Call for action at ‘notorious’ crossroads in Limerick before someone is ‘killed’
'No matter which side I’m coming from I really slow down. You don’t know where they are going to come out of'
A TD and councillor have called for traffic safety works at the Five Crossroads in Murroe to “prevent further injuries and possible deaths”.
Deputy Willie O’Dea and Cllr Martin Ryan made the request following a number of road traffic collisions and near misses, which have taken place in recent months.
One woman who sadly has first hand experience of this is Phyllis O’Riordan, who resides in Murroe with husband Tim.
“I had a shocking incident. My husband is in a wheelchair due to a spinal injury. We purchased a new van in March - a Peugeot Rifter - three months earlier. It was state-of-the-art, automatic and had been modified for a wheelchair ramp. It was a beautiful van,” said Phyllis, who was coming home from the city on a Wednesday afternoon around 4pm.
Thankfully her husband wasn’t in the van at the time as she says it would have “been an even worse scenario”.
“I had the right of way coming out of town. The other car came from the Boher side. There are two stop signs and ‘slow’ is written on the ground but the driver of the car came straight through. They rammed right into the driver’s side and my beautiful new van was written off,” recalled Phyllis.
She was rushed to University Hospital Limerick and is full of praise for the staff.
“I was met at the door - it was like an A&E on the TV. My son arrived straight away and within 15 minutes I had scans. I was discharged later on that night,” said Phyllis.
Just a couple of weeks later, following the road traffic collision in June, she drove past another incident at the Five Crossroads. A motorist had hit a sign and ended up in a green area.
“There have been an amount of accidents,” said Phyllis. She said local people are very aware of the Five Crossroads and often it is those not familiar with Murroe that are involved in collisions.
“No matter which side I’m coming from I really slow down. You don’t know where they are going to come out of,” said Phyllis.
As somebody who is living in Murroe for 50 years, she thinks the only solution is a roundabout.
“The Five Crossroads in Murroe is a notorious accident blackspot, where numerous accidents have occurred over the years. Local people in Murroe have been in touch with me expressing their grave concerns about this dangerous junction. Local residents are demanding that something is done to make these crossroads safer and prevent further injuries and possible deaths,” said Deputy O’Dea
He said he has been working with Cllr Martin Ryan on the matter and has been onto Limerick City and County Council “urging them to prioritise the implementation of traffic safety works at the Five Crossroads, Murroe”.
“We must ensure that this junction is made safe for all road users,” said Deputy O’Dea, who first called for improvement works last August.