'How many more must die?' Fury over lack of action at dangerous junction on Limerick road

A FATAL collision at Devon Road Cross, between Abbeyfeale and Templeglatine in west Limerick, has reignited calls for urgent safety works at what councillors have branded a “death trap.”

The issue dominated the November meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District, where Cllr Liam Galvin said that in the weeks since last month's fatal collision, there have been three more collisions at the same junction.

“While thankfully no lives were lost, it just shows how unsafe that stretch of road is,” he said.

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Cllr Galvin described one of the recent non-fatal incidents in which a jeep coming from Templeglantine “ploughed” through fencing and into the gable end of Buckley’s Shop.

“We cannot stand by and wait for another tragedy. We have to act now,” he urged.

He said he had spoken with a private landowner near the junction about possible land acquisition to facilitate road improvements.

“That landowner told me, ‘I will do anything if it saves lives.’ That says everything about how serious this situation is,” he added.

Cllr Galvin also suggested that the Council explore purchasing Hartnett’s filling station, located at the cross, to allow for the construction of a roundabout in the future.

While there was unanimous agreement among councillors that safety works are urgently needed, frustration mounted over what they called the continued inaction of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Cathaoirleach, Cllr Michael Collins, said the agency “should be ashamed of themselves” for ignoring local representatives who “know that road better than anyone else.”

He also expressed condolences to the family of the woman who tragically lost her life following the October incident.
Cllr Francis Foley called for immediate intervention.

“We need to stop the codology, this road warrants every measure we can provide. There have been enough accidents, enough fatalities. Enough is enough.”

Cllr John Sheahan questioned whether the issue was one of funding, noting that land acquisition is not a barrier.

He also said it seemed as though the TII were “completely averse to roundabouts,” despite their proven effectiveness in improving safety.

Cllr Tom Ruddle added that the TII “should be ashamed of themselves for not cooperating sooner” and said the agency bears “partial responsibility” for the ongoing danger at the junction.

Councillors agreed to request a representative from TII attend their next meeting to explain the delay in funding the long-promised safety upgrades.

“This junction has already claimed lives,” said Cllr Galvin.

“If we don’t act, it will claim more.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme