Friday, November 22, 2019

Roundabout 'urgently' needed at Thompson's Cross

Feedback from Kilcullen gardai has convinced a local councillor that there's an urgent need for the provision of a roundabout at Thompson's Cross, writes Brian Byrne.

Cllr Tracey O'Dwyer asked at this week's meeting of the Kildare Newbridge MD that Kildare County Council 'as a matter of urgency' commence the process required to put a roundabout there.

She said that on average there's one collision incident a month at the location, all of which happen at high speeds and with consequent high impact collisions.

"These have the potential to result in a fatality," the councillor says. "I would strongly urge the Council to carry out the recommendations of the gardai."

In a report given to the meeting, officials said that in excess of €75,000 had been spent by the Roads Department of Naas MD as part of Low-Cost Safety Improvement works. According to the report, the provision of a roundabout would warrant resources to complete a technical examination of the location.

This would include junction analysis, traffic counts, speed analysis, accidents recorded, and a possible CPO process to secure sufficient lands for the installation. A funding source for this would have to be identified.

Since a roads realignment as part of the completion of the M9 motorway at Kilcullen, the intersection has become notorious both for collisions and difficulty in negotiating it safely.

At last night's meeting of Kilcullen Community Action, Cllr O'Dwyer outlined the 'pathway' via gardai, the Council's Joint Policing Committee, and reference back to the Council to have safety related works implemented. She told the meeting that the Kildare Newbridge MD engineer, who takes over responsibility for Kilcullen on 1 January, had visited Thompson's Cross and was backing the need for a roundabout.

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