ACTION has been called for from Limerick City and County Council in Newcastle West at a busy junction in the bustling market town to make it safe for schoolchildren.
Speaking at the Newcastle West district meeting for the month of March, Fine Gael councillor Tom Ruddle urged the local authority to repaint the pedestrian crossings that need it, in particular, the crossing from Modini shoe shop to Fitzgerald’s corner.
“Is there anything we could do there to make it more visible? It definitely needs to be painted for a start,” Cllr Ruddle asked the Council executive.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Collins, cathaoirleach of the district, said that when the Fitzgerald’s corner pedestrian crossing was first requested to be put in a number of years ago, finding the right location for this traffic calming measure proved the biggest challenge.
“It is problematic where it is, but where to put it if we were to remove it?” Cllr Collins queried.
Senior executive engineer for the Newcastle West district, Ben Noonan, told the meeting that he imagined a lot of thought would have been put into the crossing’s current location. The biggest challenge, he explained, is putting a crossing where people actually cross the road.
“If you move to somewhere where people won’t utilise it, that will be a challenge,” Mr Noonan told Council members.
Independent councillor Jerome Scanlan took the view that the only place they could have ever put this particular crossing is where it currently stands.