'There are near misses every day and because my house is facing it, I can see it'

Skryne mother terrified to let children play in garden sited on dangerous junction where road traffic collisions have reached double figures in the past 24 months

A WORRIED Skryne mother says she is terrified to let her children out to play in fear of vehicles ploughing into her garden next to a lethal junction.

Sally O'Neill is expecting her fourth child any day now but says what should be a happy time is being thwarted by the lack of action taken to implement traffic calming measures to ensure the safety of her family and all road users.

Despite numerous emails and calls to Meath Co Council and presenting the local authority with a petition with 150 signatures, Sally says nothing has been done to alleviate speeding traffic on the busy country road that many motorists use when visiting nearby Emerald Park.

The soon to be mum-of-four believes the dangerous crossing is likely to soon be the location of fatalities if no action is taken.

"The crossroads where I live has had road traffic collisions that have reached double figures in the past 24 months," she says. "I'm now dreading the day where a car careers into my garden where my three small children play.

"There has been two accidents that have come up onto the bank and into my fence. All that ever comes into my head is that advert where the car crashes in on-top of the kids playing.

"I have been begging Meath Co Council to simply send a road engineer to my location to put rumble strips or warning signs on the road or put the speed limit down but I have been ignored.

"I’m over a year emailing at least one or twice a month. In October I got all the locals to sign a petition for something to be done with over 150 signatures and I sent it in twice and was just acknowledged, nothing came from it."

Sally says there is no reprieve from the worry of a serious collision happening on her doorstep.

"It’s dangerous at every angle," she said. "Coming from Navan, there’s a dip in the road, coming from Ratoath people are speeding on it, they are easily doing 120km, they fly by here, it is scary.

"Then there are people coming from Rackenstown which is across the road from me and because there is a hill on that side, you are looking up towards Navan if you are crossing and you can barely see up that road.

"There are near misses every day and because my house is facing it, I can see it. People who are coming from Emerald Park who wouldn’t know the road they don’t even see the stop sign, they are flying through the cross road."

The Skryne mum describes a terrifying incident as she awaited the return of her young child from preschool.

"Two weeks ago my mam was picking up my middle child from playschool and I was expecting her at any minute, next of all I heard a bang outside, I looked out and could see there was an accident but I couldn’t see what car was to the far left and I really panicked. Thankfully it wasn’t her car and that nobody was seriously injured but it’s only a matter of time before somebody is. It is a nightmare waiting to happen.

"I don’t let the kids play out that side of the house anymore, it is just too much of a risk."

Independent Meath county councillor Nick Killian said there are a number of issues contributing to the increasing collisions in that area.

"That is an extremely dangerous junction and it is one that has been giving bother with accidents for years. Accidents have increased in particular with the opening of Emerald Park because a lot of drivers coming that way are not familiar with the roads or familiar with the territory in general.

"The problem seems to be a dip in the road where traffic coming from the Skryne side cannot see cars coming from Ratoath at a certain point.

"A lot of the difficulties that has arisen are cars travelling at speed. It is an 80km road but cars are driving far in excess of that."

There are a number of traffic calming measures being considered according to the local councillor who said:

"I met with the roads engineer for that area and one of the things we are looking at introducing is a staggered junction at that point. The second is to put in rumble strips and more signage in relation to the junction itself.

"The third is investigating if anything can be done with the dip in the road but that is very much an engineering solution and its longer term rather than short term."

Killian has appealed to road users to slow down and stay in the speed limit.

"I would be concerned for the residents living adjacent to it in particular who are sometimes terrified coming on to that road," he said.

"I have to appeal to motorists on what is a heavily trafficked road to drive within the speed limit.

"From talking to our own roads traffic officer here in the council he indicates that in most of the accidents that have occurred, speed was involved. If I had my way, I would be reducing the speed limit approaching that junction to 50km per hour, but that is a matter for the speed limit review to take into account."

Independent Cllr Gillian Toole said:

"It is very dangerous even though the council did a low-cost safety scheme last year and stripped back the verges on either side and they put up extra signage but I think there is still a significant dip and unless you are in a vehicle like a jeep you wouldn't necessarily see what was ahead.

"The main Curraha to Ratoath road is closed due to a water pipe being installed so the traffic is being pushed off on to the back roads which is exacerbating the issue.

"I personally think they need to build up the dip, they need stronger, bigger signage, they also need to get the water works finished as soon as possible so people can go back to using the main road."

Cllr Toole says a lack of investment in infrastructure is a big factor in the increase in collisions on rural roads.

"Historically they were single lanes, the county has grown, there are lots of houses in the countryside but the infrastructure apart from the motorways haven't changed, it is the same as it was 50 or 100 years ago.

"The county has been allowed to develop, the population has gone up by 13 per cent, its over 30 per cent increase in the south of the county and all of that traffic is still using the old network and infrastructure so somebody is going to have to get their finger out and make the investment in it to make it safer."

A spokesperson for Meath Co Council said: “This matter has been referred to our Transportation Department for attention.”