Councillor calls for first roundabout for Laois town with 'complete congestion'

A Councillor has called for a Laois town experiencing ‘complete congestion’ to get its first ever roundabout.

Cllr James Kelly asked in a motion "that Laois County Council source funding to provide a roundabout on the R445 at Mountrath Community School."

Cllr Kelly estimated that between staff and pupils there were over 1,000 people attending Mountrath Community School each day. He said the nearby cemetery also has regular visitors and “traffic morning and evenings is causing complete congestion”.

In a written response to the motion, the Laois Roads Design Team said: “The first step on this is to conduct traffic surveys for volume and queuing. Following this, options would be evaluated including a roundabout which would most likely require additional land. A cost estimate could then be prepared.”

Cllr Kelly said “would you believe Mountrath does not have one roundabout. You might all say that there’s a roundabout in the Square in Mountrath but that’s the only roundabout in Ireland that you don’t go around.”

He told the meeting that a roundabout would help ease congestion in the mornings and evenings.

“I believe also that a roundabout would play its part in slowing down traffic as well,” said Cllr Kelly.

He said there was a commitment for land to be made available and he expressed his hope that a meeting could be organised with the landowner. Describing it as a matter of urgency, he asked Director of Services Angela McEvoy who should be contacted in relation to the roundabout. Ms McEvoy said she would have to come back to him on that.

Cllr Conor Bergin seconded the motion and Cllr Ollie Clooney said it was badly needed.

The issue was discussed during the October meeting of Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick Municipal District.