Hedgecutting is to be carried out at one of the main thoroughfares to Clooney national school in a bid to improve visibility for motorists.

It follows a proposal from Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) seeking an upgrade of the Cranagher junction “as a matter of urgency”. He flagged, “This is an extremely busy junction leading to Clooney National School. When exiting on to the R352 sight lines are non-existent and needs immediate attention”.

Inclusion of the junction in a low cost safety scheme will be decided by the road design section of Clare County Council, senior executive engineer Niamh Madden stated in response to his motion.

She continued, “In the meantime, the municipal district will improve sightlines by way of hedgecutting, where possible. The MD will also examine the condition of the signage and refresh the linemarking at the junction”.

At a recent meeting of the Killaloe MD, Cllr Hayes noted that Henchy’s Cross is often debated but that safety issues also persist at Cranagher junction. “It is only when you’re driving into Ennis and you see people trying to get out and then reverse back that you see the immediate danger of the junction. A little bit of work on the Ennis side to improve sight lines would make it safe”.

Sight lines from the Ennis side would be aided by reducing the height of some trees, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) believed. “It is a main thoroughfare for a lot of people to access Clooney national school”.

Comments from Ms Madden were positive according to Cllr Joe Cooney (FG). “The likes of hedge cutting, markings on the road and signage will help the road going forward. It will take a bit of funding to remove the hedgerows to get the perfect sighting. It is a busy junction coming to a very busy regional road”.