Councillor wants Google Maps to remove road at leading Laois tourist attraction

A Laois councillor asked for a road near the Rock of Dunamase to be removed from Google Maps. 

Fine Gael Councillor PJ Kelly said locals can no longer walk on the road due to the number of vehicles being directed to the Rock of Dunamase. 

He asked “that Laois County Council contact Google Maps to see is it possible to take the Ballycarroll Road  down to the Rock of Dunamase off of their system as local residents are unable to cope with all  the extra traffic that is directed to this route by sat nav.” 

Cllr Kelly claimed local residents are afraid to walk the road and instead travel to Portlaoise if they want to go for a walk. 

“A good few residents along that stretch of road have asked me about this since I became a councillor,” said Cllr Kelly. 

“Residents say they can’t walk, they are afraid to walk that road any more, there is too many heavy vehicles going down that narrow stretch of road,” he said.   

Cllr Kelly spoke about a resident he recently met who lives along the road. 

“I met him in town here in Portlaoise walking his dog in an estate because he says he can’t walk his own road… He says some of his neighbours now are doing the same because he has told them it is a lot safer,” explained Cllr Kelly. 

“It is more to do with coming off the motorway, everything is directed there off of that roundabout down the Ballycarroll Road,” he told a meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.  

Cllr Kelly said  overtaking bays had been introduced in the area but he believed more needed to be done. 

In a written response to the motion, Senior Engineer, Roads Department, Paul McLoughlin said: “Laois County Council will assess the extent of the issue and where required will contact Google Maps suggesting alternatives.” 

Fianna Fail Cllr Paschal  McEvoy agreed with Cllr Kelly and said he believed an assessment of the entire road was needed. 

“Apart from the problem with the sat nav the overall tourist attraction at the Rock of Dunamase is growing and growing and growing,” he remarked. 

Cllr McEvoy described the roads in the area as “extremely narrow” and not meant for the volume of traffic in the area.

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran wasn’t convinced a request to Google Maps to remove the road would succeed. 

“I don’t think Google Maps would take a road off. That’s their job to map every single road. Would it not be more up to the council to put up signage saying this is a local road, local access only, something like that,” she said.

Director of Services, Gerry Murphy, noted the central issue related to traffic being directed down the Ballycarroll Road. 

Cllr Kelly agreed with Mr Murphy and said he wanted to see the traffic use the Portlaoise Stradbally Road instead.  

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Mr Murphy suggested they amend the motion in order to reflect Cllr Kelly’s intent and this was agreed by the councillors.