North Tipp village 'plagued' by speeding, heavy traffic and tailgating

THE North Tipperary village of Carrigahorig is 'plagued' by speeding, heavy traffic and tailgating, a recent meeting of Nenagh Municipal District was told.

The October meeting of the Council was told that the residents are deeply frustrated by the failure to instigate the long-promised traffic calming scheme for the village.

Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh set the ball rolling when she read out a list of the residents' worries and grievances. "A resident, business owner, and committee member of the Carrigahorig Development Association," she remarked, "has expressed, on behalf of the residents, serious concerns about road safety in Carrigahorig Village and is urging that the Carrigahorig Village Safety Scheme remains a priority and progresses without further delay."

She listed the villagers' key concerns. They are:

- Strong community support exists for the proposed safety scheme, but there is growing frustration at the slow pace of progress and fears that the project could lose momentum.

- Residents believe it is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs due to current road conditions.

- The village lacks adequate pedestrian infrastructure, including safe crossing points and continuous footpaths.

- Excessive vehicle speeds, heavy traffic, and incidents of tailgating are ongoing concerns.

- Numerous near misses have been reported by both pedestrians and motorists.

- Access to the village park is considered dangerous, despite significant recent community investment in its enhancement.

- Schoolchildren are unable to safely walk short distances to access school transport due to the absence of footpaths.

- Residents describe feeling fearful when walking within the village, particularly families with young children and older residents trying to cross the road.

- Community members have provided personal testimonies highlighting the daily risks they face accessing local amenities.

- A community video is being prepared to highlight these concerns and to help maintain political and public focus on delivering the safety scheme.

"Overall," continued the Councillor, "the correspondence conveys a strong sense of urgency, with residents stressing that improved pedestrian safety measures are needed before a serious injury or fatality occurs. The writer is seeking support in ensuring the project remains a priority and progresses through the necessary stages without further delay."

Cllr Michael O'Meara said the problem has been going on for too long, “for a number of years.” He was told that at long last the consultants are “in the process of being appointed.” He asked that once they are appointed that they liaise immediately with the local community. He pointed out that the road going through Carrigahorig is “very traffic heavy” and “speeding is an issue. Footpaths and lighting are needed. I am sure that when it is finally done it will be a tremendous project. Some think Transport Infrastructure Ireland is deliberately dragging its feet on the matter, but I don't think that's true. I get the impression, though, that big projects like Latteragh are getting all the focus and projects like Carrigahorig are being overlooked as a result. The community out there have been very understanding but their patience is wearing thin. They are a good community. They are very proactive, and they have worked well with the Council."

Cllr Seamus Morris said a number of promises have been made to the residents and they still haven't borne fruit. "I get the feeling that the process has been deliberately slowed down. We had great momentum with it up until the last local elections and now I am of the opinion that the hand brake has been pulled on this. It is very frustrating. It is also frustrating for us Councillors as we are criticised as if we have been doing nothing. The area was a tough place to canvas because of this issue. Some of the residents are very upset and frustrated because of this delay. I think other projects are being prioritised and this is at a snail's pace now.”

Cllr Joe Hannigan pointed out that the project goes back about five years, during which there has been public consultation, the usual general to-ing and fro-ing, and overall "a great deal of work"; and yet the actual physical construction work still hasn't started. “I think this warrants an investigation because it would seem that our way of working is flawed. It shouldn't take five years or more to get projects like this up and running.”

A Council official told the meeting that the “appointment of a detailed design consultancy team is imminent and I think their job should be fairly simple. I can assure the members that from our point of view this project is most definitely not being kicked to touch. As soon as the design team is underway we will be pushing for it to go out to tender.”

Cllr O'Meara said it's important that the locals meet the design team.