FINE Gael councillor Daniel Butler claims that roadworks outside housing estates along the Father Russell Road are causing havoc.
Cllr Butler, a resident of the Raheen area, says that he’s been contacted by a number of people who live on Belvedere Court, Bellevue, Gouldavoher, and Russell Court in relation to the ongoing works.
The Limerick mayoral candidate said that residents “have huge concerns in relation to the very narrow junctions at each of the entrance of the estates”.
“This has created very dangerous conditions for people entering or exiting the estates and also is likely to lead to increased queuing in for people entering or exiting,” he told the Limerick Post.
“There’s a huge concern in terms of potential traffic jam its going to cause and the reduction in ease of access to connect on to the Fr Russell road but also the dangerous situation that is being caused by the very, very tight junctions.
“Cars turning into the estates are experiencing some near misses. And there’s concerns as time moves forward that larger vehicles will suffer even more so.”
The works on Fr Russell Road are being carried out as part of Active Travel measures to deliver new cycle tracks, improved pathways, and a safer road and have been ongoing since last year.
“I’ve called on Limerick council to address this issue and look at redesign of all junctions to try and address these these particular concerns,” Cllr Butler said.
“While overall the works have caused some disruption, they have been working at a reasonable pace and are due for completion by the summer of this year.”
In response, Limerick City and County Council’s Active Travel department explained that it is continuing to progress the construction of Active Travel infrastructure along a section of the Father Russell Road, funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
“The works were approved by Metropolitan councillors via a Part 8 planning application in September 2022,” an Active Travel spokesman told the Limerick Post.
“An independent Road Safety Audit was completed in advance of the works and the recommendations of the audit are being implemented in the overall project design.”
“As part of the continued progress of the works, junction tightening is taking place at a number of locations. Junction tightening is an effective method of speed reduction for both cyclists and vehicles, in particular whilst making turning movements.
“This reduction in speed will enhance safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users,” he said.
The spokesman continued that, “while work is ongoing and to protect the safety of on-site workers, turning space for vehicular traffic is temporarily restricted. This will be increased when the junction tightening construction works are completed.”
The spokesman said that the works are anticipated to be completed later this month.
