traffic management plan for Castlepollard wasn’t supported.

“We were redirected back to looking at the Market House and the new town park and traffic calming that would be addressed as part of those two projects. And to leave the green area alone,” she said.

However, she continued, as the written reply had indicated, funding is being applied for a raised pedestrian crossing on the Finea Road, and there is to be a pedestrian crossing from the new walkway that’s going from the town park down to the secondary school there.

“It would be, obviously, working with yourself, our intention to put additional traffic calming in Castlepollard, subject to funding,” she said.