Fearful residents demand action on traffic after smash

Concerned residents of Priory Gate in Athboy are calling for traffic-calming measures outside their estate after a three-vehicle collision occurred at the entrance recently. Priory Gate resident Tara Dunne's 10-year-old daughter was one of four children travelling in a car that was in collision with a truck and a tractor. Thankfully, her daughter was able to walk from the vehicle but three other children and the driver were taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. The driver of the car suffered a broken arm and was kept in hospital overnight. Two of the children were released from hospital that evening and the third was kept in overnight. The children, aged 10, 14 and 17, suffered cuts and bruises as well as being shocked and shaken. Mrs Dunne said the residents' association have been campaigning for months for a continuous white line on the road and explained that, because their estate is on the outskirts of town, motorists tend to speed up and will overtake slower vehicles there. They are also calling for the speed limit to be reduced from 50km/h to 30km/h and, if this cannot be done, they want more signs to clarify that motorists are still in a 50km/h zone. Mrs Dunne explained that because there is a 60km/h sign just after their estate, motorists tend to speed up. The residents want to see traffic-calming measures installed to improve safety. Mrs Dunne said: "We are asking the council to do whatever they can to reduce speed, whether it is speed limits or rumble strips. We asked about rumble strips and they said they were too noisy. We want any traffic-calming they can do." She added: "Children are playing 10 feet away. Because it is on the outskirts of town, people put the foot down to overtake. For months, we have been trying to do something. The speed of cars is horrific. It is only a matter of time before someone is killed. My daughter was in the car, she was badly shaken but was the only one who was able to walk out of the car. The other three were taken to Drogheda and two were released that night. Another 10 year-old was kept in overnight and the driver had a broken arm. It has been going on for months but this is the wake up call." Mrs Dunne said the council has agreed to put a continuous white line down in the middle of the road for now. "We have been asking for this for months. It took an accident to happen before something was done. We welcome the fact that they are doing the white line, but we want more traffic-calming and the speed limit reduced," she added.