Pedestrian safety works to begin in Charleville following fatal accidents
A new pedestrian crossing will be built near the street’s junction with Broad Street, with a range of other ancillary works also planned along the main street. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Pedestrian safety works are due to start within weeks in a town centre on the main Cork to Limerick road where several elderly pedestrians have been killed.
The works on Charleville’s main street, due to start in February, will see the existing five pedestrian crossings refurbished and upgraded to 'table-top' pedestrian crossings. Each crossing will have improved visibility for pedestrians and motorists.
And a new pedestrian crossing will be built near the street’s junction with Broad Street, with a range of other ancillary works also planned along the main street.
Calls for the safety upgrades mounted last summer following the deaths in quick succession of two elderly pedestrians in separate incidents on the main street.
A man aged 82 and a woman aged 70 died within weeks of each other last April and May when they were both struck by trucks while crossing the main street.
Their deaths brought to five the number of pedestrian fatalities on the town’s main street in recent years.
The people who died in the previous incidents were aged 75, 83, and 94.
The circumstances surrounding all the deaths were broadly similar — pedestrians struck by trucks or lorries while crossing the main street. Speed was not a factor.
The most recent figures from Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) show 15,000 vehicles a day pass through Charleville on the N20 Cork to Limerick road.
And while design work is ongoing for the multi-million upgrade of the N20, and the county council is working with TII on a strategic assessment report to progress an eastern relief road for Charleville, it could be several years before heavy goods vehicles are taken out of Charleville town centre.
Local councillor John Paul O’Shea was among those who called last year for urgent safety upgrades in the interim.
“There has been a lot of surveys and assessments done on Charleville's main street since the tragic fatalities last year,” he said.
“These upcoming works are very welcome and I know will be well received by the people of the town.
“Works will be done in the evening and nighttime in the main which will hopefully limit traffic delays to a minimum.”
Other work planned over the coming weeks will see the town's southbound bus stop moved further south to facilitate a lesser gradient at the bus stop, placing it closer to the nearest pedestrian crossing.
The northbound bus stop will be separated from the existing loading bay to ease a notorious bottleneck issue.
Changes will also remove the right turns from Newline and Broad Street to the N20.
Work is ongoing to provide additional parking off main street, and once this is secured, the herringbone, or angle-in parking arrangement, will be removed and replaced with parallel parking, eliminating the need for motorists to reverse out of the parking space.
The council is also assessing the junctions on Baker's Road to improve safety for motorists and pedestrians.
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