What was said at the June meeting of the Claremorris Municipal District?
Bohola enhancement plans to be put to public
The elected members of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District were given a presentation on plans for an enhancement project in Bohola village at their monthly meeting this week. The plan will see enhancements to the village green, pedestrian/cycling friendly route to the church and winding wall, which will be unique to the village. Matthew Stevens from Mayo County Council gave the councillors a presentation on the plans, to which there was a positive reaction from the elected members and he told the councillors the next step was to begin community consultation on the project.
Councillors call for action on take-over of Ballindine estate
A number of councillors have called on Mayo County Council to do all they can to take over the Logalisheen estate in Ballindine. Fine Gael councillor Tom Connolly raised the issue, saying that he had been contacted by a number of residents in the estate looking for the council to take it over. A number of other councillors said that they had also been contacted by residents on the issue. Responding to the councillors, Padraig Flanagan, head of the Municipal District for Mayo County council, told them: "This is still a private estate in Ballindine, the builder has applied for it to be taken over about two years ago. The council's forward planning and take-over section in Castlebar are working with them to get the application complete and get the work that they need to do done, before it will be taken over. The builder has got some way along that line and the department are in regular contact with them to bring it up to speed so we can initiate the take-over process straight away. But it is a work in progress and there is work to be done on the estate."
O'Brien calls for low cost safety scheme at Gortshammar in Hollymount
Cllr Patsy O'Brien put forward a notice of motion at the June meeting of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District which read: 'Calling on Mayo County Council to submit application for a low cost safety scheme at Gortshammar Hollymount at the end of newly completed footpath on R331 and also to incorporate traffic calming.' Speaking on the motion, he said: "In every situation when you improve something, it leads on to something else and in this case, there is an awful lot more walkers using this area than prior to that. Always and ever at the end of that R331. the carriageway is not lined up too well, there is a corner and you could straighten it and you could do a lot with it, but it is very dangerous at the moment and needs realignment, to be quite honest. And it is at the start of the speed limit where you need to slow things down and that's why I'm saying, a low cost safety scheme is needed here; you could incorporate traffic calming mechanisms as well. I know we don't get things overnight, but I would welcome that the management put as much pressure on the department on this and I will work with them as well."
Council to carry out improvement works on N60 at Drumkeen
Mayo County Council has been allocated funding to carry out improvement works on the N60 at Drumkeen, Ballyhaunis Road, Claremorris - the elected members of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District were informed at their June meeting this week. Fine Gael councillor Tom Connolly had a notice of motion down before the meeting calling for the council to request TII to provide funding to carry out the repairs. He told the meeting that the road had been repaired before, but it had sunk again and was back to where it was before the repairs were carried out. Responding to Cllr Connolly, Conrad Harley from Mayo County Council informed the meeting that: "€47,131 is what we have been granted from TII for these works and the plans for it is to get it carried out over the summer as part of the roadworks programme. I can't give a definitive date, but it will be as soon as we get around to it. We have three contractors out at the moment in the district working and these works will be done when they come into Claremorris town."
Ryan calls for traffic-calming recommendations to be implemented
Fianna Fáil councillor Damien Ryan put forward a notice of motion at the June meeting of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District calling for: 'Mayo County Council to implement the traffic calming recommendations as set out in the Ballinrobe Town traffic management plan regarding the Kilmaine Road N84 with particular emphasis on access and egress to Cill O Seighin, Tower View and the St Vincent de Paul developments'. Speaking on the motion, Cllr Ryan said: "I appreciate and acknowledge the reply (written response to motion ) that a submission will be made to TII, for the very reasons I have outlined. There is very serious concerns and there is safety issues in that regard and it not just the approach in from Kilmaine, it is also cars exiting the town and the junctions into those developments where there is overtaking going on. It also just shows that when you have a plan like the Ballinrobe Traffic Management plan, when it comes to making applications, you are a long way to what the next step is and using the data and recommendations that formed part of that plan should and will form a part of the application. It comes with an efficient price tag for what is envisaged here and the recommendations." Supporting the motion, Cllr Michael Burke (FG ) said a lot of the issues have to do with speed and that has to be looked in that area.
Speeding in towns and villages a 'joke' says Burke
Fine Gael councillor Michael Burke told the June meeting of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District that: "The speeding in our towns and villages at the moment is a joke. We have speed detection vans sitting catching fish in a barrel out where they move themselves out to, and I know it is difficult for a van to do it in town, but I have requested the Gardai do some checks in the towns, because I know the street (in Ballinrobe ) that I have my office and business on, people are afraid to cross the road; they walk down 200m from the Church Gate to cross safely, because the speed that some people do in the towns and village are just reckless and if anybody, God forbid, walked across the street in error or behind a truck, they are just gone immediately. It is something I have asked the Gardai to look at." Responding to Cllr Burke, Conrad Harley for Mayo County Council said he would bring the message from the meeting to the Gardai and ask them to look at it.
Ryan calls for traffic calming in The Neale
Fianna Fáil councillor Damien Ryan put forward a notice of motion at the June meeting of the Swinford-Claremoris Municipal District which read: 'Calling on Mayo County Council to design and implement traffic calming in the Neale Village as a matter of priority and while such a scheme is being initiated, that we look at increased enforcement with particular reference to traffic coming from the southern side'. Speaking on the motion, he said: "It is self-explanatory really, and I think to be honest there isn't a village or a town now we're not being inundated with representations from, with speed issues. I think it is sometimes not all about physical infrastructure, sometimes it is when there is a wide approach and in this case, there is a wide approach and physical infrastructure is needed, but enforcement coming from the southern end is a problem."
