Renewed call for measures where car crashed into Laois garden

Safety works are needed to protect the boundary of a house which was struck by a car, a Council meeting was told.  

Fianna Fail Cllr Padraig Fleming requested the safety works in a motion following a number of crashes.  

He asked “that Laois County Council give an update on the safety improvements works to be carried out on the Ballyfoyle to Barrowhouse road as there have been a number of  accidents at one particular location on this road which caused significant damage to a  boundary wall and home”.

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran also had a related motion on the matter. She asked “that Laois County Council install Speed/Slow radar and extra signage on the Ballyfoyle  to Barrowhouse road at the accident black spot.”

As both motions related to the same issue, Councillors agreed to take the two motions together.

Cllr Fleming said there was a 60km limit on the road and “you would assume people follow the rules but that hasn’t happened”. He said there had been an accident where a car “hit the wall of a house and the wall fell down and hit part of a house”. 

“A barrier at that particular bend would protect that green area”, said Cllr Fleming. 

“The residents at the house there. They are living in a certain amount of fear there because they don’t know when the next bang is going to come,” said Cllr Fleming. 

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“I am just hoping that the Council will come up with a clear plan,” he added. 

In response to the motion, Senior Executive Engineer, Tom Drennan, said: “The designated speed limit of the L-3976 was reduced from 80kph to 60kph since the 7th of February 2025 as part of the Government national strategy to reduce the default speed limits on rural local roads to 60kph. Additional speed limit signage has also been recently installed on the section of road. Laois County Councils District Engineer in conjunction with the Road Safety Engineer will carry out an assessment of the L-3976 to determine if any further improvements to the roadway can be made with regards to road safety.”

Cllr Fleming said the 60km designation “doesn’t stop speeders” and wanted to see further action. He said a barrier was needed to protect the house. 

Laois County Council’s Brian Seale agreed to examine the possibility of installing a barrier at the location. 

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said a crash barrier would be a good idea. She expressed concern about the "unbelievable speed” of traffic coming from the Maganey side over the Barrow Hill. 

“Three times there has been an accident at that house,” said Cllr Moran. 

She said the couple who live there have five children and the two youngest have a track around the house which they use during the day. 

“Only one of them was at a birthday party; they would have been out that day,” said Cllr Moran. 

The issue was discussed at the March meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District.