Fears for child safety on N3
The recent heavy fog, which descended across parts of Cavan earlier this month, did more than signal an end of the summer season. It also sparked fears among parents of children waiting for buses along the N3, in particular those stopping at Whitegate and travelling on towards Kells.
“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” said Independent councillor Shane P O’Reilly, speaking on a motion he tabled at the recent Ballyjamesduff Municipal District area meeting.
As raised at MD level in October 2019, and again at a full meeting of Cavan County Council in early 2020, the Mullagh-based elected representative explained the existing commuter carpark at Whitegate, which has capacity for 20 vehicles, is often inundated with traffic.
The result is little or no place for cars dropping off children to pull-in, and the creation of a potential traffic hazard for cars and trucks travelling on the N3 or emerging from the Edenburt/Mullagh direction.
He accepted, under plans to develop a new bypass for Virginia, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) was preparing to remove what he described as a “spur” at Derver.
A larger carpark will be built, and a park-and-ride facility created.
But Cllr O’Reilly stated that work could be years from happening, and the problem facing students waiting for business in the local area needs solving now.
“It’s a major traffic hazard, bordering on extremely dangerous,” continued Cllr O’Reilly.
In the past it had been pointed out that there were issues concerning bus shelters and facilities for commuters, with five stops within a near 10-kilometre distance - at Lisgrey, within Virginia town itself, on the Dublin Road, at Maghera, and at Whitegate - but only shelters at the Dublin Road and Maghera stops.
The Whitegate carpark is no longer big enough to cope with demand, and Cllr O’Reilly expressed a hope that a shelved plan for a dedicated bus drop-off depot at Derver, could potentially be revived. “There has been a lot of people killed on the N3 over the years,” said Cllr O’Reilly.
The motion was supported by Fine Gael’s TP O’Reilly, who described the need for a separate area to be exclusively used as a drop-off zone for school children as a “necessity”.
John McGahern, senior executive engineer, informed the MD meeting that the council is aware of the pressing concerns in light of more people using the commuter carpark at Whitegate with a full return to work following Covid lockdown.
He said he had spoken with the council’s road design team, and would follow up the matter with TII also.