Calls for 50kmh limit and traffic calming on Tullaniskey road

A 50kmh speed limit, traffic calming measures and a possible ban on HGVs have been proposed for the Tullaniskey road amid concerns over speeding and a number of serious accidents.

Cllr Ken Glynn told the September meeting of the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District that residents living along the road were struggling to get in and out of their homes because of the speed of traffic.

The District Office has confirmed that it has met residents on site and agreed a number of traffic calming measures. A speed survey will also be carried out, the meeting was told.

Speaking after the district meeting, Cllr Glynn said he had the details from a speed audit the council had carried out in the Tullaniskey area in September. It recorded 10,000 vehicles and showed that the average speed was more than 70kmh, but more worrying, the councillor pointed out, was that 82.5 per cent of vehicles exceeded the posted speed limit of 60kmh.

HGVs cannot currently be prohibited from using the road and will remain permitted until the legislation changes, the meeting heard. The District Office said a letter could also be sent to An Garda Síochána asking that the location be monitored, if members agreed.

Cllr Glynn said he had raised concerns about Tullaniskey on previous occasions and had previously worked with district engineer Pat Kavanagh to have speed limit markings installed on the road.

He said there had been various accidents on the road, including one occasion when a large truck went through a resident’s wall.

“Since our meeting with Pat and residents, those residents out there, they sent me another picture of a car basically faced up into their hedge. So we’re talking serious stuff there,” he said.

Cllr Glynn said Tullaniskey was on the periphery of Mullingar and was a convenient route for motorists, but that vehicles were travelling too fast. “We saw it ourselves first hand back when we were there, absolutely beating by us,” he said.

He said residents were seeking a reduction in the speed limit to 50kmh, traffic calming measures, particularly along the straight sections of the road, and ‘no HGV’ signs at both ends.

He said the road was surrounded by major thoroughfares and residents believed restricting HGVs would reduce the problem.

“I would ask that members would support this motion, and when it comes to budget time, would support Tullaniskey and the residents of Tullaniskey,” he said, adding that for residents there, at times, it’s a struggle to get in and out of their houses.

Cllr Glynn also raised concerns about people walking along the road, saying it was not a safe place for pedestrians.

He welcomed previous ditch-cutting work by the district, saying it had made a significant difference, and asked if the HGV restriction could be progressed as an initial measure.

Cllr Emily Wallace seconded the motion and said she travelled the road regularly.

She said the existing 60kmh road marking had been a good initiative but had faded.

“It’s still in an urban setting, really, even though it’s rural – the surrounds are rural, it is not,” she said.

She said there was significant traffic on the road and that people were walking along it, particularly in the afternoons.

Cllr Wallace suggested that a different-coloured road surface could be considered to emphasise that motorists were entering a slower-speed residential area.

District engineer Pat Kavanagh said traffic appeared to be travelling very fast on the road and that, if the speed limit reduction was secured, funding for traffic calming could be sought through the annual estimates.

“We can certainly look at upgrading the markings on the road, but, you know, it really needs a kind of a firmer type traffic calming, like ramps or something like that,” he said.

On the proposed HGV restriction, Mr Kavanagh said the council would have to examine the issue because a by-law would be required for any restriction to be enforceable.