SUCH is the level of danger at a blind junction in Glengarriff that Cllr Ross O’Connell said motorists might as well join the main road with their eyes closed.
Having highlighted the seriousness of this issue at the beginning of last summer, the Social Democrat councillor said he felt compelled to raise the matter once again as a notice of motion at a meeting of the West Cork Municipal District.
He accepted that signage in the area was improved and that light rumble strips were put in place but he said these are largely ignored and ‘nothing has been done to improve the sight-lines’ for traffic exiting the junction.
As a result, he said motorists can see ‘absolutely nothing coming from the Adrigole side’ and he requested that some realignment work would be carried out to improve visibility at the junction of the R-572-0 and L-4927-69 outside Glengarriff.
Cllr O’Connell warned there have been many reports of ‘close incidents and near misses’ at this extremely busy junction.
Not only is it on the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ring of Beara, he said it is also a corridor for HGVs and fish lorries travelling to Castletownbere.
‘Things are only going to get busier in the months ahead,’ said the councillor who once again asked for a traffic mirror to be placed on the opposite side of the road.
Cork County Council does not provide, or permit, the use of mirrors, but Cllr O’Connell said it could provide an interim solution and possibly prevent an accident.
Cllr Danny Collins (Ind) said he too had made repeated calls for improved sight-lines because there is a very real risk that this junction could be the cause of a bad accident.
Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy (FF) has also received representations and he concurred it is ‘a very dangerous junction.’
The Council’s executive engineer Kevin Lynch said a contractor, working on the Glengarriff pier road,and was due to finish before the end of the month. He said the contractor will then be in a position to commence sight improvement works at the junction.
Cllr O’Connell said the works are urgently needed because many motorists exiting the junction are ‘rolling down their windows and are relying on sound before deciding whether or not it is safe to proceed.’
