Ballingarry residents “extremely upset and angry” with village's long neglect

URGENT action is needed to tackle a number of issues in Ballingarry, a recent meeting of Nenagh Municipal District was told.
Cllr Michael O'Meara pointed out to the meeting that the community in the village are “extremely upset because of the way their village has been allowed to deteriorate over the years. They are the most neglected community in North Tipperary.”
The problems include broken footpaths, derelict buildings and non-functioning public lighting. Another problem is the prevalence of speeding motorists flying through the village, which can make it a safety hazard.
Cllr O'Meara added that Ballingarry is without a doubt the most forgotten village on the lengthy N52 Nenagh-Dundalk route.
A member of the Council Executive told the councillors that a Council delegation will meet with officials of Transport Infrastructure Ireland in the near future to discuss a number of items, and Ballingarry will be top of the list for discussion.
Cllr O'Meara made the point that because the village is on a national secondary road, much of its upgrading will have to be funded by the TII. “The Tidy Towns committee out there are extremely frustrated. To the TII, Ballingarry is only a dot on the map but to the people there it is their home and it's incredibly unfair that the village has been overlooked for years. It's absolutely deplorable what is happening.
“Several years ago Carrig village had a terrible problem with speeding. Crashes were happening quite a bit. Traffic calming measures were proposed. Some locals were against them. However they were introduced and were a game-changer. Carrig was greatly improved. Ballingarry deserves something similar.”
Cllr Ger Darcy said he had put a motion down a number of years ago calling for modern LED lights to be installed to replace the current street lighting.
“In one area of the village there are no lights at all for a 100 metre stretch; it's dangerous. A traffic calming system and new paths are badly needed. The road surface of the N52 in the village is also not great.
“Traffic calming was introduced in my village of Ardcroney 15 years ago and it was a game-changer. The calming work was essential because of the high speed of the traffic passing through Ardcroney. Something similar has to be done with Ballingarry
“On winter nights the village is also extremely dark from the Glue Pot pub to the local housing estate. It's very dangerous for pedestrians.”
Director of Services Marcus O'Connor said the Council will be installing LED public lighting across the county over the coming months and Ballingarry will be part of that.
Cllr O'Meara reiterated that the residents are very upset and angry and the problem can no longer be put on the long finger.