Laois County Council refuse to remove dangerous cats-eyes on Mountrath road

A Laois County Councillor has called for the removal of cat-eyes from a local road, labelling them 'metal monstrosities' that are 'not fit for purpose.'

Independent Cllr James Kelly recently tabled a motion that Laois County Council 'as a matter of urgency remove the not fit for purpose road cat-eyes' installed by Laois County Council contractors on a 5 kilometre stretch of road on the R440 from Roundwood to Mountrath.

Senior Executive Engineer with Laois County Council's Road Division, Mr Rory O'Callaghan, denied this request.

"The Council will listen to the issues raised by the Councillor, but at the moment does not intend on removing the cat eyes at Roundwood," said Mr O'Callaghan.

"At nighttime and in an area prone to fog, the cat-eyes provide clear road demarcation and delineation while also providing an added road safety feature," he finished.

Cllr Kelly argued that he will not accept' this response. "I am not going to accept that the Council will listen," said Cllr Kelly. 

Pictured: R440 from Roundwood to Mountrath

"That road was resurfaced and it's a great job. As Cllr McDonald knows on that stretch of road as well, it has made a huge difference," Cllr Kelly said.

"It was a priority for Laois County Council because of the new cycle way. You have Paddock's school out there and Roundwood House. There are a lot of tourists travelling to the Slieve Blooms that way.

"Then the road was done brilliantly. Then what we had was a monstrosity of cats-eyes put on the road. These cats-eyes are not your normal cats-eyes, I wouldn't be putting them in as a notice of motion if they were," Cllr Kelly argued.

"They are big metal cats-eyes, and they-re so high on the road that they're going to cause an accident."

Cllr Kelly highlighted that there is sizeable farming community within this area, and the cat eyes may cause trailers pulled by tractors to swing.

"Spraying machines with smaller tyres have hit these cats-eyes and have been jumping up and down," said Cllr Kelly.

"There will be a car coming in the opposite direction to one of these big trucks, and there will be an accident. And it's then that the Council will go ahead and do something about that. They need to be removed and replaced with normal cats-eyes," he said.

Pictured: The massive metal cats-eyes on the 5km stretch from Roundwood to Mountrath.

"These were installed by a contractor, I believe from Northern Ireland. They are the wrong cats-eyes, they're old cats-eyes that were put in to fulfill a contract. The contractor should have been made come back and replace them.

"That is a huge problem, I am not going to let this go. I will be bringing this again next month," Cllr Kelly finished.

Cllr Kelly's motion was seconded by Cathaoirleach Cllr Seamus McDonald.

"There are serious issues on this road, people have been on to me about this," Cllr McDonald said.

Cllr Ollie Clooney and Cllr John King also gave their full support to the motion.

"I would like to support what Cllr Kelly has said, I think they must have gotten the cat-eyes on the cheap," said Cllr Clooney.

"They are outdated and not fit for purpose. We should be adding safety to the road, not creating dangers. I think it should never have been signed off on. I am a good bit away from that, and I still got phone calls over this issue. I fully support James," Cllr Clooney finished.

This matter was raised at the November sitting of the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District of Laois County Council.