No end in sight for this Tipperary town's traffic woes
Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill has said recent accidents involving pedestrians are proof that Thurles needs an inner relief road.
Speaking the day after the accident, which resulted in the death of a local man, Deputy Cahill said:
“On August 15, a serious incident took place on Liberty Square in Thurles where a pedestrian crossing the Square was involved in an accident with a heavy goods vehicle.
“This is the third serious accident to take place on Liberty Square in a short period of time.
“I secured the inclusion of the Thurles Inner Relief Road in the updated National Development Plan under this Government, with the assistance of Minister Michael McGrath.
“The money is there to construct this road, and it is now well past time for TII to stop dragging their heels on this project.
“TII do not see the Thurles Inner Relief Road as a priority. It is time for that utter nonsense and anti-road mentality to stop once and for all.
“The recent accidents in Liberty Square are proof that an Inner Relief Road in Thurles is now an absolute priority.”
This week gardaí issued a statement that the pedestrian, a man in his 80s, had passed away.
The accident happened on Tuesday, August 15, when a HGV collided with the man on Liberty Square.
The man was initially taken to University Hospital Limerick with serious injuries but has since passed away. Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to come forward (see page six for more).
After the collision last week, Deputy Cahill called for TII and Tipperary County Council to stop delaying the project.
“We need a second river crossing in the town to take as much traffic, especially heavy vehicles, out of the town centre as possible.
“The ongoing issues with the acquisition of land needs to be addressed immediately. Tipperary County Council cannot excuse this any longer and need to CPO the remaining land in question.
“The Thurles Inner Relief Road is in the Capital Development Plan, as a result of Minister Michael McGrath’s work on this project with me.
“The money is there. The need is blatantly there. It’s time for TII to get out of the way and do their job by moving it to design and development immediately,” said Mr Cahill.
TII
While the government TD hit out at TII for holding up the project, the TII say it is not up to them.
A TII spokesperson told the Tipperary Star that the inner relief road is not under their remit.
“The Thurles Inner Relief Road is a Regional Road Project being developed by Tipperary County Council.
“Transport Infrastructure Ireland oversees the National Roads Network and works in collaboration with local authorities on developing the national roads programme.
“The Thurles Inner Relief project is not a national road project, but TII will continue to engage with Tipperary County Council on progressing the national roads programme throughout the county,” said the spokesperson.
COLLISIONS
Last week’s accident was by no means a one-off, and Thurles traffic accidents are well documented.
A similar incident occurred in 2018 when an elderly pedestrian was treated for minor injuries following a collision with a truck at the junction of O’Donovan Rossa Street and Liberty Square.
Before that in 2014, a woman in her 50s was killed in a collision with a truck at the junction of Slievenamon Road and Liberty Square.
The Cuchulainn Road on the other side of O’Donovan Rossa Street is considered extremely dangerous, with councillors in Thurles regularly raising concerns.
Following a tragic death of a young man on the road in 2008, then Independent councillor Noel O’Dwyer called for the council to abandon elements of the town’s transport plan because he believed it would lead to more accidents.
In a statement to the Tipperary Star in 2008, referring to Parnell Street, Cuchulainn Road, and O’Donovan Rossa Street, he said: “The proposed changes will force a greatly increasing number of large trucks to negotiate through three very restricted junctions to reach the square.”
In 2013, a building was demolished on the Cuchulainn Road to improve safety. However, the road remains the focus of grave safety concerns.
Last year, Cllr Jim Ryan put forward a motion at the September sitting of Thurles Municipal District Council calling for a ban on trucks using the road.
He had put forward his motion after being made aware of an incident where three students from a local school were almost hit by the back of a lorry.
The road is the responsibility of TII, and they have recently erected a sign prohibiting vehicles over 3.5t from using the road.
TRANSPORT PLAN
The movement of HGVs has been identified as a safety concern in this year’s draft of the Local Transport Plan.
That plan is currently open for public consultation until September 11.
Last year as part of the preparation for the draft Local Transport Plan (LTP), Tipperary County Council carried out a survey of the area’s residents, visitors and those working in the town.
67% of respondents said pedestrian facilities were adequate or better, but 80% rated traffic conditions as poor or very poor.
Respondents cited HGVs using junctions onto Liberty Square, which they said were too narrow.
In the draft plan, the council says that respondents told them that HGVs in some cases, mount pavements, “impeding pedestrian safety”.
In addition to the development of the inner-relief road, the LTP recommends diverting HGVs away from Brittas Road and instead via Parnell Street and the Jimmy Doyle Road before re-joining the N62.
They also recommend reviewing and upgrading the town’s junctions to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
WHERE WE ARE
Planning permission for the inner relief road was granted in 2014.
But the project has since then been hit with a slew of setbacks. Progress was made in 2021 when the first stage of the road was developed as part of the new Lidl store.
However, the second part is yet to get off the ground.
Cllrs Seamus Hanafin and Michéal Lowry requested an update at the June sitting of the Tipperary County Council plenary meeting.
Director of Roads and Transportation Marcus O’Connor told elected members that the council were in discussions with the landowner, and some funding had been allocated.
The Tipperary Star requested an update on the project from Tipperary County Council at the end of June.
A spokesperson told the paper that the majority of the 2.75Ha required is in the ownership of Tipperary County Council.
Discussions on the remaining land, the spokesperson said, were ongoing, and they hoped an agreement would be reached.
The spokesperson also said: “The scheme is being financed by the Department of Transport and has obtained planning approval.
“It is currently going through a Project Appraisal Stage for submission to the Department.
“Following approval by the Department, and subject to funding by them, the scheme may proceed to detailed design, procurement of contractor and construction.
“The timeframe for this is subject to obtaining approvals for these subsequent phases and the availability of finance.”
This week the Tipperary Star reached out again to Tipperary County Council for an update.
We also asked if the council intended to put in traffic measures in light of recent incidents on Liberty Square.
However, no reply had been received at the time of publication