Council agrees to carry out traffic survey on 'rat run' Athlone road

Westmeath County Council has agreed to carry out a traffic survey on the Garnafailagh road in Athlone after a recent meeting heard it was being used as a "rat run" by cars that were regularly travelling on it at high speed.

The intensification in the use of what was traditionally a rural road outside the town was highlighted by Garnafailagh resident and new councillor John Gibbons in his first motion as a local representative during the January meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District.

Cllr Gibbons said traffic calming measures were needed on the Garnafailagh road (L-1474) and he also asked the council to give consideration to a "a cul-de sac at the western entrance" of the road.

"Local people cannot safely exit their properties or walk along the roadway at peak times due to the volume and speed of through traffic on this narrow rural road," stated Cllr Gibbons.

He said the issue had worsened in the last five years, particularly during the mornings and evenings, and that some cars in the areas were clocking up "phenomenal" speeds.

Cllr Gibbons said the issue was "not anything to do with local people or the local school or anything like that... It's through traffic, going straight through, looking for the N6 at high speed.

"It should really only be local traffic on the road, given the level of that carriageway," he added. "Work needs to be done there before there's a serious accident, because there have been a lot of near misses."

Cllr John Dolan supported the motion, saying: "That road was an old country road before all the houses that are on it were built, and the road hasn't kept pace. It's as simple as that."

He suggested that "some small ramps" might be installed on the road to slow traffic down.

Cllr Aengus O'Rourke also agreed with the motion, saying he had been getting representations from several areas of Athlone, such as Sli an Aifrinn, Assumption Road and St Kieran's Terrace, in relation to road users speeding and behaving irresponsibly.

"It's not the job of the council to sanction people who are not observing the law. Where are the Gardai in this?" asked Cllr O'Rourke.

"My belief is that, on these roads, it's the same people who are breaking the law regularly. A few fines here and there might sort out a lot of the problem."

Cllr Paul Hogan said the issues on the Garnafailagh road were "indicative of a wider problem with traffic congestion" in Athlone.

"There are a number of 'pinch points' on the road where it goes down to a single-lane, and maybe additional slow-down signage, and possibly providing traffic calming measures, may act as a deterrent for people who are looking at it as a shortcut."

Cllr Hogan said he was not sure if the idea of a cul-de-sac on the road was advisable. He said "a wider discussion needs to happen" in terms of the development of new link roads around Athlone.

Athlone Mayor Frankie Keena also called for more urgency around the development of new link roads to help manage traffic in the town.

He said Mullingar had benefitted from the development of link roads on greenfield sites, which had then incentivised development in those areas.

"Here in Athlone we are doing it in reverse – we are waiting for a developer to build these link roads," he said.

Discussing the Garnafailagh road, District Engineer Denis Sloyan said: "It's a rural road and it's hard to know what the solution is, but in the first instance we can erect some signage."

He then agreed to a request from Cllr Gibbons to have a traffic survey carried out on the road between 7am and 7pm.

Responding to Cllr O'Rourke's call for increased Garda enforcement, Director of Services Jackie Finney said she had "arranged to meet with the Superintendent to discuss a few issues" and she would raise that point at their meeting.