Calls for road upgrade after death toll reaches six

THE Cork-Tralee (N22) road has claimed its sixth life this year, making it the most dangerous road in the south of the country.

Gardaí say that if large parts of it aren’t upgraded soon, many more will die.

Senior gardaí made a plea to fast-track the extension of the Ballincollig bypass to the west of Ballyvourney after a 59-year-old man was fatally knocked down near Farnanes on Monday evening.

Frank Long, of 54 Roche’s Buildings, Cork, was struck by a transit van as he tried to cross the road.

Gardaí believe he had been visiting a relative in the area and was crossing the road to get a bus when the accident happened at 5.25pm.

Conditions were poor at the time, which may have contributed to the accident, and witnesses have been asked to contact Macroom gardaí at (026) 20590.

“This is a particularly dangerous road. There are dangerous junctions along it and there is a high volume of traffic. We are urging motorists to be very careful,” a garda spokesman said.

He pointed out that the number of speeding tickets issued by gardaí along that road were up 25% on last year.

“Macroom needs to have its bypass built now, before any more people lose their lives,” the spokesman added.

He said that “in fairness” the National Roads Authority (NRA) had put in some safety measures at Doonisky junction, near Lissarda, but a whole new road was needed to reduce the number of deaths.

Cllr Michael Creed (FG) said he had spoken with senior NRA officials just two weeks ago and was informed that construction of the Macroom bypass wouldn’t start until 2009.

More worrying, he said, was that the NRA didn’t seem to be progressing in the upgrade of the most dangerous section of the N22, between Ovens bridge and Macroom.

The section of N22 east of Macroom handles far more traffic than that to the west of the town.

“A route corridor for that has been identified, but there has been no talk of detailed design of CPOs (Compulsory Purchase Orders),” Mr Creed said.