"Fatal accident waiting to happen" on road near Laois train station

A Laois road has been labelled 'an accident waiting to happen' by locals and county councillors.

Issues on the R435 at Ballybrophy railway station has been repeatedly brought before Laois County Council.

Fine Gael County Councillor Conor Bergin most recently tabled the motion that 'additional signage be installed to reduce speeding at Ballybrophy railway station'. 

Cllr Bergin highlighted that this issue has been raised numerous times. 

"The problem is that you have two different sets of traffic lights, with two different sequences and a gap between them. People are taking the chance between them," Cllr Bergin said.

"It was a lot worse a few years ago, but people are speeding. More signage is needed to create awareness and warn people about the lights," he said.

Pictured: R-435 at Ballybrophy train station.

"Locals are living in fear of them every day, and it’s dangerous for people who mightn’t be familiar with the area," Cllr Bergin finished.

The motion was seconded by Cllr John King, who explained that a car had hit the traffic light's control box within the last twelve months, which may have worsened the fault.

"People using the two slip roads are not reassured enough with the difference between the time of the lights changing," Cllr King said.

"The plan for additional signage is good, but we want to make this job successful. We want to see it done, and not back before us as a motion again," Cllr King said.

"When you spend all this money, the job should be completed and successful. I look forward to a good conclusion on this matter," Cllr King finished.

Independent Cllr James Kelly also agreed with Cllr King, calling for a solution to this issue.

"The issue here is speed, poor driver behaviour, and a poor response from the Gardaí as well," Cllr Kelly said.

"I have requested that a speed van be put in place on the road from Ballybrophy to Borris-in-Ossory, and this still hasn't happened," Cllr Kelly highlighted.

"The request went in around nine months ago, and it hasn’t been followed up on.

Pictured: the busy road has seen several road traffic accidents.

Cllr Kelly explained that the  request for a speed van was made almost nine months ago, and still hadn't received a satisfactory response. He read a letter from a local concerned resident, which branded the area as "a fatality waiting to happen."

"The issue is that drivers are continuously breaking the lights both ways on the R435 and the traffic coming up to the lights from the Kilpurcell/ Kilcoke direction and from the train station cannot go on a green light safe in the knowledge that the traffic will obey the red lights on the R435," the letter read.

"There have been several minor collisions here over the past few years. The Gardaí have been called out to some of these RTA's and others have been dealt with privately by the relevant parties. 

There is a fatality waiting to happen here so I would appreciate you raising it with the Gardaí and getting their solution to these offences," the letter finished.

"We can put up all the signage we want, but there’s a problem with the lights there, which Cllr King and Cllr Bergin have both brought up in the past too," Cllr Kelly said.

"People are going to this in trepidation, and that’s the problem," he finished.

Cathaoirleach Seamus McDonald accepted this, agreeing that there are "serious issues" at this location.

Mr James Dowling, Senior Executive Engineer of the Council's Road Department in Laois County Council, replied that a Laois County Council Area Engineer will meet with Cllr Bergin on site to discuss additional signage on the R435.

This motion was tabled at a September sitting of the Borris-in-Ossory / Mountmellick Municipal District meeting of Laois County Council.