‘Every time there is an accident, the cars end up on the footpath’

Residents living in the vicinity of the busy Navan Road junction in Trim are pleading with Meath Co Council to review the junction and implement traffic calming measures after yet another accident last week saw a car mount the footpath.

Sandra Keogh has lived on the Navan road close to the junction all her life and says she has witnessed four collisions in the past year alone where car have mounted the footpath and is fearful that a pedestrian is going to be killed or seriously injured if nothing is done.

The most recent accident involving two cars occurred last week when again a car mounted the footpath and this time collided with the traffic lights.

“I have been in touch with the council every time there is an accident and sent photos. I have been in my house, which is two doors from my parents, for a year-and-a-half, and there has been six accidents that I have witnessed in that time,” said Sandra.

“It is getting worse because there is a lot more traffic and there are also a lot more houses. The footfall at those lights is high between people going to the Porchfields and kids walking to school.

“The council says it is down to driver behaviour and I agree but they can't just keep saying that and ignore it. Every time there is an accident, the cars end up going on the footpath,” said Sandra who has appealed to the council to consider putting up pedestrian safety barriers to protect those walking and waiting to cross at the pedestrian lights.

She also told how she had spoken to a woman who had just moved from the area of the footpath where the car mounted just seconds before the latest accident and was very shaken.

“Accidents are becoming more regular, the junction really needs to be looked at. We need something more, what is there is not working,” said Sandra.

“There are so many pedestrians and children crossing there. If something happens what do you say - that it is driver behaviour? I don't want to be sitting here telling people I told you this would happen.”

Sandra said she has been taking pictures and emailing the council and TDs every time there is an accident for more than a year.

However, she said the council continues to blame the drivers' behaviour and says it is a matter for the Gardai.

“The Gardai agree there is an alarming number of collisons but they cannot make changes at this junction,” she said.

Trim Aontú Rep Dave Boyne has also expressed his frustration saying: “It is truly disheartening to hear of yet another collision at this junction. Even more so that Meath Co Council continues to tell residents repeatedly that the ongoing collisions are a result of poor driving behaviour.

“This is nothing but an excuse at this stage. An occasional incident might be explained away, but an ongoing pattern every couple of months, of collisions at the same location, would indicate that road safety issues as highlighted by the residents are a significant contributory factor.

“I understand residents in the area are extremely frustrated as they have been calling for pedestrian safety barriers to be erected at the location where cars continue to mount. There is also an issue with the sequencing of the traffic lights, which a simple set of filter lights would resolve. At the most recent collision the traffic lights were knocked over. This has become a serious danger spot for pedestrians in the area. It has been for some time, yet resident concerns continue to fall on deaf ears,” he added.

When asked about the junction and if there are any plans to review it, a spokesperson for Meath Co Council said: “The matter of speed enforcement is one for the Gardai. The Navan Road Junction is a four-way junction controlled by traffic lights. There are pedestrian controls on all junctions too and crossing islands in situ.

“Unfortunately, the council cannot control road user behaviour.”