Local bus driver Stephen Hartley told a Kilkenny road safety meeting on Monday night: “I’m only in the way at seven in the morning travelling at 80km/hour, but that’s the limit that I can do.”
His words echoed those of Alice Doyle, the IFA deputy president, who told the meeting of the perils of travelling along the N25 in even more slow-moving farm vehicles.
The meeting was organised by residents of the area around Glenmore, who want immediate remedial action to make the N25 between New Ross and Waterford City safer.
Bernie Mullally, chair of the organising committee, told the 600 people packed into the Rhu Glenn hotel that 12 people have lost their lives since 2005 on a narrow 6km stretch from the hill of Glenmore, where Murphy’s Motors, the well-known agribusiness is located, to the Luffany roundabout in Slieverue.
Describing south Kilkenny as “a very strong, productive agricultural area”, Alice Doyle said that farmers put up warning signs during peak work seasons of silage and harvest.
However, she added: “For the greater part of the year, traffic is unaware of the presence of agricultural activity”.
Many drivers, unfamiliar with the road, “are completely unaware of entrances and exits from farmyards, which are places of business,” she said.
Local farmers had to use the busy and dangerous stretch of road “multiple times a day”.
“Rear ending and dangerous passing is quite common,” she said, “particularly when large machinery is involved and visibility is restricted.”
A section of the 600-strong crowd at the N25 road safety meeting in the Rhu Glenn Hotel.
John Nolan of the Irish Road Hauliers Association highlighted the amount of lorries using the N25, including lorries transporting fertiliser from Waterford and New Ross port right across the country.
Alice Doyle added that lorries are transporting milk to Tirlán’s Belview facility, livestock to Dawn Granagh and ABP Waterford, and lambs going eastwards to ICM Camolin. It’s also a busy route for grain and feed transport.
As it is a national route, Transport Infrastructure Ireland is responsible for the road. Its has been approved for an upgrade to a new dual carriageway road, but that will cost €100m, the meeting was told, €10m for every kilometre.
Local TD Peter Cleere announced that Taoiseach Micheál Martin had approved “whatever funding was required” to proceed that new build to stage three design and environmental assessment.
The most optimistic date for the road being opened was 2030, but 2034 was more deemed more realistic.
In the meantime, locals want the speed limit immediately reduced to 80mk/h, ditches cut back at junctions, graduation of slip roads, mean (average) speed cameras, and street lighting.
The CEO of Kilkenny County Council, Lar Power, having come under serious pressure during the meeting, pledged to work with TII to forward these objectives.
Local bus driver Stephen Hartley told a Kilkenny road safety meeting on Monday night: “I’m only in the way at seven in the morning travelling at 80km/hour, but that’s the limit that I can do.”
His words echoed those of Alice Doyle, the IFA deputy president, who told the meeting of the perils of travelling along the N25 in even more slow-moving farm vehicles.
The meeting was organised by residents of the area around Glenmore, who want immediate remedial action to make the N25 between New Ross and Waterford City safer.
Bernie Mullally, chair of the organising committee, told the 600 people packed into the Rhu Glenn hotel that 12 people have lost their lives since 2005 on a narrow 6km stretch from the hill of Glenmore, where Murphy’s Motors, the well-known agribusiness is located, to the Luffany roundabout in Slieverue.
Describing south Kilkenny as “a very strong, productive agricultural area”, Alice Doyle said that farmers put up warning signs during peak work seasons of silage and harvest.
However, she added: “For the greater part of the year, traffic is unaware of the presence of agricultural activity”.
Many drivers, unfamiliar with the road, “are completely unaware of entrances and exits from farmyards, which are places of business,” she said.
Local farmers had to use the busy and dangerous stretch of road “multiple times a day”.
“Rear ending and dangerous passing is quite common,” she said, “particularly when large machinery is involved and visibility is restricted.”
A section of the 600-strong crowd at the N25 road safety meeting in the Rhu Glenn Hotel.
John Nolan of the Irish Road Hauliers Association highlighted the amount of lorries using the N25, including lorries transporting fertiliser from Waterford and New Ross port right across the country.
Alice Doyle added that lorries are transporting milk to Tirlán’s Belview facility, livestock to Dawn Granagh and ABP Waterford, and lambs going eastwards to ICM Camolin. It’s also a busy route for grain and feed transport.
As it is a national route, Transport Infrastructure Ireland is responsible for the road. Its has been approved for an upgrade to a new dual carriageway road, but that will cost €100m, the meeting was told, €10m for every kilometre.
Local TD Peter Cleere announced that Taoiseach Micheál Martin had approved “whatever funding was required” to proceed that new build to stage three design and environmental assessment.
The most optimistic date for the road being opened was 2030, but 2034 was more deemed more realistic.
In the meantime, locals want the speed limit immediately reduced to 80mk/h, ditches cut back at junctions, graduation of slip roads, mean (average) speed cameras, and street lighting.
The CEO of Kilkenny County Council, Lar Power, having come under serious pressure during the meeting, pledged to work with TII to forward these objectives.
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