Councillors ramp up pressure on road layout

Virginia is in danger of being named ‘Ramp Town’ due to the number of speed restriction measures on the town’s roads, writes Thomas Lyons. The claim was made at a meeting of the Ballyjamesduff Municipal District Authority.

Two motions in relation to traffic management measures in Virginia were tabled. Both motions called for a review of traffic calming measures on the Ballyjamesduff road out of Virginia.
The first motion was put forward by Cllr Paddy O'Reilly. The Virginia councillor said that the “cushions” in place on the road were a hot topic for motorists who had to negotiate the road restrictions.
“To put it mildly Virginia will soon be named ‘Ramp Town’. The measures are causing the diversion of traffic onto minor roads. It is putting pressure on the link road and the smaller roads can't take the number of vehicles using them to avoid the ramps,” he claimed.
Cllr O'Reilly went on to say that the cushions were bad for shopping in the town: “It would be better if the speed limits were enforced, rather than have these ramps in the town.”
Fianna Fáil’s Shane P O’Reilly also tabled a motion on the topic. He claimed that speed cushions on the route are causing serious problems for the haulage industry and retail businesses in the town: “The number of these speed cushions is pushing large volumes of traffic onto the link road, from Ballyjamesduff to the N3. I have been contacted on a number of occasions about the ramps. We need an urgent review of the traffic calming measures.”
He argued that such speed restricting measures were ineffective: “I am totally against ramps. I have damaged my own vehicle. People just drive around them and through them without slowing.”
Cllr Noel Connell (SF) said that there were alternatives to the existing cushions: “I have seen a much more effective ramp used in a housing estate in Dublin. It was a rubber cushions and was very effective. Is it the cost that stops us using them? Something has to be done.”
Director of Services Eoin Doyle acknowledged that there was “no doubt that there are issues”. He said that a study would take place of the existing measures and that Transport Infrastructure Ireland would receive a report.
He asked the councillors for “a little patience” on the matter: “We have a scheme in mind that may provide a solution to the matter but it has to fit in with other roads programmes.”
Before the matter concluded Cllr Winston Bennett (FG) said that enforcement is the key to addressing the problem and suggested that there need to be traffic speed cameras on the site.