Road safety concerns in Laois town must be tackled after recent death of local man

There have been calls for road safety measures to be put in place in Abbeyleix following the recent death of a man in his 70s.

In January, there was shock and sadness in Abbeyleix following the tragic death of popular local man, Tony Kavanagh, who was hit by a car on Main Street.

Local Fianna Fail Cllr John Joe Fennelly knew Mr Kavanagh well and described him as "a character and lovely, lovely fella."

Abbeyleix was the scene of another fatal road incident last July, after a young motorcyclist from Westmeath, Dawid Kluz, was killed in a collision on the N77.

Now, Cllr Fennelly has called on Laois County Council to consider implementing a town specific Road Safety Plan for Abbeyleix.

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The Laois Road Safety Plan was approved by councillors at the meeting of Laois County Council on Monday, January 23.

The plan is part of the national goal of reaching Vision Zero by 2050, meaning there would be zero deaths or serious injuries on roads. It is hoped that by 2030, the number of road deaths and injuries will be reduced by 50%. 

It will see a number of issues tackled such as reviewing speed limits in towns, Garda patrols, improving the road network in Laois, and more.

Cllr Fennelly welcomed the plan but also raised the question whether smaller scale plans could be implemented in towns to target more specific issues.

He used Abbeyleix as a prime example of a town which could benefit from this, considering the recent deaths. Cllr Fennelly also pointed out Main Street in Abbeyleix as a source of concern.

"In Abbeyleix we had a fatality a few weeks ago, Tony Kavanagh. Around the traffic lights there we have a major problem with people reversing out. I was just wondering if there was any way we could have a look at Abbeyleix in particular to try and see if we can do something to make it a little bit more safer because this is the second fatality in a number of years," Cllr Fennelly said.

"If we could look at the whole situation with carparking, especially outside SuperValu and the Credit Union. It is very dangerous."

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme