*Cllr Pat O’Gorman. Photograph: John Mangan
Conflicting speed limits by local authorities on the same stretch of road has been labelled as “nonsensical” by South Clare representatives.
Pass Rd in Meelick has a 50km/h speed limit set out by Limerick City and County Council whereas the limit just across the boundary from Clare County Council is 80km/h.
Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) appealed to Clare County Council to bring its speed limit on the road to 50km/h at a recent sitting of the Shannon Municipal District.
Clare’s last speed limit review was completed in 2018 and is initiated every five years by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
Senior executive engineer in the road design office of Clare County Council, John Gannon stated that the boundary on Pass Rd would be reviewed under the next speed limit review which is set to commence next year.
“You can’t travel 80km/h on it anyway because the world of houses is built on it, 80km/h is too high for it because it is the bare width of a car,” Cllr O’Gorman commented.
Bringing down the limit was a small ask, Cllr Michael Begley (IND) felt. “It is one of those roads that you would like to catch at each end and pull to get it straight. It is nightmare of a road and I only drive it seldom,” he said.
After watching a video on social media by the Cratloe representative, Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) remarked it was “only then I realised how nonsensical it was to have 50km/h and 80km/h”.