Feasibilty Study To Take Place On Road Safety Issues In Clonroche

A feasibilty study will be carried out in Clonroche ahead of planned traffic calming measures in the near future.

The New Ross Municipal District meeting heard this week that 10 thousand euro had been secured to carry out the study on the N30 this year.

A futher 300 thousand euro is on the cards for an upgrade to the Safe Routes to School in the village which it's hoped will start in 2027.

Local councillor John Fleming says traffic calming can't come quick enough:

"In the coming weeks now we'll be putting up our Christmas lights and we'll have a cherrypicker in the village so trying to manoeuvre that around with all the traffic building up is very very dangerous.

"So we welcome all these works because the last thing we want is a bad accident so this is a way of trying to prevent one going forward."

It's hoped measures to improve the safety issues around the school will be addressed in the new year.

Clonroche National School is one of the only schools in the country to be based right beside a main road.

Councillor Fleming is the chairman of the New Ross Municipal District and says its location makes it very difficult for parents and kids to get to school safely:

"There's always an issue with the school there because you're going slightly down the hill and going to the left so we'll have to get bollards or safety ramps there.

"The mill (on the other side of the village) produces over 200,000 tonnes of finished products so you can imagine the amount of lorries going up and down through the village.

"If anything goes wrong with one of them it's game over so we have to protect our youngest and dearest."

Councillor Fleming outlines some of the measures he'd like to see introduced as quickly as possible.

"Okay we already have some flashing feedback signs but you really need ramps or rumble strips to remind people to slow down because one accident could be fatal there.

"We'll be looking to start work next year definitely, pushing strongly because we just be waiting around."

That report was funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.