Shocking accidents have become so familiar to us
An article in councillor Tom Connolly’s local newspaper from December 2008 reports a discussion at the Claremorris electoral committee of Mayo County Council at which Mr Connolly, a Fine Gael member, makes a plea for safety works at the Meelickmore/Lisduff junction on the N17, at the time the site of 13 accidents.
The plea didn’t fall entirely on deaf ears; annual reports from the council show that, at various times, funding was made available for safety works — €40,000 in 2011, €15,000 in 2013, for example.
Lighting, signage, and road markings were all improved — but they couldn’t do the impossible, which is to make an inherently hazardous junction safe.
Which is why, on September 11, when Mr Connolly heard of the crash that killed Marcella Wilson, her seven-year-old son, and her mother, his shock was tempered by a dark feeling of familiarity.
“We made several representations to the TII in recent years,” he says. “They did some traffic-calming measures on the Lisduff road out on to the N17 where that accident occurred, but it hasn’t solved the problem.
“When the N17 was built, it went through an existing road, so you have a staggered junction now to cross the N17. If you’re coming out on to the N17 and there’s a car coming off it, you mightn’t see the car behind it.
“The local people know the way it is, but if you weren’t familiar with it, you wouldn’t know how dangerous it can be. You would need more lighting, flashing warning lights, lots of advance notice to slow down, that there’s a major junction ahead. But mainly you need people not to be using the junction at all, at least not in the numbers they do.”
Under the plans awaiting funding, a new stretch of the N17 would be built to connect up with the recently-opened Gort-Tuam section which has been upgraded to a motorway.
The new stretch would bypass Milltown and Ballindine and then join up with the Claremorris Bypass. The Lisduff junction would be needed for use by locals only.
According to TII: “The design report, environmental impact study and compulsory purchase order documentation have been completed,” going on to say that progression of the scheme through the planning phase has currently been suspended.
“The situation here isn’t unique. I’m sure there are similar junctions all over the country,” says Mr Connolly. “In fact, I’m also very concerned about another one up the road at the Gaelscoil. There’s 107 students and seven teachers there, and buses and cars trying to pull it and leave with cars going by it at high speed.
“I had asked the Gardaí the number of accidents before I went to that meeting ten years and I’ve asked them again since that tragedy last month but I’m nearly afraid to know the answer. I don’t want to think what it might be in another 10 years.”
