Council receive 1,800 submissions for reduced speed limit in Breaffy

Edwin McGreal

Mayo County Council has received a staggering 1,800 submissions seeking a reduced speed limit through the village of Breaffy, Castlebar.
Last Thursday was the closing date throughout Mayo for submissions for reduced speed limits on roads in the county as part of the process of Mayo County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the National Roads Authority) addressing speed limits in Mayo.
The proposal from Mayo County Council and TII was to reduce the speed limit on the main N60 Castlebar to Claremorris road from 100kmph to 80kmph from the roundabout at Kilkenny Cross just outside Castlebar as far as Heneghan’s Plant Hire in Breaffy, adjacent to the local GAA grounds.
They propose that the limit would return to 100kmph from Heneghan’s to Manulla and then be at 80kmph from Manulla to Balla.
However, following a series of community meetings, a local action group are pushing for the following: 80kmph from the Kilkenny Cross roundabout to the town side of the Cottage Road junction in Breaffy; from there to Curry’s Shop on the far side of the village a 60kmph zone be introduced, returning to a 80kmph zone as far as Manulla.
The Mayo News understands that the vast majority of the 1,800 submissions are also pushing for these reductions. A meeting with some Mayo County Councillors last week saw them back the community’s proposal.
The huge number of submissions were gathered via families of children in Breaffy NS, where there are 433 pupils, and from committee members going door to door in the community.
There have been concerns raised at the dangers of fast moving traffic adjacent to the local school, which is located just off the main N60.
The local community group are also pushing for traffic control measures in the village itself, just off the N60, but the current submissions relate purely to speed limits.
John Fahey, one of the leading proponents for a reduction in the speed limits through the village, has commended the local community for their ‘unity and depth of feeling’ on the issue.