Safety concerns mount as council is accused of ‘stopping short’ at Clare–Galway border

A major road safety oversight by both Clare and Galway County Councils was highlighted at the December meeting of Clare County Council.

"When crews are out and they treat regional roads, the least they could do is go to the county boundary", Fine Gael councillor Pat Burke told Clare County Council.

Cllr Burke raised his concerns over a three kilometre stretch of road close to the Clare-Galway border that, he claimed, is neglected by both councils when regional roads are being gritted "because it is convenient to turn back beforehand" prior to reaching the county boundary.

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His comments came in response to a motion from councillor Conor Ryan in which he called on the council to "revise the winter service plan to include gritting of all regional roads in the county" and to launch an "advisory campaign to promote safe driving in icy conditions."

Cllr Burke said while locals are aware that this section of the road is not treated, he voiced concerns that people unfamiliar with the area have a "false sense" that "the road is treated and it's fine to drive on" because the rest of the road has been gritted.

He urged extra caution when on this road, located near Whitegate, as it "doesn't get treated either by Clare or Galway, as it's the bit in the middle and that's just unfortunate."

Cllr Michael Begley noted that "all local areas will have a small number of pinch points not treated under the council." He then queried council officials if it's possible to have a "volunteer-based programme" to target these areas.

Independent councillor Ian Lynch stated that it "causes fierce confusion when people think a road is done but it's not" and that "key routes can't be cut off" from the regional road network.

In a written reply to Cllr Ryan's motion, Cyril Feeney, Senior Engineer, said that the council aims to provide a "winter service plan" for road networks across the county in adverse weather conditions.

He explained that "given the scale of the resources involved in delivering this winter service plan, unfortunately, it is not possible to provide this service to all parts of the regional road network."

Of the 935 kilometres of road across Clare's road network, 714 kilometres are treated by Clare County Council, leaving approximately 221 kilometres of road untreated in instances of adverse and frosty weather.