Writes Leo McMahon
Compliments were paid to senior executive engineer Madeleine Healy and county council staff by members of Carrigaline Municipal District (MD) at their monthly meeting on recent road safety works.
The engineer reported that works were ongoing erecting 30 kilometres per hour speed limit/slow zone signs in Liosbourne, Carrigaline; near Educate Together school road leading to Clos na Baoi housing development Kilnagleary, Carrigaline; at Avondale and Highlands estates, Passage West and at Heatherfield estate, Waterfall.
‘Digital flashing (driver information feedback) speed signs are or will be erected at Ballinrea Road travelling south towards Carrigaline Education Campus; at Rock Road travelling towards Church Road, Carrigaline and Coolmore Cross in both directions,’ Ms Healy added.
The area office, she continued, was fine tuning the programmes for road works, drainage, footpaths, public lighting for 2024 subject to the funding that is allocated.
Up to early January before the icy period, the weather had been kind and this enabled the area office staff to catch up with a number of requested items such as signage as outlined and requested by members.
Councillors thanked Ms Healy and her staff. Cllr Seamus McGrath (FF) also welcomed the erection of 30kph signs at Ashgrove Estate, Carrigaline. In reply to him, the engineer said a driver feedback sign would also be erected on the approach road to Monkstown.
In reply to Cllr Jack White (FG), who asked about when signs would be erected for Rock Road, Carrigaline, Ms Healy said the office was awaiting delivery of poles and sockets for here and other locations.
Cllr Marcia D’Alton (Ind) asked about driver feedback signs at the hill leading to Myrtleville beach. The engineer recalled an email from one resident opposing this, but she had no problem looking at it again. Such signs had only a short-term impact so most were therefore rotated within the MD after a few months and she agreed with the councillor that such signs being erected during the summer season would be more beneficial for Myrtleville.
Cllr McGrath also supported the request for Myrtleville Hill as did Cathaoirleach Cllr Audrey Buckley (FF) who asked that ‘slow’ signs be painted on the road surface leading to the beach.
Cllr Una McCarthy (FG) welcomed the signs for Ballinrea Cross towards Carrigaline.
Cllr White, who welcomed the signs for Rock Road, asked if there was a next step after driver feedback signs were in place for two to three months. The engineer said it depended on where the sign was and the data received which was very important.
Carrigaline Playground
Cllr McGrath supported the recommendation in the report of MD officer Denise Kidney to carry over the €25,600 allocation in 2023 to upgrade the playground in Carrigaline to this year in order to build up a sufficient fund to do a proper job, saying such works cost a small fortune. It is hoped to get similar funding for this year but there would be need for local input on funding.
With regard to the latter, Cllr McGrath suggested a discussion with Carrigaline Community Association who were involved in the original playground project. Ms Kidney said the more funding that could be raised, the more funding could be obtained from South and East Cork Area Development (SECAD). Cllr D’Alton concurred, saying this helped a lot for the playground in Passage West.
Cllr Buckley agreed as did Cllr D’Alton who said that equipment taken out that could be rehabilitated would be most welcome in other locations. The MD officer said she would look into this having regard to the fact that one piece of playground could cost around €25,000.
Senior executive officer Maurice Murphy pointed out that there were only two providers of equipment in Europe for meeting the required standards which were non-negotiable.
Among projects that benefitted from the General Municipal Allocation from the MD, said Ms Kidney, was upgrading of the car park at Carrigaline Badminton Club.