Major concerns raised over dangers on busy Cashel road

“I am really fearful that an accident could happen,” was how Cashel based Councillor Declan Burgess spoke about the road the Council have been working on for months. 

The roads around Cashel are taking a greater volume of traffic than ever before but the current inability to solve ongoing traffic dilemmas which put peoples lives at risk was raised at the recent Tipperary/Cashel/Cahir Municipal District meeting.

At the meeting  a plea was made to the Council to sort the issue once and for all and not to keep letting it drag on much to the annoyance of road users  in the town. 

The  chaotic road situation approaching the primary schools in the town was also raised at the meeting and the hope is that all ongoing  issues will be addressed promptly. 

The height of the ramps at Aengus Court and the avoidance of the ramps by drivers who appear  reluctant to risk damage to their car or to themsleves was brought to the attention of Council officials to ensure they can put their collective thinking hats on yet again. 

Pointing it out to the Council, Councillor Declan Burgess addressed the matter relating to the outside of the new apartments near Aengus Court in Cashel: “I don’t want to dwell on the ramps Robert,  I understand that they probably are on spec but in reality they are not working,” he said to Senior Executive Engineer Robert Johnson. 

To explain the situation Cllr Burgess pointed out at the meeting that:  “They are cushion ramps rather than a raised platform which I think would be a better option. 

“There are cars driving in between the middle of the two ramps so you know sometimes, you can drive over these with your two wheels and it is fine - what is happening actually is they are driving in the middle of the road at that point.

“There is going to be a head on collision! I’m extremely worried about that. I think maybe we need to go back and have a look at the ramps we put in place. 

“There is a need for traffic calming there but I really think a raised table would support traffic calming and pedestrian activity and vehicle movements a lot better. I think there is going to be a serious accident. 

“I’m really, really concerned,” he stressed. Cllr Burgess said that he stood at Aengus Court last week at the footpath and witnessed ‘loads of movements’ where vehicles swerved to avoid the high ramps. 

Councillor Roger Kennedy agreed it was an unacceptable situation as it was, and he said that he supported Cllr Burgess fully on solving this issue. “Some cars find this ramp is too sharp or too high or whatever,” he said. 

“It is not a good thing to have happened and it is a danger coming onto the roundabout. I would ask that the Roads Engineer would look at that.”

They both agreed that Aengus Court, Boherclough Street is a fine development for the town but both councillors insisted that the dangers on the road outside could cause fatalities. 

“People are driving in the middle of the road and it is causing a really dangerous hazard there,” Cllr Burgess stressed to the Council officials present at the meeting which included Senior Executive Engineer Robert Johnson.

Cllr Burgess pointed out there are ‘raised tables’ a couple of hundred metres up the road - and down the road - from where the ramps are.

He said that  motorists using the route  feel that they are forced into the middle of the road to avoid going over the high ramps that cause a huge bump for driver and passengers when driven over, even at very low speeds. 

“I am really fearful that an accident could happen because of the volume of vehicles I have seen in the middle of the road trying to avoid them,” said Cllr Burgess, speaking about the busy junction that is the main entry and exit point for the town towards Tesco and the Cahir Road. 

“The roundabout is working extremely well but the ramps are causing significant issues," he said, adding that a raised table would be a better solution and the Council should reexamine their decisions to date as what is in place  is not serving anybody at all. 

Cllr Burgess said he is happy to meet “any engineer onsite to look at it”. 

The current road issues in Cashel are a major topic of conversation across the Cashel community with the absence of a Road Safety Warden at the car-packed, traffic heavy primary schools an ongoing health and safety issue as well as inadequate space for pedestrians  with narrow footpaths and no cycle lane by the schools. 

The  roundabout at Aengus Court, and the traffic problems surrounding it, has been an issue stretching back into last year.

The construction and road works  were behind schedule previously with continuous delays affecting the route for  commuters and tourists last Christmas and well into 2024 much to the annoyance of road users. 

After inviting Council engineers to take a  trip to Cashel and have a close up look at how inadequate the present situation is, Cllr Burgess   told the Council representatives  that: “I’m sure if you give it a few minutes you will see the exact same issue that I have seen,” he said during the Housing section of the meeting.

“Many people have come to me - and I want to stress how dangerous it is - and we need immediate action on it.”

In response, Robert Johnson acknowledged the “comments on the ramps,” saying the Roads Department may address it: “I don’t  like saying this  but it will come back as a ‘Roads’  issue. 

“Look, possibly, I will have a conversation after this but primarily it will be through the District,” Johnson said. “Is the snag list done for the Roads?” Cllr Burgess enquired at this point. 

He was then told it would be checked and: “providing it was done ‘to spec’, they will have discharged their responsibility from the Housing perspective and it will be picked up from the Roads.”