Councillor claims ‘lethal’ new N5 putting lives at risk

Motorists who break down along the new N5 dual carriageway are putting their lives and the lives of those who assist them at risk because of the lack of a hard shoulder.

That is the opinion of Westport-based councillor Christy Hyland, who said a number of breakdown assistants and emergency workers have contacted him about the new €241 million N5 dual carriageway.

The new N5 Westport-to-Turlough road, which was opened last June, consists of 20.3km of ‘Type 2’ dual carriageway. This type of dual carriage way is designed without stopping lanes or hard shoulders to the side and has a speed limit of 100km/hr.

The lack of stopping lanes was raised at the monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, which heard that breakdown-assistance personnel and emergency-service workers attending breakdowns along the N5 have claimed they are putting their lives in danger every time they respond to cars in trouble.

‘Nearly killed’

Independent councillor Christy Hyland said he has been approached by different people who work as breakdown assistants who described the road as ‘lethal’ because of the speed traffic is travelling and the lack of a hard shoulder for motorists to pull into.

“Talk to the breakdown assistants, because one of them said to me if they are called out at night they are playing with their lives,” he told yesterday’s monthly meeting, which was held in Westport.

“Two members of the emergency service went to a single-vehicle collision and one of them said he was nearly killed on that new dual carriageway,” he continued.

“There are two lanes but there is absolutely nowhere to pull in if there is a breakdown. The people who got in touch with me did not do it lightly – and some are in the emergency services who have serious concerns. Breakdown assistants who are on the road all the time… they are saying this road is lethal and an accident waiting to happen.

“I would invite the TII representatives to come to our next meeting to discuss this because it is very important – otherwise, and I am not being dramatic, there could be a fatality. Something has to be done to create lay-bys on that dual carriageway or someone is going to be seriously injured,” the Westport-based councillor said.

‘Refuge areas’

In response to Cllr Hylands concerns, Padraig Walsh, Head of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, explained that Type 2 dual carriageways are designed without wide hard shoulders.

“That is simply the way it operates, and there are quite a number in the country. The Type 2 is designed to a particular specification, and if you go to a higher spec of dual carriageway you would be going to one with a wide hard shoulder, which has a much wider pavement and comes with a much bigger price tag,” he said.

Mr Walsh added that there are a number of ‘refuge areas’ built into the design of the N5, and that these allow motorists to pull in if they have mechanical issues and have to stop.

While the new N5 was described in the meeting as a ‘fantastic piece of infrastructure’, it was not the first time that safety concerns have been raised.

At the last meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Brendan Mulroy pointed out that there are no signs indicating the end of the dual carriage near Westport, and that due to this, some drivers were driving on the wrong side of the single-lane northern relief road after exiting the roundabout.

At yesterday’s meeting, Westport councillor Peter Flynn highlighted what he said was another major flaw on the northern relief road near Newport Road. He said that a 100km/hr speed limit sign had been erected at the junction for Attireech, close to the Newport Road roundabout. Describing the limit as ‘illogical’ and ‘dangerous’, he asked for the speed limit at the location to be reduced.

Mr Walsh said he would ask Paul Hyland, senior engineer with the National Roads Office, to attend the next meeting to explain the design of the new N5 and speak to councillors about their various concerns.