'I've never witnessed anything so dangerous,' concerns over revamped junction in Tipperary

Roscrea's revamped Market Square poses a risk to pedestrians and requires a rethink a local elected representative said this week.

The heritage town's busiest junction, where Main Street and Castle Street meet, underwent a radical redesign in 2021, which at the time of unveiling was greeted by mixed responses from local business people, pedestrians, and motorists.

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However, it appears what were flagged as initial teething problems as people adapted to the new traffic system have persisted and some local people remain adamant the design is flawed and poses a risk to pedestrians and is confusing for motorists.

The busy junction features three pedestrian crossings in close proximity to one another and has become a source of continuous debate among the community, with the majority expressing a negative conclusion one local councillor said.

Local Independent Councillor and member of the Lowry Team, Shane Lee, told the monthly meeting of the Municipal Council for the area on Monday that after spending some time observing the behaviour of traffic and pedestrians at different times as they navigate the busy junction, he feels it is one of Tipperary's "biggest health and safety hazards".

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"I've never witnessed anything so dangerous" he told the meeting, particularly criticising the design which places pedestrian crossings so close to the stop line of the junction, allowing no room for proper observance by pedestrians or motorists he said.

The tight space also results in longer vehicles or those drawing trailers blocking the pedestrian crossing entirely, he said, forcing pedestrians into crossing the road in areas designated for traffic.

Cllr Lee said he received a representation from a "very angry" local person over the weekend who narrowly avoided an accident at the junction.

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"This urgently needs to be looked at - no other similar system exists in the county and I plead with you to look at it" he told the engineering department representatives at the meeting.

Thomas Lonergan, District Engineer, responded and said the situation has been examined before but that he will take Cllr. Lee's concerns into consideration.

"A safety audit was carried out, but we will go out examine the junction and see what can be done, if anything can be done", he said.