by Alan Jacques
FATHER-of-three Pat O’Neill has made the area around his home safer for his children to play after successfully campaigning for a safe crossing on the Clonmacken Road.
In April 2013, Pat, who has three children aged 10, 7 and 3, noticed that traffic volumes were increasing, yet there was nowhere safe to cross the road for people in the area. He took it upon himself to make the area safer for his children, neighbours and pedestrians by having a safe crossing installed.
“I contacted all the local councillors for the area with a view to helping me out. Two of them came back to me. One of them walked the road, took some photos and I never heard from him since,” Mr O’Neill told the Limerick Post.
“The other in fairness to him made contact with the senior roads engineer and once I meet the engineer I took over and drove it on myself,” he explains.
But to get anything done in Ireland, Pat believes you have to persist, and persist he did. It took him a year and half of constant contact and driving the Council for commit dates before he finally got the green light on the safe crossing for his kids.
“I rang every month to see what was happening. If I didn’t do that it wouldn’t have been done and I would be looking at nothing today. It was an accident waiting to happen as people couldn’t get across the road and my children know I did this for them,” said Pat.
“We have a beautiful amenity with the river walk but there was no safe access to it. There is a lot of families living here with young children who play on the street and it wasn’t safe for my daughter to cycle or walk home from school. The crossing is now up and running and will surely make a difference in the lives of those needing to cross the road,” he concluded.
