Ballygraigue Road residents call for traffic calming measures

By Brendan Murphy

The residents of Ballygraigue Road in Nenagh have been long campaigning to have traffic calming measures put in place along their road.

There is an ongoing issue with individuals driving at high speed, which has resulted in a large number of accidents over the last number of years, with as many as four “heavy accidents” occurring within the last few months alone.

The residents on the road, most of whom are living there for years, used to enjoy taking a leisurely walk in the evening.

But in recent times they have refrained from doing so because of the speed of some of the cars driving along this road.

Some residents say that they are “in fear of their lives” while walking along the road and have since stopped strolling on the beautiful country route that they once enjoyed.

Resident Fergus Hogan said: “We have had enough. The issue has been raised on a number of occasions with both the gardaí and local representatives, but no action has been taken to date.”

Fergus added: “People are in fear of their lives if they decide to walk along the road, and that’s not right.”

He said there have been a number of accidents in recent times. Luckily, no one was injured, but what is it going to take before the issue is addressed, he asked.

Tipperary County Council is aware of the issue, as multiple representations have been made by Cllr Michael O’Meara and others.

The council is currently reviewing the situation, but no direct action has been taken. The residents are simply unhappy with the lack of urgency, as the issue has dragged on for years and the rate of speeding is increasing all the time.

The gardaí have tried to assist, but with the lack of resources they are very limited in what they can do.

When asked what measures would they like to see introduced to try and resolve the issue, Fergus said: “We are open to any suggestions that the local authority put forward in addressing this issue - more prominent signage, speed ramps, speed strips or even an LED speed reduction sign.

“We just want to make this road safe again for everyone,” Fergus concluded.

The residents wish to make a public appeal to the and local representatives to work together to address this very serious situation.