|
|
Council split on Causeway lights
30.05.10
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
BUNCRANA Town Council members have clashed over
whether to install traffic lights at the junction of
the Causeway Road and Cockhill Road.
A proposal from Cllr Joe Doherty to install traffic
lights at the junction was defeated after a lively
debate at last week’s Town Council meeting. Cllr
Doherty said that he was making the proposal on
safety grounds and having surveyed 100 people, 95%
were in favour of installing lights at the junction.
He called on Donegal County Council to carry out the
work as soon as possible.
The proposal was seconded by Cllr Pádraig Mac
Lochlainn, who, having heard arguments against it
later withdrew his support.
Cllrs Nicholas Crossan and Peter McLaughlin said
that traffic lights would put The General’s Shop out
of business. |
“It’s a ludicrous idea
and would put the shop out of business,” Cllr
Crossan said. “I won’t be voting to put anyone out
of business. A roundabout is a better solution.”
Cllr Crossan rejected Cllr Doherty’s suggestion that
he was scaremongering.
Speaking to the Inishowen Independent on Tuesday, |
 |
Patrick McLaughlin of
the General’s Shop said that the installation of
traffic lights would be the death knell for the
business and he rejected the claim that the junction
is dangerous.
“I’ve lived here for nearly 50 years and I don’t
recall any major accidents,” Mr McLaughlin said.
“Cllr Doherty spoke about safety aspects, but there
haven’t been many tips or bumps here in recent years
and the guards and other relevant authorities can
verify that. If there were crashes here on a regular
basis then it would be different, but this is an
attempt to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. There
are more dangerous junctions in Buncrana than this.”
Mr McLaughlin said he and other family members met
with councillors last year and explained their case.
However, he added that Cllr Doherty has never met
with them to discuss the issue and that was
disappointing.
“Initially, the lights were proposed to help ease
traffic congestion but we met with Council engineers
and suggested a second lane for traffic turning left
onto Cockhill Road and that has really improved
things,” McLaughlin said. “Other than at the peak
times in the morning and evening, traffic flows
perfectly well through the junction. But now they’re
talking about safety as the reason for putting in
the lights. If some councillors had their way, there
would be lights at the West End, SuperValu, the
Cassie Road, Westbrook Bridge, Kearney’s Pass and
Cockhill Bridge. That’s six sets of traffic lights
in less than a mile. You wouldn’t see it in Dublin.”
Mr McLaughlin said that the installation of traffic
lights would require an exclusion zone that would
prevent customers from parking within 20 metres on
either side of the shop and cause problems for
deliveries, and indeed access and egress from the
family home.
“We might as well hand in the keys to the business
if that happened,” he said. “Who would park 20 or 30
yards away to use the shop? Who would carry a bag of
coal or a bottle of gas that distance?”
Meanwhile, Donegal County Council’s road design team
is to examine the possibility of moving the traffic
lights at the West End. The lights, which don’t turn
green because they leads onto a roundabout, cause
confusion to locals and visitors alike and town
engineer Donal Walker said that road design would
analyse whether it could be moved. |
|
