Castlebar is not a pedestrian friendly town and something needs to be done about the town's roundabouts, according to local Fianna Fail area rep, Lisa Chambers. "I was shopping around Tesco in Castlebar during the week and trying to navigate the roundabout to get to Boots was a nightmare," said Ms Chambers. She contined: "I noticed a mother with a pram and actually stopped to observe how she could cross the roundabout and it was with great difficulty. She almost had to use the pram as a traffic stopper. The speed with which cars are travelling though this roundabout is much too fast and traffic calming measures are needed.
"This area is named The Castlebar Shopping Quarter and there is a huge amount of footfall and pedestrians moving about the area. If someone like me finds it difficult to cross at this roundabout then I can only imagine how difficult it is for elderly or people with reduced mobility. A zebra crossing with lights, similar to the one in place near Aldi and Next is what's needed," she continued.
"Another problem roundabout is that beside Cathal Duffy's garage and dealership. This is the first roundabout you meet when you walk in from the train station and there is nowhere safe to cross on the way into the town centre. I have spoken to people living in the vicinity of the station and it is affecting their ability to walk into town. Again it is even more difficult for people with prams and elderly people. Traffic moves very fast at this roundabout and it is simply not safe for pedestrians. A traffic calming zebra crossing with lights is urgently needed for this roundabout," she said. "These measures are relatively cheap and quick to implement and I hope to see the council doing so in the very near future. We need to make our town pedestrian friendly and encourage more people into the town centre.”
