FRUSTRATION IS BUILDING in Doonbeg with the ongoing wait to install a pedestrian crossing in the village.
A fresh proposal for its addition to The Long Village was tabled by Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) and seconded by Cllr Bill Chambers (FF) at the West Clare Municipal District’s July meeting.
Senior executive engineer, Alan Kennelly explained that the village was on the N67 National Secondary Road with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) acting as its road authority. “The main thoroughfare through Doonbeg village gets very busy, particularly in the summer months. Clare County Council is aware that traffic calming measures would be very welcome in the village,” he acknowledged.
TII must approve any traffic calming measures, Kennelly flagged. “It may be that a pedestrian crossing is not the most appropriate traffic calming measure for Doonbeg, and a pedestrian crossing will only calm traffic in its immediate vicinity. Doonbeg is a long village that may require traffic calming at either entrance. Before any application for a proposed traffic calming measure is made to TII, the feasibility of various options is discussed between our Road Design Office and TII. This process can take some time and is ongoing at present,” he stated.
Cllr Murphy remarked that the process and conversation of a pedestrian crossing has been ongoing since 2019 and beforehand. “The level of frustration felt within village has grown, we are seeing an increasing amount of traffic travelling at a fair pace through the village, it’s not good enough to have a village separated by road, we need both sides to communicate with each other,” he said.
Murphy questioned the progress made since 2019. The Kilkee man continued, “A pedestrian crossing is not a traffic calming measure in its own right. Priority is not necessarily given to cars flashing through the village at a rate of knots”.
Members of the road design office visited Doonbeg at the beginning of July, the senior engineer outlined. He said the consultation process with TII “has started and is taking place” and added, “It is a very busy national secondary route, it very busy in the summer time, I appreciate it is difficult to get across the road”.
Activity in Doonbeg was also referenced by Cllr Gabriel Keating (FG), he recounted tabling a motion about a pedestrian crossing following footpath works a year ago, “Doonbeg is a busy village”.
