Unavoidable hazards on the road west

AS the carnage on our roads continues, a number of relevant points occurred to me on a recent journey from Dublin to Louisburgh in Co Mayo.

1. There were no official lay-bys for motorists on most of the 280km journey. On the motorway near the Dublin end there were two well-planned and spacious lay-bys — but these were reserved for gardaí. This lack of lay-bys is unforgivable.

2. On a stretch of road between Tulsk and Charlestown, where there was a 100km limit, a sudden series of nasty bends and narrowed road appeared, making driving hazardous even in summer. Large trucks travelling at speed through these narrow, zig-zag bends were unsighted until the bend was rounded. It was impossible to drive safely at anything exceeding 60kmh on this stretch. Other similar stretches of bad road with 100kmh speed limits occurred regularly along the journey.

3. At other points of the journey, a 100km/h speed limit was allowed while a sign painted on the road itself said SLOW and even SLOWER. The ambiguity in these contradicting signs will itself cause further accidents.

4. Coming out of Dublin, the lanes are not clearly marked, so a driver could end up in a village instead of keeping to the main western road.

If these are hazards during daylight in summertime, they are much worse in winter when storms, rain, frost and the lights of oncoming traffic make driving more difficult.

I’m sure drivers on other routes could add to this list of hazards which could be removed with a little effort.

Justin Morahan

71 Scholarstown Park

Rathfarnham

Dublin 16