by Bernie [email protected]
THREE new pedestrian crossings have been sanctioned for Parteen to make crossing to the national school, the pub and the church safer.
Local councillor Cathal Crowe (FF) announced the news this week about an area which has been the scene of a number of serious accidents, the latest when a local man was knocked down and seriously injured on his way to Mass on Christmas eve.
Welcoming the decision by Clare County Council, Cllr Crowe said that he had campaigned for many years for a series of measures to be put in place to improve pedestrian safety.
“The population of Parteen has increased significantly over the years but the village streetscape has remained the very same for more than a century. There is a real need to realign the wide junction at Browne’s Corner and provide for more connecting footpaths in the centre of the village to cater for this population.
The proposed construction of three new pedestrian crossings will provide safe linkages between Parteen National School, Parteen Church, Browne’s Pub, Parteen Pitch and Putt Club and the Ballykeelaun / Bishop Murphy Park housing estates.
Cllr Crowe explained that a new section of footpath between the car park at Browne’s Pub and Browne’s Corner will enable people to safely access the school and church.
“The construction of this 1.8 metre footpath will result in a narrowing of the School Road. With a dwelling on one side and Browne’s Pub on the other, there isn’t any scope to widen the road,” he said.
To overcome this problem a one-way alternating traffic system is being proposed. A set time intervals traffic lights will switch one-way priority between uphill and downhill traffic. A very similar one-way system has operated successful at the nearby Tailrace Bridge for more than 10 years.
The new pedestrian crossings will be controlled by button activated traffic lights. Traffic will only have to stop when a pedestrian has activated the red light. Most of the time traffic will be able to continue to move freely through the village.
Members of the public have until January 8 to make written observations / objections against the proposed traffic calming installations.
