Donegal County Council has confirmed it will carry out additional measures to make the McGrory’s Brae slip road more accessible for cyclists.
Last week, we reported Uisce Éireann was forced to close the old road due to ‘reckless’ driving by those trying to avoid traffic lights on the N15 between Donegal town and Ballybofey.
Roadworks, lasting nine months, commenced on McGrory’s Brae in January. As a result, a stop/go system was put in place to reduce the carriageway to one lane to enable the contractor to construct a new hard shoulder.
But, some impatient motorists have been using the old road, via the Meencrumlin Water Treatment Plant, to bypass the traffic lights.
Uisce Éireann, one of the users of the private part of the road, said they were forced to close it due to health and safety reasons, and they left enough room for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate the gate.
However, a number of cyclists contacted Donegal Daily claiming the newly erected gate was impeding their preferred route as they had to dismount in order to get around it.
Following a query from us, one of the other users of the route, Donegal County Council, agreed to carry out additional measures to aid the cyclists.
“The gate was recently erected by the landowner; verge space was left for passage through,” a council spokesperson said.
“We are already sorting to put some hardcore or backtop down to assist cyclists through. Caution and general speed reduction is required of them (cyclists) also on what is a narrow lane with farm operations, as well as residential and public facility (waterworks) access.”
The spokesperson added that the majority of the old road is not a public road.
“It is in private ownership and there is no public right of way.”
In 2022, the Finn Wheelers Cycling Club and their counterparts in Donegal town demanded the construction of a hard shoulder on the steep climb known locally as McGrory’s Brae.
Currently, a 750 metre section of the hill does not have a hard shoulder or climbing lane but a new one is expected to be in place in early September.
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