*The M18.
25 road collisions have occurred on the M18 and N18 over the past two months.
16 crashes were reported in September and nine in October on the M18/N19 according to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
September collisions in the county were significantly higher than the monthly average for this year.
Such a high rate of accidents have prompted TII to confirm they have agreed to carry out an investigation on the data to determine if there is any common factor causing the collisions.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) stated that accidents are “becoming far too regular an occurrence along the road and those, like myself, who use the road daily have become all too familiar with traffic jams, delays and diversions due to incidents, which are happening weekly”.
He flagged that the stretch between Ennis and Cratloe is accounting for a high proportion of the accidents. “It is clear to anyone that drives that route regularly that driver behaviour also has a role to play in reducing the risk of collisions. Everyone will have seen other motorists on their phones, tailgating, speeding or dangerously lane hopping, all of which can have devastating consequences when something goes wrong. I would urge all road users to remember the RSA’s advice to leave space to the car in front, stay within the speed limits, take heed of the weather conditions and to stay off your phone while driving.
Deputy Crowe confirmed that he will be asking for an increase in visible Garda policing along the route when he meets with Clare Chief Superintendent Aileen Magner in the coming weeks.
Cratloe based Cllr Pat O’Gorman has requested TII to consider installing “a motorway/dual carriageway average speed camera safety system” on the road network.
Speaking at the November meeting of the County Council, he stated, “we’re all familiar with the one by Nenagh and Birdhill. There is very few people if any caught on that stretch of road because the cameras are there, once you know the camera is there you are watching the speed”.
He continued, “When there is a crash the road is blocked and it affects Newmarket-on-Fergus, Sixmilebridge, Cratloe, Windy Gap, it nearly always happens at rush-hour and 99 times out of 100 there is a follow-on crash in one of the surrounding villages”.
“It has to be seriously looked at, we’re talking about lives,” cautioned Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF). He felt ‘hitting the pocket’ was the best way to deal with drivers speeding.
Cllr David Griffin (FF) has also sought a safety review on the motorway. He felt that both Dromoland and Quin were “blackspots” for accidents on the route. “There was a significant accident at rush hour, I was coming from Newmarket-on-Fergus and there was a line of cars from Carrigoran to Ballymurtagh and we have to remember this is such a strategic road which connects to Shannon Airport”.
Increasing safety provisions is paramount, Cllr Michael Shannon (FF) said. “With the volume of traffic on the road and it is increasing all the time, we do need to make the road safer and bring up the standard”.
On the request for average speed cameras, Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) commented, “they seem to be in other parts of the country but again we seem like the poor cousin in Clare. My mind boggles with the amount of accidents on that road”.
