Filter lane sought at Kill turn-off

The county council has been asked to consider drawing up plans for a filter lane for traffic turning to Kill off the main R188 Cavan-Cootehill road.

However, councillors have been warned a solution in one area could cause problems elsewhere.

Senior Area Engineer for the Bailieborough-Cootehill Municipal District area, Alan Lyons, told elected members logged onto a virtual meeting that the same issue has been “raised before”.

He committed to bringing the suggestion, tabled by Fianna Fáil’s Aiden Fitzpatrick, to the council’s Road Design team, but noted there were “very few” safe overtaking areas along the R188 route before Tullyvin. To place a “ghost island”at the Kill turn-off would only serve to reduce that capacity further between Tullyvin and Cootehill.

Cllr Fitzpatrick said that it was a “busy” turn-off, with daily traffic travelling to Kill chapel, the local school, the crèche and football pitch.

“It’s a serious accident waiting to happen,” he told those tuned into the meeting. “Something needs to be done.”

Fellow area representative, Fine Gael’s Carmel Brady agreed. She said that fears over safety at the junction had been “going on over a long number of years”.

She personally had examined areas where the council had introduced turning lanes elsewhere in the county. Taking into account the hard shoulders, Cllr Brady felt that there was “ample” space for such a measure to be implemented.

“It’s lethal, absolutely lethal,” she said of traffic waiting to turn while passing traffic whiz by.

“We’re very lucky we’re not going to a funeral,” she said of one recent incident where a car turning for Kill was clipped by another vehicle.

While Mr Lyons said road design would examine what proposals could be brought to the table, he maintained that removing the opportunity to overtake, could lead to drivers “taking any opportunity they can find” rather than passing at a safer location.

He asked: “By solving one thing, are we creating a problem elsewhere?”