‘D-Day’ given to TII over Breaffy speed limit

Ger Flanagan

TRANSPORT Infrastructure Ireland (TII) have been given a ‘D-Day’ of November 11 to reduce the speed limit through Breaffy from 100kmh to 60kmh – or face a protest from local people.
That is according to Cathaoirleach of Castlebar Municipal District, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, who made the comments at last Thursday’s monthly meeting, where it was agreed to write a letter to the TII informing them of the council’s intentions to protest unless their demands are met by that date.
Cllr Kilcoyne told the meeting that councillors should ‘lead the people of Breaffy in protest’ through the village if the TII do not respond to their demands, and highlighted the recent accidents on the road as their reasoning.
“On one side of the road you have two hotels and a football pitch,” he said. “The other side of the road you have a church, and houses and the school and a pub. And you have a 100kmh speed limit going through it, ” he said
Cllr Martin McLoughlin (Fianna FΡil) highlighted to the meeting that the TII had previously offered to reduce the current speed limit to 80kmh, but that was rejected.
 
‘Lacking consistency’
Cllr Cyril Burke (FG) accused the TII of ‘lacking consistency’ in their decision on speed limits, highlighting that reduced limit of 60kmh were introduced in nearby Ballintubber, which has ‘nothing like the activity in Breaffy’.
Cllr Blackie Gavin (FF) added that a similar problem occurred in the Bohola area some years ago, which was resolved by the local people blocking the road in protest, and suggested copying that model.
“November 11 is D-Day,” Cllr Kilcoyne said. “That gives them four or five weeks [to reduce the speed limit]. If not, we will protest.”