Concern over maintenance and care of local roads in Offaly

VISIBILITY is restricted on roads joining the national N52 route at Durrow, outside Tullamore, due to overgrown hedges, a local resident has claimed.

Aoife Wyer, in a letter to the Editor in this week's Tullamore Tribune, said there is a wider neglect or roads across the county.

The letter reads as follows:

Dear Editor,

I am writing to raise concerns about the lack of care and maintenance on our local roads, particularly at the junction where the L2005 meets the N52 at Durrow.

Overgrown ditches and hedges severely restrict visibility for drivers attempting to join this busy national route.

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While protecting nesting birds is important, human life must be equally valued. Current rules prevent hedge cutting from March 1st to August 31st, yet this is also the period of strongest growth.

By mid-summer, sightlines at many junctions are dangerously reduced, and with around 20,000 vehicles passing the N52 daily, this creates a serious and avoidable hazard.

This is not just a Durrow problem - it reflects a wider neglect of roadside maintenance across the county. Interim safety measures and a more balanced approach to hedge cutting are urgently needed.

If nothing changes, the next fatal accident on this stretch will not be a question of if, but when.

Yours, etc.,

Aoife Kelly Wyer,

Durrow

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