Laois playground gate beside busy road junction a 'deathtrap'
A gate at a Laois playground beside a busy junction was the site of three accident "near misses" according to a local councillor.
The gate needs traffic barriers and is a "deathtrap" says Cllr Noel Tuohy.
He tabled a motion to the April meeting of Portlaoise Muncipal District, asking Laois County Council to install barriers "for the safety of children exiting from the skate park and playground onto the busy junction".
The junction at the Ridge Road and Moneyballytyrrell is next to the busy Portlaoise Leisure Centre with a playground, skatepark and playing pitches.
"There were three separate cases of near misses, children rushing out from the playground. Come summer there will be huge numbers there. It is extraordinary that this council lets that be ongoing. You may as well have 50 kids here, the door open and a major junction outside," Cllr Tuohy said.
"I ask that the council reconsider and put fencing there to stop the possibility of kids running out. It's a deathtrap. I passed it myself again yesterday and the gate was jammed open. There were hundreds of kids walking around, as young as three and four years. It wouldn't happen anywhere else," he said.
His motion was seconded by Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley.
"This is a no brainer. To have a gate wide open onto a playground. In the blink of an eye a child could dart out.
"There was great excitement and enthusiasm there recently for the reopening of the playground that people with disabilities can now use. The Ridge Road is narrow. Noel has raised this for the last couple of years and I can't believe we are still talking about it," she said.
The Portlaoise Municipal District office has said it will now liaise with Laois County Council's Sports Office to examine the access requirements for service and maintenance vehicles through the gate, and consider options for putting in a removable barrier.