WOLFE Tone Street residents have rallied to highlight worries around dangerous driving, traffic speed, and high traffic volumes in their area every day.
Concerned residents told the Limerick Post that there have been several car crashes and accidents on the residential street in the last number of years.
Residents claim that while there has always been a level of speeding along this street, the number of cars speeding excessively has increased greatly since the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
Since then, residents said the traffic situation has continued to worsen, with a number of serious collisions between speeding cars and parked vehicles.
They pointed out that Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) was made aware of the issues in November 2020, when a resident contacted them requesting a speed ramp.
Wolfe Tone Street residents Nora Constable and Breda Nash say they have had their own cars damaged by speeding drivers.
“Because the street is narrow, speeding cars are unable to stop in time and avoid hitting wing mirrors. Many residents have had to pay to have the damage to our own cars repaired. Calming measures are urgently needed,” Nora told the Limerick Post.
Another resident, Sylvia McCloskey, says elderly and infirm residents have to be extra vigilant while crossing the street.
“All we hear about these days from our city representatives are greenways and cycle lanes which are supposed to enhance our dwelling places, but it seems the safety and comfort of residents has been forgotten,” she claimed.
“Numerous letters and complaints have been lodged with our city representatives about traffic conditions but nothing has been done. Wolfe Tone Street is 99 per cent residential, but when we reference other residential areas that have been given calming measures, we have been told that new criteria/conditions are required to be met for these calming measures to be introduced.
“One wonders if someone being seriously injured or killed is part of the new criteria”
Residents also claimed cars and trucks are using Wolfe Tone Street as a sort of ‘rat run’ to avoid getting stuck in the build up at other junctions. They also questioned why Wolfe Tone Street was excluded from recent 30km/h speed limit changes in the city.
Independent local election candidate and Wolfe Tone Street resident Maria Donoghue explained that Gardaí are investigating a number of accidents on the street, but believes the incidents to be rooted in speeding.
“I’d love to know what makes us so different from our neighbours on Joseph Street, South Circular Road, or other very residential streets nearby that we are unable to access the same safety measures,” she said.
“The fact that we are not included in the 30km/h zoning really highlights the lack of understanding of our safety and our public realm in Wolfe Tone Street.”
There was no response from Limerick City and County Council at the time of going to print.
