Car accident at notorious Mayo blackspot increases calls for traffic calming
Locals estimate that there have been 20 accidents at the bend over the last five years
A female driver escaped without injury this morning after her car left the road and ended up in a field at a dangerous bend on the Westport to Louisburgh road at Killadangan shortly before 9am this morning.
It is a stretch locals say has claimed at least 20 accidents in the past five years alone.
The incident, which occurred in broad daylight and in reasonably dry road conditions, required the vehicle to be winched from the field before it could be removed from the scene.
One eyewitness told The Mayo News that "both cars have narrowly missed large trees and mountain boulders, which sit each side of the entry point over the verge. If either car collided with those, I'm quite certain there would have been a fatality."
It is the second known accident at the same location in recent weeks, following a similar incident in the early hours of March 23, when a car overturned at the very same corner.
'Same spot, same thing'
One local resident expressed frustration at the recurring incidents. "Same spot, same place, same thing," he said, adding that he fears it is only a matter of time before a more serious tragedy occurs.
Local garage owner Paul Gannon, whose filling station sits close to the bend, believes the quality of the newly improved road from Westport is itself a contributing factor. "The road from Westport now is so good, which is great — it's fantastic — but there's nothing to slow anyone down. It's a straight run all the way until they come to that turn, which is quite sharp, and people just aren't used to it, especially if they're strangers to the area."
He described how drivers, emboldened by the open road, are frequently travelling well in excess of 100 kilometres per hour before reaching the bend. "The temptation is so great to just put the foot down, especially at nighttime or during a quiet period. They're flying, and then they run into that corner."
Gannon recalled one incident from several years ago that has stayed with him. "I was doing work on the house and I heard this car absolutely flying down. I said, 'They're not going to make the corner,' and sure enough, they didn't. There were two young lads — they were okay, no serious injury — but there have been serious accidents over the years."
The issue, he says, also affects customers trying to pull out of Gannon's Garage. "Cars coming from Westport are going past here too fast. There needs to be something to slow them down before the Westport side of our fence — some sort of traffic calming."
Fatal history
The dangers of the bend in Killadangan are not new. In 2006, Westport man Henry Joseph Gill, aged 84, died after the car he was driving left the road at the same location. The popular father of twelve was killed when his vehicle struck a wall at the bend. Driving conditions at the time were described as poor, with strong winds and heavy rain.
Call for action
Local councillor Chris Maxwell, based in Louisburgh, has pledged to raise the issue of the Belclare bend at the next Westport-Belmullet Municipal District meeting. He would like to see improved warning signage erected to alert drivers to reduce their speed before reaching the corner.
Paul Gannon believes the geometry of the bend itself leaves little room for engineering solutions, but insists that some form of traffic calming on the Westport approach is urgently needed. "Once they take the turn at the graveyard, which is about a kilometre and a half in, it's a strange run. There's nothing to slow anyone down. Something needs to be done."
With locals estimating at least 20 accidents on the bend in five years, pressure is mounting on Mayo County Council to act before the next vehicle fails to make the corner.