SPEEDING outside the national school and playground in Kilkishen remains “an issue the whole time,” an elected representative has lamented while leading the call for speed ramps in the East Clare village.
Both Kilkishen National School and Kilkishen Playground are both located within the existing 50km/h speed limit on the L7088. A speed survey completed at the location in 2020 “did not reveal significant speeding issues,” acting senior executive engineer in the Killaloe Municipal District, Derek Troy outlined.
Installation of speed ramps outside the school had been sought by Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF).
Troy said pedestrian safety measures had been undertaken “in terms of controlled pedestrian crossings and footpath provision”. He committed to carrying out a new speed survey to ascertain if the limit was “significantly exceeded”. He advised that a low cost safety scheme could be considered for next year if funding was granted.
Huge work has been done throughout Kilkishen with new footpaths and a road surface but speeding is “an issue the whole time” around the school and footpath, Cllr O’Callaghan stated. He said there is only one speed ramp on the way to Tuamgraney but observed that going to Newmarket-on-Fergus or Shannon or the main road from Limerick to Cork via Buttevant “there’s speed ramps on the main road and there’s thousands and thousands of cars and lorries travelling on it. There seems to be a reluctance to put in speed ramps, we’ve done surveys and got flashing lights which are only a temporary fix”.
“I feel I need to ask is there a reason we don’t even look at putting a speed ramp in. It’s paramount whether school is in Shannon or Kilkishen. This is a local minor road, we need safety around our schools whether they are rural or city settlements. They don’t cost too much money, I think they should be used more. Hopefully we can see something into the future and be done with it, something physical rather than visible is needed,” he added.
Work of Clare County Council throughout Kilkishen was acknowledged by Cllr Joe Cooney (FG). “The speed of traffic is a big concern and there is no point saying it isn’t a big concern. The same stumbling block keeps coming up the whole time,” he remarked. Cooney recalled that the strong view of a public meeting in Kilkishen was to put a speed ramp at both ends of the village. “Maybe An Garda Síochána could use their force to slow down traffic, if we have to go down that road then we have to”.
Mention of Buttevant brought Cllr Pat Burke’s mind to Caherconlosh, “it is a busy regional road with speed limits, it has some severe ramps and by God they will slow you down”.
Staff in the road design office have been advised by the National Transport Authority that there was “a push back against ramps in the last ten years but they are starting to be considered more and more now,” the senior engineer replied. “Kilkishen may not be a suitable location unless the speed limits are extended. I agree that physical measures are the best way to slow people down,” he added.
Acting senior executive officer, Morgan Lahiffe advised the meeting that there are road regulations on where you put speed ramps, “they can’t be of a certain distance of a stop sign or a pedestrian crossing. Those regulations need to be adhered to”. Cllr O’Callaghan responded, “there is a ramp at the pedestrian crossing in Sixmilebridge, it seems to baffle me”.
