Residents in the Ardleigh Vale and the C-Link area in west Mullingar are demanding greater roadside protection after a car careered through a wooden fence last Friday evening (August 21 ) onto a green area being used by children at the time.
After the incident, in which no-one was hurt, a spokesperson for Mullingar West Community Council (MWCC ) called for either a block wall or a motorway catch cable to be built along this stretch of the bypass.
“This has been an ongoing issue for a number of years and a wooden fence is not adequate,” said the spokesperson.
“There have been a number of incidences when the fence was breached and on one occasion a car ended up only two feet from the wall of a house.
“There was a spate of four such incidents in a two month period two years ago. There’s no way a wooden fence and a half-grown hedge would stop any of these.”
Gardai in Mullingar confirmed that an incident had been reported but were unable to say whether any charges had been brought against the driver in relation to driving, speeding or drinking.
The incident happened between eight and nine o’clock in the evening, when the vehicle went through a wooden fence, only to be stopped by a signpost which was bent back by the impact.
“Its a question of time before a serious incident happens on this stretch of road,” added the MWCC spokesperson.
“A lot of people are extremely concerned.”
