Pinch point in Puckane causing accidents

Concern over speeding in village and in Ballycommon

The Parish of Puckane and Carrig were very much a focus of elected members at the April meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District authority, where there were calls to tackle excessive speeding in Ballycommon, eliminate a traffic black spot outside Puckane and improve safety at Knigh Junction.

Cllr Joe Hannigan called for the removal of “a pinch point” on the Coolbawn side of the road out of Puckane, which he said was leading to many minor accidents.

Cllr Seamus Morris said Ballycommon was becoming a very busy village and called for new controls to stop speedsters posing dangers, while Cllr Ger Darcy and Cllr Hannigan said works were badly needed to improve sight lines at Knigh Junction.

Staying with the parish, Cllr John Carroll called for parking facilities to be provided for people attending funerals at Monsea Cemetery, asserting that the lack of such facilities was causing a traffic hazard.

Cllr Hannigan said the pinch point he was referring to was on the regional road between Puckane and Terryglass. Several accidents were occurring on the narrow point just outside Puckane. There was consent by the landowners on both sides of the road for works to take place to widen the road.

Cllr Hannigan said it was good news to learn that the road between the Agri-Seeds plant at Ballyanny and Knigh Cross was going to be revamped this year. But the junction at Knigh Cross would also have to be improved, because it posed a danger due to poor sight lines for drivers coming out onto the main road from the Ballyartella and Lahorna directions.

Cllr Ger Darcy also called for works at Knigh Cross, saying the sight line for drivers coming from the Ballyartella direction was particularly bad.

On speeding, Cllr Hannigan said there were problems in both the villages of Puckane and Ballycommon, and he called on the council to deploy its mobile flashing warning signs for a period in both locations to try slow traffic.

EXASPERATED

Cllr Morris said the people of Ballycommon wanted to hear an answer from the executive on how to sort out speeding through the village. He had been approached by a number of parents who were exasperated over the situation and in fear that their children would be “mowed down”.

He said one answer to slow traffic was the installation of ramps, which had proven effective in other towns and villages around the country. “I think Ballycommon is perfect for ramps.”

Locals were so frustrated they were now getting a petition together to try to get action, Cllr Morris stated.

Area Engineer Barry Murphy said it was not policy to allow ramps on regional roads. Enforcing speeding limits was a matter for the gardaí and he would discuss the problem in Ballycommon with them at an upcoming meeting.

Council Director Marcus O' Connor said ramps were “a crude intervention” to tackle speeding because everyone that encountered them were punished, not just the minority of speedsters. Emergency services, such as ambulance crews, did not like them. The council had already carried out a traffic scheme in the village that had helped slow traffic. Mobile flashing signs had a limited impact and were not a long-term answer, but the council would consider introducing them for a period in both Ballycommon and Puckane.

Cllr Hughie McGrath said there were special ramps available that did not impact on the speed that emergency vehicles like fire brigades and ambulances could travel. He called on the council to investigate if they could be used in Ballycommon.

PUCKANE ROAD

Mr O' Connor said that in regard to the narrow piece of road outside Puckane, he could give instances of 30 similar problems that existed on other roads throughout Tipperary. While the council would love to resolve the problem, it did not have the finance to improve the road. An estimate on the cost of the works had been conducted and it was not within the council's current budget.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Michael O' Meara suggested that with the landowners on both sides of the road open to allowing works take place on the pinch point, maybe a public-private partnership could be explored to resolve the problem.

Mr O' Connor said a public-private partnership might pose issues in relation to health and safety, but if people in the private sector wanted to carry out excavation works to widen the road then the council would be willing to talk to them.

Thanking Mr O' Connor for this concession, Cllr O' Meara told Cllr Hannigan: “The door is now some way open, so put your big size 12 in the door now Joe.”