Council officials have been warned that it is ‘only a matter of time before there is a fatality’ at a dangerous junction adjacent to a national school.
At today’s meeting of the Letterkenny Municipal District, Councillor James Pat McDaid asked that the Council urgently act to address the vision lines at the junction at Glenmaquin National School.
“There were a couple of accidents in the last eight weeks. Thankfully no-one was badly hurt, but it is only a matter of time before there is a fatality,” Councillor McDaid said.
“The last two were reported accidents that had the emergency services on the scene.
“The onus is on us. There is a National School right beside the junction. What kind of a disaster could we have? It is alright until something happens. Where are we then?
“This issue has been brought to us by the local community. This situation could be addressed and it is time the Council acted on it.”
Fergal Doherty, the Area Manager, Roads and Transportation, said that work could be done if the Municipal District had the funds in place.
Councillor McDaid heard that a report from Road Design on options was presented in October, 2016, and that budget requirements of €120,000 or €230,000 to implement either of two identified minor works or major works, but that no specific funding had been identified.
Councillor McDaid said: “It is alright saying that it costs this, or it costs that, but if an accident hits that school and we have had this her numerous times now…something has to be done.
“There isn’t another area in the county that has a school so close to it.
“Is there nothing that can be done? is there no case that can be made – unless we take it out of our own local budget, which has already been sliced to the ground.”
Councillor Gerry McMonagle supported the calls for the matter to be addressed.
He said: “In the grand scheme of things, €120,000 isn’t a whole pile of money when you think about children’s lives.
“I think Fergal and the team should lobby roads central in Lifford or bite the bullet in relation to our own allocation to make the junction safer.”
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