Fenagh community is very concerned about traffic speeds in this area

Cllr Brendan Barry asked that traffic calming measures be carried out beside Foxfield Church, Foxfield Hall and Fenagh new cemetery as the "community is very concerned about traffic speeds in this area."

The response said that the issue can be placed on Low Cost Safety Scheme once the Garda have evidence of road incidents at the location and funding can be sought. 

It concluded that speeding issues should be brought up at the Joint Policing Committee meeting.

Cllr Barry asked if the council could carry out a speed survey at the location with district engineer Darragh O'Boyle saying there had been a driver feedback sign there but it was vandalised and said they can look at replacing it. "That sign will give us the information we need," he said.

He said the signs "work for about a week" in terms of calming traffic.

Cllr Ita Reynolds-Flynn said that speed is a "big issue and I don't know what the solution is."

Mr O'Boyle said that it's not within the council's remit to prosecute people and that that is down to an Garda Síochána. 

"Unless we physically slow them down with ramps or something; footpaths and lighting do give an urban approach to a village and people will usually slow down."

He added that "with kids in the car the feedback signs work better because they see a frown or a happy face."

He added that he didn't want to put ramps on the regional road. 

Cllr Ellis said there were also speed issues in Lahard, Ballinamore and Mr O'Boyle said that there is funding under the Leitrim County Council funding for footpaths for Lahard Estate and Railway Terrace. 

"The district engineer's office wants to widen that footpath and narrow the carriageway which will slow down traffic," he said.

Cllr Paddy O'Rourke noted he had a motion in a year ago about the R209 and said those taking children to creche facilities at the location "are still complaining bitterly."

He said that vehicles coming from Edentenny "coming down that hill have some difficulty in slowing down sufficiently" with Mr O'Boyle responding that speed bars and feedback signs have been installed at the location. 

He continued, "Active Travel is going to look at Safe Routes to School (SRTS) in Ballinamore. The issue at the school is parking regardless of the speed of traffic coming in; we have illegitimate parking going on up there where people are parking willy nilly. That needs to be sorted and hopefully under SRTS, we can adjust that system."

Cllr O'Rourke said the heavy goods vehicles HGVs are slowed down by the cars parked on either side. "I'm not making a case for careless parking but I wonder what those trucks do at night when nobody's parked there; I can well imagine."

Mr O'Boyle noted there are six pedestrian crossings in Ballinamore on the main HGV routes which he said slows them down. 

Cllr Callian Ellis said that the problem at the school is the volume of cars which he described as "unbelievable". 

Cllr Ellis added: "I've seen children running in and out of behind cars and I hope there won't be a bad accident."

Cllr O'Rourke said the school is "well inside the 30km/h speed limit and cars should not be doing the speed they are doing" with Cllr Ita Reynolds-Flynn suggesting an awareness campaign. 

Cllr Barry said it "comes down to people being afraid of getting caught or not; people have no fear of being done for speeding at the school as it seems people are only done when they pass a speed van."

He went to say that rather than putting speed vans out on the N4, they should be at locations such as schools. 

"I think we need additional Gardai instead of €17m for speed vans; we can't be putting ramps all over the place."