Faulty traffic lights spark concerns over potential 'major accident' in Laois town

Local councillors and even the Gardaí have appealed to Laois County Council to replace the malfunctioning traffic lights on Main Street in Abbeyleix, amid fears of a "major accident" on the road.

Councillor John Joe Fennelly raised the issue at the November meeting of the Portlaoise MD. He told the council he witnessed the lights skip on every second turn for the Ballinakill road, saying it is particularly evident between 2pm and 4.30pm each day. 

Cllr Fennelly explained that if somebody presses the button for the pedestrian crossing, Main Street and the Mountrath Road will get their lights but the lights will skip on every second turn for Ballinakill. 

He said that it is causing major issues with traffic congestion, with traffic backed up as far as the hospital or garda station some days. Cllr Fennelly emphasised it is leading to a lot of frustration for drivers and An Garda Síochána have raised their concerns about it with him.

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The councillor added: "I'm afraid of a major accident there."

Supporting the motion, Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley agreed that it is a serious problem as she herself has witnessed the malfunction. 

Laois County Council responded to Cllr Fennelly to say Road Design have engaged with the council's Electrical Contractor and have assessed the lights "numerous times", as well as engaging with specialist contractors. 

They concluded: "The configurations were checked and timings analysed. The timings for the main line - N77 (Durrow-Portlaoise) are set for longer due to the volume of traffic using the main line. There were no faults found in the controller programme. We will continue to monitor these traffic lights and will consider upgrading the equipment if necessary."

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme