FINE Gael councillor Adam Teskey wanted to know if any of the Council’s Active Travel staff drive a tractor, an articulated lorry, or any sort of heavy goods vehicle?
Speaking at the Adare-Rathkeale district meeting for the month of May, Cllr Teskey deemed it “mindboggling” that roads in West Limerick are so narrow that tractors are “hopping off the kerbs”.
During a presentation on a proposed active travel scheme for Blackabbey Road in Adare, he claimed that many of the county’s roads are hazardous due to insufficient space allowed for motorists. This, he maintains, is down to the consideration being given to pedestrians and cyclists on these schemes.
“There seems to be more consideration given for the cyclist and the pedestrian than what’s given to the motorist along these schemes. I welcome that something has to be done on the Blackabbey Road, which was something former Cllr Kevin Sheahan often raised. Maybe we could even name it after him – The Kevin Sheahan Way.
“But I would now like to see logic prevail in how we go forward with our schemes,” Cllr Teskey commented.
He asked for Council members to be supplied with information on the towns and villages across the county currently being considered for active travel schemes, so as to make sure the needs of motorists are also being addressed.
“I went up to the Bridge of Tears in Newcastle West in my 1950s machine. I see you rolling your eyes, Bridie (Collins FF), but I’m stating a fact, you don’t drive a tractor, but it’s a hazard,” Cllr Teskey told the meeting.
“Do any of ye in there drive an agricultural tractor, an articulated commercial lorry, or any heavy goods vehicles? Myself and Cllr O’Donoghue would be out there and if you go out to Kilcornan, you are hopping off the kerbs and damaging your tyres, which are very expensive at the moment.”
Independent Ireland councillor John O’Donoghue also pointed out that the area around the Blackabbey Road has a number of businesses and is predominantly agricultural. He warned that tractors and farm machinery are getting bigger and would be stuck for space on the road with what is being currently proposed.
“This is going to be a problem for larger vehicles now as well so I would like to see that we keep the kerb beyond the six metre carriageway. This is a 50km road leading into the middle of a town, but whether we like it or not the machinery using this back road has gotten bigger and has to move from A to B.
“They are barely making some of the junctions as it is, so listen, ye’re not building for the donkey and cart anymore,” Cllr O’Donoghue declared.
“We need a bit of common sense. A six-metre curb width is not going to cut it. A slurry tank won’t be able to get up this road with an active travel scheme, side by side. It’s going to climb the kerb and damage what you are putting into place,” he concluded.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme