Ardboley residents demand change after another near miss at notorious junction
The residents of Ardboley, Balla survived another narrow escape over Christmas when an articulated lorry failed to take the corner at the notorious junction on the main N60 Balla to Claremorris Road.
Fortunately, no vehicle was exiting the junction at the time and a potentially devastating accident was avoided. However, the incident was one of four narrow escapes that took place over the Festive period.
The Ardboley residents have been lobbying strenuously in recent years for the speed limit along the busy stretch of road just outside Balla to be reduced from 100km/h to 50km/h. In July, 2017, close to 400 locals turned out to protest against Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s (TII) refusal to listen to demands of the residents and local councillors.
A survey carried out by the residents at the time revealed that 1,622 cars passed the junction in three hours – an average of one every second – and that that number was only going to increase with the opening of the Tuam motorway extension.
At the protest, chairman of the Ardboley Action Committee, Tim Lavin, labelled the junction as ‘one of the busiest and most dangerous in the country’, adding that: ‘It is by the Grace of God that nobody has been killed or seriously injured to date’.
Later that year, the residents reluctantly accepted an offer from the TII to reduce the limit along the stretch of road, approximately 50-60 metres in length, from 100km/h to 80km/h. However, they vowed to be back seeking a full reduction to the 50km/h limit if the measures do not improve the overall safety of the junction.
Speaking at the time, then Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD, highlighted that ‘the TII is committing to keeping the matter at Ardboley under review on an ongoing basis, and the issue can be revisited if required’.
Following the recent near misses, the Ardboley residents are now demanding the TII listen to their initial concerns and reduce the speed limit to their desired speed of 50km/h to prevent a fatal accident in the future.
“My wife and children use this exit two or three times on a daily basis, as do most of the other 20-30 families living in Ardboley,” one concerned resident said. “However, the TII seem to care very little about our safety.
“It appears time taken to travel from Castlebar to Claremorris is far more important to them. For the sake of a couple of minutes, they are prepared to risk our lives.
“Undoubtedly, a tragedy similar to what we saw in Breaffy recently will occur here – then they will have no problem implementing proper safety measures. We also saw speed limit and traffic calming measures put into Ballyvary recently, so we know it can be done.”