MULLINGAR residents living in every housing estate in the town, but particularly parents of young children who are concerned about threats to their safety from fast-moving cars, have welcomed the news that every town estate, as well as housing estates and schemes in every other town and village in Westmeath, will shortly have Special Speed Limits of 30km/ph (18mph), But they say that more than this is needed to slow down drivers.
Within the next few months, the County Council will bring in bye-laws for 30km/ph speed limits in 79 Mullingar housing estates, and a total of 294 such estates across Westmeath in towns and villages.
The Chairperson of Glenview Residents’ Association, John Ready, told Topic he believes this will not solve the problem that Glenview and other estates around Mullingar face as regards speeding. “We have a sign up stating the speed limit in the estate and no one pays it any heed,” he told us this week.
John Ready said their association is currently trying to get extra speed ramps installed in their estate because cars, including delivery companies for takeaways, are driving at speed through the estate. “It’s an absolute disgrace. Something has to be done. Look at the child who was killed in Limerick two weeks ago running out after a ball?
“They’re putting in the speed ramps and they are not high enough. We’re after asking the Council and are awaiting a reply at the moment. Besides the speeding, the road hasn’t been done in the estate in 30 years so the road needs to be done first and then decent speed ramps put in.”
DRIVERS CONFRONTED
Mr. Ready said one resident, who had enough of cars speeding, confronted a driver head-on about his driving, “She went out in front of this fella one day and said to him, ‘Have you got kids?’ and he said, ‘No’ and she said, ‘Well I do, and I don’t want them to be killed on the road.’ Ever since she said it, he has apparently stopped doing it so that’s what it seems to take.”
Mr. Ready said that at a recent sports day held in the estate, residents set out traffic cones in the area to slow cars down. “It did a great job of slowing down the traffic but we definitely need more speed ramps. I bring home my work van and I park it outside the front of the house and it’s like a traffic cone because it forces cars to slow down because you can’t see around it.”
He believes that speeding drivers take little notice of the speed bumps. “I would say the speed ramps are in maybe four years but they’re not paying any heed to them. I was cutting the grass yesterday and I was verbally threatened by a driver because I asked them to slow down and in fairness, he did. Even one of the landlords who lives in the estate, I had to call out to him to slow down too. Then you have the cars coming up from the test centre and they will be absolutely flying.”
A number of months back, Mr. Ready was involved in another incident where he narrowly avoided being knocked down by another driver who took issue with him telling her to slow down. “A driver for one of the companies in town was driving back through the estate with a car full of people and I went out on the road to tell her to slow down. She turned off the lights and drove straight at me. I reported her to the Gardaí.”
CALLS FOR SPEED RAMPS
He said that a lot of residents have voiced concerns about the lack of speed ramps in the estate and the dangerous driving. “A lot of people are saying, ‘Why are we paying local tax when we can’t get speed ramps or the roads and footpaths done?’ I was actually going to bring it up at our next meeting that we write a letter from the Residents’ Association to all the takeaways in town doing deliveries, just to explain that if they don’t slow down they will be reported to the Gardaí. The way some of them go around corners, they’re nearly on two wheels.”
“I know the ramps have to be a certain height for emergency vehicles, but even the narrow ones you see at the airport can slow traffic down. They wouldn’t cost much either. They’re only screwed into the road. Tower View is involved with our Residents’ Association and it’s the same thing with them.”
Mr. Ready said he believed there’s little point putting down new speed ramps if the road surfaces are not redone. “A car can skid on a bad surface. There is grass growing up both sides of the road and there’s a gully either side. There’s two creches up there and one of them brings the children out on the green to play and a child could run out.”
He also said there were instances of drivers mounting the pavement and ending up on the green. “We had a situation of people coming in drunk and on drugs and they were speeding and crashed the car. Two children were out playing where they crashed. It’s crazy. The chances of an accident are very high.”
Mick Price of Belview Heights said he would wholeheartedly agree with the new speed limit. “Our area isn’t too bad because the streets are narrow. There are young families there alright and we have grandchildren coming here to visit too. You have lovely families living in the area and I would like to see the estate remain the same.”
“The people in Glenview, as well as Bellview, are proud of their estates and they take great care of the grass and keep the place clean and tidy.”
