Call on Galway County Council to improve Road Safety Measures in rat-runs to Galway City around Annaghdown/Corrandulla, Claregalway, Cregmore, Killoughter and Carnmore

Cllr. James Charity-Athenry/Oranmore Municipal District

Throughout the Athenry-Oranmore Municipal District, our local by-roads are being used as rat-runs for motorists seeking to avoid traffic on the N17, particularly through the bottleneck in Claregalway village.

Many of these quiet country roads in Annaghdown/Corrandulla, Claregalway, Cregmore, Killoughter and Carnmore are heavily populated and while our local populations have sympathy with anyone seeking to avoid the scandalous situation which is the bottle-neck in Claregaway village. However, it is unfortunately the case that many vehicles using these local roads travel at excessive speeds which put local residents, children and other road users at significant risk.

On the 28th June 2016, this culminated in a young mother being struck by a speeding vehicle on one such local road, the L2129 in Tonegurrane, Corrandulla, while leaving her children to a local school bus stop. The offending vehicle was overtaking the school bus, and other traffic which had pulled in behind the bus, to allow the children to board when it struck the mother at speed and sent her over its bonnet, causing her serous injuries.

This situation cannot be allowed to continue and Galway County Council must immediately implement a safety plan for all local roads in the Athenry-Oranmore area which are being used as rat-runs for traffic travelling to and from Galway City. It is only a matter of time before further serious accidents occur and measures must be taken before fatalities arise.