Laois village continues campaign for traffic calming measures
Arles residents continue their years-long campaign for pedestrian crossings and other traffic calming measures to be installed on busy national road through the Laois village
Residents of Arles are renewing their call for traffic calming measures to be put in place in the village.
For over seven years, Arles locals have been seeking the installation of pedestrian crossings, particularly in the vicinity of Arles National School and the Radharc Alainn housing estate.
Residents are seeking traffic calming measures at the entries to the village, and within the village, they are seeking safe parking spaces, a new footpath to the GAA pitch and improved lighting and signage.
Arles is on the N80 route, and a high volume of trucks and cars pass through the village daily.
Residents find traffic often exceeds the 50km speed limit and presents a danger to locals, particularly as some sections of the footpaths are very narrow.
Residents claim there have been several unreported minor accidents, and they believe that a more serious incident may occur if improved infrastructure and traffic calming measures are not installed.
In May 2025, Laois TD Brian Stanley and a group of local residents collected signatures in a door-to-door petition, which was submitted to Laois County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland [TII], the body responsible for the national road running through Arles.
Laois County Council and TII met onsite last year to discuss the project, and the council submitted a report and plan to TII. TII sought a number of alterations to the plan, and Laois County Council is currently in the process of submitting a revised version.
Laois TD Brian Stanley said: “I have discussed this on several occasions since with senior members of staff in Laois County Council seeking to expediate this process. I have also made representations to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and engaged with them on this issue.
It is really important that this project is moved on as Arles is the only village from Tullamore to Wexford that does not have traffic calming measures in place within the boundaries of the village and this needs to be addressed urgently.”
At the council’s budget meeting on Monday, November 9, Cllr Ben Brennan questioned why Arles had not been listed for roads funding. Director of Services for Roads Simon Walton explained that there is “no point” in allocating funds to traffic-calming measures in Arles until it is “identified as a priority by the TII.”