‘Accident waiting to happen’ still at Merlin Park University Hospital
The exit from Merlin Park University Hospital is still ‘a serious accident waiting to happen’ despite repeated calls for safety measures to be implemented.
The Galway City East Area Committee meeting of councillors last week was told that the Roads Department in Galway City Council was still awaiting a proposal from its Active Travel team on how to make that junction safe.
Galway City Councillor Alan Cheevers (FF) raised the matter and once again called for urgent action.
He told the meeting that there were two collisions at the entrance over Christmas, and it remained a serious and ongoing risk to all road users.
Councillor Cheevers said safety at that junction was an issue that has been raised with him by motorists and constituents.
He reiterated the call he has made many times in recent months to put safety measures in place at the Merlin Park junction on the Dublin Road to make it safe for all road users.
Meanwhile, Councillor Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) requested an update on plans to remove Skerritt Roundabout at ATU (formerly GMIT) on Dublin Road.
Councillor O’Flaherty said plans to replace that roundabout with traffic lights fell by the wayside over a decade ago due to the economic crash and other problems. She said she wanted an update from officials at the next area meeting.
Councillor Declan McDonnell (Ind), chair of the East Area Committee, suggested that the owners of the former Corrib Great Southern Hotel should contribute to the cost of removing the roundabout as part of plans to redevelop that site that faces the junction.
Elsewhere, the City Council has agreed to a request from Councillor Helen Ogbu (Lab) for transport officials in City Hall to meet with residents in Renmore about the ongoing problem of rat runs in the area.
Councillor Ogbu had asked that the Renmore Residents Association attend last week’s meeting to voice their ongoing concerns.
The Council said the request came too late to facilitate it but proposed instead that a list of residents’ concerns are supplied to Council staff, who will meet residents about an agreed agenda.
Councillor Ogbu said the rat-running traffic issue in Renmore, “continues to be a significant concern for residents, particularly in relation to road safety, traffic volumes, and quality of life in the area”.
Pictured: Merlin Park Hospital: proposals to make the exit safe for road users still awaited.