The back gate of Merlin Park Hospital will be shut from tomorrow morning for a trial period of three weeks in a bid to assess the impact of ‘rat running’ through a nearby quiet residential area.
Access through the gate at morning rush-hour has seen speeding drivers use the short-cut to ‘rat run’ through Merlin Lane, endangering other road users, as well as pedestrians. The gate will be closed from 7.30am to 10am from tomorrow (Friday ) for three weeks.
Cllr Alan Cheevers last evening welcomed the decision to close the back gate of Merlin Park Hospital in the morning on a trial basis from this week, saying something needed to be done to prevent people using Merlin Lane, a quiet residential area located behind the hospital, as a ‘rat run’.
The Fianna Fáil councillor for Galway City East had warned that the use of Merlin Lane by motorists not attending or working in the hospital has become a serious problem. He said a number of accidents had occurred on the lane due to speeding, and while no one had been hurt in those incidents the traffic presented a serious danger to other people using the lane.
“I believe it has now become a serious health and safety issue with some traffic travelling along the road at high speed,” he said. “Last year alone we saw two properties on Merlin Lane had damage to the front walls as a result of cars going at high speed, losing control and crashing into them. Fortunately in these cases no one was hurt.
“It’s is an accident waiting to happen with walkers, cyclists, dog walkers, joggers and parents with their children using Merlin Lane on a regular basis,” he added. “It is also one of the main access points to Merlin Woods, an amenity that is used frequently by residents and the community in the area.
“I think it important to point out residents are not trying to discommode staff of Merlin Park Hospital,” Cllr Cheevers continued. “What the residents believe is that it should be a barrier [and] fob system at the gate that can only be accessed by staff and emergency services. This will reduce traffic on the lane and hopefully make is safer for all users.
“This is an ongoing issue for many years, and on the recent planning given to Merlin Park Hospital for the new surgical hub one of the conditions of planning was that the traffic rat run would have to be addressed.”
Cllr Cheevers and representatives of the Merlin Lane residents are meeting with senior management of Merlin Park Hospital today (Thursday ) to discuss possible solutions to the problem.
