Motoring

THERE is no prospect of the second phase of the Northern Distributor Road going ahead, Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said. The minister emphatically ruled out the prospect of the contentious relief road going ahead on a visit to Moneypoint last Friday. “The road isn’t in the Metropolitan area strategy. It has no Government funding and no prospect of it any time in the future,” he said. Subsequently, Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council Tony O’Brien said that the Minister’s attitude to the proposal will have a terrible impact, not just on Clare, but on surrounding counties also. “What I’d say is that this NDR has gone through every feasibility study, every phase of planning, it is included in the Mid-West Area Strategic Plan 2012-2030, it’s an integral part of that,” Councillor O’Brien pointed out. “It was in the Limerick-Shannon Metropolitan Area Strategy, it was an integral part of that, to provide an orbital route around Limerick City and to improve …

A RECENT upsurge in the theft of catalytic converters has led gardaí in Clare to warn vehicle owners to be on the alert. At the end of last month, on October 28 at 2am, two males were seeing leaving the Rath Ban estate on the Tulla Road, Ennis after taking a catalytic converter from a car in the estate. And at 2.15am on the same night another converter was stolen from a car parked at Woodfield, Broadford. Meanwhile on October 25 between 10.30pm and 11.30pm the catalytic converter was stolen from a car parked in a shed at the rear of a house in Derreen, Miltown Malbay. “The increase in these thefts is a reflection of the rise in price of palladium and rhodium metals,” explained Crime Prevention Officer Sergeant Triona Brooks. She advised motorists, “Defensive parking near a wall can make jacking up a vehicle difficult making this type of theft more difficult too. If you have a garage …

TRANSPORT Infrastructure Ireland should be brought “kicking and screaming” before Ennis councillors to answer to ongoing traffic issues including the “serious accident waiting to happen” at the Shanaway Road and N85 junction and safety concerns at the Clareabbey Roundabout. That’s according to Ennis’ Deputy Mayor, Councillor Mary Howard who at the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District suggested a so-called ‘courtesy junction’ could help alleviate traffic at the Shanaway Road junction until a permanent solution is found. She explained this would involve signage being placed ahead of the junction urging motorists to be courteous of those attempting to join the Lahinch Road from Shanaway. “It is very hard on people living and working there, on those going to play golf or staying at the hotel. They find it very hard to access the Lahinch Road and this is a new idea that could be a good solution in the interim until there is a permanent solution.” John Gannon, senior …

CONCERN has been expressed over the speed of traffic travelling through the village of Quin, particularly on the busy approach from the Dromoland side.  With a number of routes leading into the village, an appeal has been made by Councillor Pat Burke for safety works to protect the many pedestrians that walk in the area, particularly those going to and from school. The Killaloe district councillor described the speed of many motorists as “unbelievable”.  “The Ballykilty/Dromoland Road, as it is known locally, is particularly busy,” Councillor Burke said. “Quin itself is a very busy village with a big and growing population. Between six and eight weeks ago, I was called after an incident where a car left the road and went through a boundary and into someone’s property. Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured, but it could have been an awful situation if there was someone walking in the area at the time.” The Fine Gael member pointed out that the …

BUS services in Shannon are currently very unreliable, and make things very difficult for local people using public transport, according to a local councillor. “There are people being left on the side of the road. We were told they were going to bring in a double decker bus to alleviate this, but it hasn’t happened yet,” Councillor Donna McGettigan complained. She cited an example of a bus running 35 minutes late, with people being left at the side of the road again and pointed out also there are no bus stops by the Radisson. The Sinn Féin representative said that she tries to use public transport, but that the state of it locally makes it very hard to encourage anyone else to do so. “It’s crazy, and it’s a time when there is a move to try and encourage people to use public transport. I love public transport, I try to use it as much as possible and you can …

PLANS by Supermacs for a €10 million Barack Obama plaza-style motorway service station on the outskirts of Ennis have been given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanala. The board has this week upheld a decision by Clare County Council to grant planning permission for the development adjacent to Junction 12 of the M18 at Kilbreckan, Doora. According to Supermacs the plaza will create 120 jobs with Supermacs managing director Pat McDonagh previously stating the development “will be a huge boost” for the county capital. This was the fast-food chain’s fourth application to develop the service station at this location with planning permission granted for this proposal in December 2020 by Clare County Council. However, three separate appeals were lodged against the plans by local businesses to An Bord Pleanala. One appeal was submitted by Duesbury Ltd, operator of the Old Ground Hotel in conjunction with Mill Road Motors Ennis, Claureen Service Station Ennis and Clarke’s Daybreak, Crusheen. A separate appeal was …

DANGEROUS dips on a stretch of road in North East Clare have been highlighted by a local councillor who lives close by.  The condition of a stretch of road between Killanena and Dromindoora was criticised by Councillor Pat Hayes who called on officials of the Killaloe Municipal District to included on the works schedule for 2023.  “There is dipping in the road,” Councillor Hayes told the most recent district meeting. “A small section was done a few years ago, but it now needs an overlay to make it safe. It is a very well-trafficked route. A big amount of Galway-bound traffic uses it. The road, in general, is quite good, but a section has dipped and it’s quite dangerous. That needs to be addressed.” The motion was seconded by Councillor Tony O’Brien and supported by Cathaoirleach, Councillor Alan O’Callaghan. “There is definitely a need for black top on the R461,” Councillor O’Callaghan said. “Those tar-and-chip jobs on many roads are …

ONE person has been airlifted to hospital while three children were transported by road ambulance following a traffic collision in West Clare this morning. Gardaí have confirmed that the main N67 Kilrush to Kilkee road will remain closed for a number of hours following the crash. The incident, involving a car and a van, occurred at the junction at Lisdeen Church at around 9.30am. Emergency services were quickly alerted. National Ambulance Service paramedics and Gardaí responded to the incident along with fire crews from Kilkee and Kilrush stations. The Cork-based charity-funded Irish Community Air Ambulance was also requested to attend the scene. Fire crews had to use specialist equipment to cut the roof off the car so they could safely access and remove the injured driver. Once assessed and stabilised, paramedics and fire crews carried the casualty to the helicopter. The woman was airlifted to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. Three young children, who were travelling in the car, were …