Blackspot claims 15th victim in under a year

Date Published: 13-Jun-2008

The fifteenth road accident at a city black spot since August 2007 occurred on Wednesday afternoon
when two women had to be cut from their vehicle by a unit of the fire brigade. Their car left the road at the notorious stretch of the Coolough Road between Crestwood and Terryland Cross.

An ambulance and two Garda patrol cars also attended the scene, but amazingly nobody was injured when the car overturned in a field and came to rest on its roof. Local residents have been raising
concerns with Galway City Council about the accident black spot for several years.

Rumble lines and a warning sign were put in place in February, but another accident had occurred before the paint had dried on these, and seven more accidents have since followed.

“It’s hard to believe that a road like this could be found in a city – it’s like a country boreen,” said Oliver Geraghty of Crestwood Residents’ Association (CRA). “There was a stone wall along the road, but how it’s virtually non-existent anymore with all the crashes.”

Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (PD) said that the stretch of road was “the worst black spot in Galway and it is not being given the priority it deserves. “I’m terribly frustrated. I have been lobbying since last November to have warning signs highlighting the dangers on the road but they still have not been erected.”

The CRA have petitioned to have the 300-metre strip resurfaced, footpaths and public lighting installed and also want to have…