A visitor to Letterkenny has called on Donegal County Council to introduce urgent safety measures at the Aura Leisure Centre pedestrian crossing.
Ballyshannon resident, Sean Donegan, is currently based in the Cathedral town while he works on a local arts project.
“I frequently use the Aura Leisure Centre – the facilities and staff there are excellent – a fantastic resource for the town,” he wrote in a letter to Donegal Daily.
“However, each day when I walk up the leisure centre from the town, cars drive through me at the zebra crossing on the R250 towards Fintown .
“They do not slow down in any way as they approach the crossing and then drive through at speed. This was whether I was standing at the side about to step out, or even if I was on the way across the crossing itself. Needless to say this is a horrific tragedy just waiting to happen.”
Particularly at risk, he adds, are children and young people who assume that drivers will give way to pedestrians at a zebra crossing.
“But, in fact, anyone is at risk – particularly visitors to the town who would not be aware that drivers here are routinely disregarding the presence of this crossing. I would strongly urge the council to consider installing signage and speed ramps, along with better lighting in hours of darkness – before someone is killed.”
As recently as September, a local councillor expressed his frustration after he made calls for speed ramps to be placed at the same location.
Cllr Gerry McMonagle made the call for the ‘raised platform’ ramps to be placed at the pedestrian crossing.
Councillor McMonagle expressed his frustration at a response he received from the council to his motion when it was brought before Letterkenny/Milford Municipal Authority.
The council said placing such ramps at the crossing would be an issue because of a number of concerns including the fact that emergency services used the road.
Councillor McMonagle, however, said there were such ramps in many other parts of the town and they did not hinder the work of the emergency services.
He said that there was major concern in the area that the crossing was not being used properly by motorists.
A council spokesperson said there were issues with putting ramps on regional roads but that they will take a look at the situation.
Councillor McMonagle responded by saying this was no longer a regional road as it was now within the town area and close to one of Letterkenny’s biggest housing estates at Ballymacool.
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