Dunleer urgently needs a proper pedestrian crossing before someone is killed on the main street, according to local Labour TD Ged Nash.
Nash appealed to Louth County Council to provide a safe crossing in the town but was disappointed when he was told they have no plans to install a pedestrian crossing in Dunleer in 2023 but that it would be included on the list of locations to be assessed and ranked for inclusion in 2024.
Deputy Nash said: “It is bitterly disappointing that the people of Dunleer will wait at least another year before this long-running safety issue in the town is addressed.
“The response from Louth County Council fails to even guarantee that a safe crossing will be provided in 2024.
“As far back as 2014, public meetings were being held in Dunleer expressing the community’s concerns over the lack of safe pedestrian crossings in the town and the chaotic traffic situation has only got worse, in the meantime.”
The local Labour TD says it’s a “miracle that there are not a lot more people injured on the streets of Dunleer”.
The population of the town has swelled over the last couple of decades and the traffic through the town has increased accordingly.
Deputy Nash adds: “Addressing this problem has always been an emergency for the people of Dunleer but it is now, more urgent than ever and it is unacceptable that this community will have to wait until at least 2024 before they can safely cross the road.
“Louth County Council already admitted years ago that ‘there is no designated pedestrian crossing and safety is compromised by the traffic volumes’ in the Dunleer Local Area Plan 2010 – 2016.
“It’s time to act and finally provide the safe crossing this community desperately needs and deserves.”
Deputy Nash said he and local Labour councillors are committed to pursuing this vital issue until a safe crossing for the people of Dunleer is finally achieved.
