Concern about traffic speeding through Belturbet town

A Belturbet councillor has voiced concern about the speed of vehicles travelling through the centre of the Erneside town.

Though bypassed, the Main Street continues to serve as a route for traffic shortening their journey by cutting from the main Monaghan to Butlersbridge road and connecting with the N3 north of Belturbet at Staghall.

Cllr Brendan Fay said he had witnessed the speed of vehicles funnelling past as he stood outside his business.

“There are trucks coming through the town at 60, or 70, 80kmph.”

Where speed cushions had been installed Cllr Fay deemed them to be ineffective, with cars often driving across or around them.

Speaking at the meeting of councillors elected to represent the Cavan-Belturbet Municipal District area, Cllr Fay also highlighted a number of quirks that have since emerged with regards speed signs after limits on rural local roads were reduced from 80km/h to 60 km/h back in February.

It includes a stretch of about 20 metres exiting Belturbet on the Old Belturbet Road where drivers can accelerate to 80kmph before having to quickly hit the brakes; and on approach from Ballyconnell on the N87 where, from 80kmph, motorists are allowed to drive up to 100kmph for the short distance before reaching the Staghall Roundabout.

There are others too, he highlighted, like on the Killeshandra to Crossdoney Road. “There is a lot of confusion,” he told the meeting taking which took place at Ballyconnell Community Centre.

He asked that the council look at those sites, and approaching Greghgrahan School, asking that signs be put up rather than “default black lines” indicating a required change in speed.

Like Cllr Fay, Fianna Fáil’s Áine Smith had received similar representations from members of the public.

“I’d question that,” she said of one road leaving Ballyconnell where the limit allows drivers to speed up to 100kmph.

She herself later in the meeting would ask about the use of solar signs in rural areas to warn motorists of tricky to traverse bends in the road.

Area Engineer Paul Mulligan said that the change in speed limits has created “challenges”.

With respect to Greaghgrahan he said that the road condition was such that no driver should be able to reach speeds above what is the default 60kmph. “The speed limit does apply, but the condition of the road is the problem.”

He reminded too that limits are “not a target” and that motorists should use their own cognitive assessment as to what speed they should be travelling.

With regards to signage elsewhere he said that he would check this out, and in response to the plight facing Belturbet, the engineer added that there is a difficult in terms of trying to apply traffic calming measures but again this would be looked at among a suite of options.

Mr Mulligan said just became money had been spent in the past on a scheme doesn’t mean it can’t be looked at again.