Summerhill speeding issues raised at public meeting
Residents of New Road in Summerhill held a public meeting recently seeking urgent action to address speeding in the area.
The meeting was chaired by New Road resident Ben van Heerden and local GP Dr Joe Clarke, and was attended by over 50 people, including councillors Aisling Dempsey, Joe Fox and Trevor Golden.
Arising from the meeting a committee of eight local people was formed to put pressure on the council to install traffic calming measures as a matter of urgency.
A year ago, a petition signed by more than 100 Summerhill residents was handed to Meath County Council seeking action to tackle speeding coming into the village on the New Road. It is a busy stretch with the local primary care centre and GAA grounds located there.
Mr van Heerden says the road is very dangerous for both children and elderly residents that use the road daily and if something is not done, there fear there will be a fatality. There is also no safe place to cross.
"The trucks and cars using this road drive at very high speeds plus they overtake each other with very little regard and respect for pedestrians. There is a primary care centre on this stretch of road and ill and elderly patients are accessing and leaving this facility. There have been a number of 'near misses' with patients exiting the doctor’s surgery," he said.
Meath County Council has recently carried out some traffic calming in the village with the installation of speed ramps at the Meals on Wheels premises and at Dangan NS and traffic calming for New Road was also to be carried out. However, residents have little or no information on what is proposed or when it will be done and Ben says they are losing patience.
"We want to know what they are doing, when they are doing it and if they have the money to do it," said Ben.
At last week's meeting, residents expressed their disappointment that no works had been carried out yet and say all they are being told is that the council engineers are still looking to what to do and that a design is in progress.
"We decided that we will form a committee to assist me to challenge the council going forward, I figure if we put enough pressure on the council every month, something eventually must happen, I just hope nobody gets killed in the meantime, the audience agreed with me on this one," said Ben.
When contacted by the Meath Chronicle, a spokesperson for Meath County Council said a design for traffic calming measures is currently being worked on. "Following recent discussions with the Trim MD members, Meath County Council Transportation Department is currently advancing a design for suitable traffic calming measures at this location.
"Once this design has been finalised it will be presented to the elected members of Trim MD for their information, thereafter once funding has been secured works will commence.
"Potential footpath extensions and pedestrian crossings are all part of the design consideration, the delivery/priority of the different elements of the project will be dictated by available funding."