Car written off in accident at dangerous Idle Corner junction

A CAR was written off in a traffic accident at the dangerous Idle Corner junction on the N52 last week.

Cllr Neil Feighery raised the incident during the October monthly meeting of Offaly County Council.

“There was yet another accident at the Idle Corner junction on Saturday night,” he said. “It was a single vehicle accident. The car was driving at speed and it went off the road and was completely written off. Thankfully nobody was injured.”

Located on the N52 between Kilcormac and Blueball, and formed by the intersection of the R357 to Mountbolus and the L6030 Garbally, the Idle Corner junction has been referred to in recent years as both "frightening" and "dangerous".

“This is a very dangerous junction,” commented Cllr John Leahy, “the most dangerous junction on the N52 between Tullamore and Birr.”

Cllr Feighery said there was a fatality at the junction about three decades ago and in the last several years many accidents have happened there, resulting in a number of minor injuries and one serious injury.

“The danger is caused by a combination of speeding cars and poor sightlines. When you are coming from Mountbolus and are turning right onto the N52 the sightline is bad. The residents living in the four houses at the junction have all had cars hitting their property. Cars have driven into their walls and hedges. One car drove through a fence and into a resident's front garden. People are asking whether they will have to erect their own signage.”

Cllr Feighery said works on the dangerous junction are likely to progress in 2027. In response to a motion brought by the Councillor in September of this year, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said it "appreciates the interest of the elected members in seeking improvements to road safety" at the location. "TII is aware that Offaly County Council, as the road authority, is currently reviewing the junction and is actively assessing the issues identified at the location in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.

"The TII Regional Road Safety Engineer has been working closely with Offaly County Council through this process, and the junction is included in TII's programme of work, and it is intended that the next stage of this process will be progressed during 2027."

The organisation added that it does not consider that attendance at a Council meeting would "add value" to the assessment process, however it will continue to engage with Offaly County Council as appropriate as the review advances.

Members agreed to write to TII to inform them of the additional accident, and press them to progress works in the area as soon as possible.