Appeal for action on road in Tipperary that presents 'a huge danger'

A resident of Mocklerstown, near the village of Clerihan, is appealing for remedial work to be carried out on a stretch of road near his home that he says is presenting “a huge danger” to him and his family.

John Lee says he’s worried that somebody will be killed on the busy road, on which an estimated 8,000-10,000 vehicles travel each day.

He says that the stretch of road presents a serious situation even for motorists who are familiar with the area.

Mr Lee says that five accidents have occurred outside his home in the past ten months, and his family no longer park outside the gate because their cars are like “sitting ducks”.

His daughter and her two children had only just left his home and driven out the gate when an accident occurred there a few weeks ago.

In one of the collisions, a pole near his home was knocked by a car that ended up in a neighbour’s field.

He says that a nearby red safety sign has been struck four times in the past twelve months.

The wall at the front of his home was badly damaged recently by a vehicle that went out of control and crashed.

Mr Lee says that motorists have told him that their cars start “spinning” on them as they approach his home while travelling on the incline on the road from the Rosegreen direction.

He says that the county council did a major job 15 years ago, when they raised the level of the road, even though there had been very few accidents in the area at that stage.

Ironically, he believes that the situation has disimproved since the road was improved.

He has welcomed the installation of safety signs with solar panels, which were installed towards the end of last year to reduce the speed of the traffic leaving Clerihan.

However, he says that even those signs have been struck by vehicles.

Mr Lee says the council maintains that the problems are caused by speeding traffic but he believes there’s also something wrong with either the road surface or the shape of the bend.

He says that the non-slip grit that they were told would be provided was never laid on the surface.
His neighbours are also concerned about the situation.

Councillor John FitzGerald, who has made representations to Tipperary County Council on Mr Lee’s behalf, describes the road as “a real blackspot”.

He says that the safety signs with the solar panels are a welcome addition and are doing a good job, but adds that “something will still have to be done with the road surface coming from Rosegreen”.

Cllr FitzGerald also believes that the speed detection van should be parked in the area as a warning to vehicles before they even reach Clerihan village.