Fake crossing ‘a dig’ over junction layout delay

A vigilante road worker has struck at one of Ireland’s most dangerous traffic junctions — painting a homemade zebra crossing in place.

White emulsion was used for the rogue road marking at the notorious Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon, Co Clare.

County council officials said its workmen are having difficulty removing it due to the mixture used.

Painted at the weekend, officials accepted it was “a dig” at the local authority over delays in developing a new layout at the junction — on a main route to top tourist spots, Cliffs of Moher and Lahinch

At peak season, traffic delays of more than an hour are commonplace along with scores of vehicle accidents at the junction.

Council engineer Tony Neville yesterday urged anyone with information on the “dangerous” zebra crossing to contact gardaí.

He said the council is experiencing difficulty removing the paint. “We have to take it out. It is emulsion so white spirits won’t work. We are scrubbing it at the moment,” he said.

“It is a bit of a dig at us, really. We have to condemn it and to note it is dangerous. Pedestrians are using it, causing confusion. If anyone has information we would urge them to contact the gardaí.”

Local councillor Joe Arkins (FG) said the action was a direct prompt from the local community — aimed at the council.

“The community are prompting us to take on certain works here. We have a real problem there [Blakes Corner] and the sooner we can apply ourselves to solving this the better,” he said.

In a statement yesterday Clare County Council said the zebra-crossing could be the cause of an accident.

“Unauthorised surface markings can cause confusion for road users and can be hazardous for both pedestrians and motorists,” said senior engineer Tom Tiernan.

Blakes Corner has been the site of continuing difficulty for the county council — who had to shelve long-awaited plans to create a new traffic management system at the junction.

Local group Saving Ennistymon Heritage opposed the new junction on the grounds that two listed buildings, known as Blake’s and Linnane’s, would have to be demolished.

The process has been stalled for the last two years as the council failure to secure funding from the NRA to complete an environmental impact statement for the proposed development.