District Engineer says he can’t keep putting ramps on Drumshanbo roads

Cllr Enda McGloin asked the Road Design Office of Leitrim County Council and the District Engineer’s Office to review the impact of the new “platform” constructed at the entrance to Corryard Wood, Drumshanbo and whether it has reduced the speed of traffic especially along the town side.
He said, “Unfortunately I don’t believe it has and I ask that consideration be given to installing a crossing or ramp in or around McCormack’s old garage.”
A report by the Roads office at Monday's meeting of Ballinamore municipal district, said that the raised ramped platform constructed under the Active Travel Programme in 2023 “has considerably reduced the speed of traffic exiting and entering the town of Drumshanbo. The Local Authority has recently constructed three ramps on this regional road along with three driver feedback signs. It is unlikely that any further funding will be made available for additional ramps. I believe the remaining avenue is to inform the Joint Policing Committee of speeding concerns at this location.”
Cllr McGloin said that he understood that residents are saying that, on the town side, “when you take the corner at Keane Tiles, it's a long stretch to the platform and that's the most built up, densely populated area and speeding hasn't been addressed there. Coming in the other side by Carrick-on-Shannon it has had an impact.”
He described the other side as “a runway at an airport” and said he didn't accept the response.
He stated, “There is a strong view that there will be an accident there at some stage unless we get traffic to slow down through a pedestrian crossing or ramp.”
Cllr Brendan Barry remarked that it “seems to be impossible to get people to slow down, ramps or not. There was an incident at the Food Hub only last week and it was serious enough and a good bit of damage done.”
He said that some people just “won't slow down in built up areas where there could be children playing or people coming in and out” and said that additional ramps were needed, in his view.
Darragh O'Boyle, district engineer for Leitrim County Council suggested the local community apply for CLÁR funding for a pedestrian crossing but said that with so many ramps in situ, he wasn't optimistic that they would be successful.
He said the “table-top” junction slows down incoming traffic and “if people choose to speed up coming out of town, it's a Road Traffic Acts issue not a roads issue” adding that if fines were issued to those speeding, “they would soon slow down.”
He added, “I can't keep putting ramps on the R207; we've three ramps there and two ramps on the Hilly Road and members are now asking for more ramps. The solution is to penalise people who are breaking the law.”
Cllr McGloin insisted that more traffic calming measures were needed with Mr O'Boyle saying that a Low Cost Safety Scheme could be applied for, for the road.
He noted that there must be “reported incidents on the road” in order for the scheme to be applied for successfully.
He also noted that this would lead to a loss of car parking spaces with Cllr McGloin responding that the only people who park on the road currently are staff from the Home Help Service.
Mr O'Boyle urged members to bring the issue before the Joint Policing Committee.