Traffic calming plans progress for Delvin and Clonmellon

Progress is being made on traffic calming schemes for Delvin and Clonmellon, councillors were told at the September meeting of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District.

In response to a motion submitted by Cllr Niall Gaffney asking that the district provide an update on traffic calming schemes and designs for Delvin and Clonmellon, the district executive replied that its transportation section had advised that the TII Active Travel Scheme for Clonmellon, which incorporates the Safe Routes to School programme, is advancing through the preliminary design stage.

A non-statutory consultation process is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, with the formal planning process expected to follow in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the Road Safety Audit of the design for the TII safety scheme in Delvin is nearing completion and the response stated that the elected members of the district will be briefed in the third quarter of 2025, with a view to moving to the formal planning process in the fourth quarter.

Cllr Gaffney welcomed the timelines, describing them as positive. He said it was important that traffic calming measures for Delvin be installed quickly, and pointing to the public engagement approach used recently in Clonmellon, where detailed maps and a full-day consultation gave locals the chance to shape proposals, he said this had been a useful exercise.

“It’s good to see the pressure on it, just to keep it moving with a bit of urgency, because we’re seeing every day the traffic and the people moving through it,” he said.

Cllr David Jones, who had submitted a related question, supported the motion and stressed that traffic calming on both routes should be a priority, given that they are national roads.

He noted the risks faced by parents and children along the busy Clonmellon road, especially at school times, and urged that interim safety works – including ramps on the Killallon and Kilskyre roads near housing estates and a playground – be prioritised.

Turning to Delvin, Cllr Jones said a whole-village approach would be needed. While traffic calming measures near the cattle mart will be progressed under the forthcoming Part 8 process, he said other areas, including Leavy’s Shop, Castleview and Lacora Glen, also face speeding issues, particularly at night.