“We’ve been held captive in our homes by speeding, by HGVs using our roads like it’s a racetrack” so says one local mother.
The Kilkenny community of Burnchurch has for years suffered from large vehicles taking over its small roads while others move through the area at speed.
They’ve reported instances to the gardai, they’ve spoken with public representives & council officials but say the issues remain leaving them unable to walk or cycle their children to the nearby school or for leisure purposes.
Current roadworks on the nearby N76 Callan Kilkenny road have also seen an increase in traffic in the area with many motorists looking to avoid delays.
Yesterday residents kicked off a campaign to highlight the issue and in one three hour stint alone photographed no fewer than 16 large trucks on the route.
Dee Murphy’s with the area’s safety collective and she’s had enough:
“We as parents feel that a child is going to have to die on our roads for something to change, I am not going to look a mother in the face if that awful tragedy did happen, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I hadn’t have done something personally” she said.
“I understand there’s a lot of people who are annoyed, and a lot of people who are angry, I’m getting a lot of feedback thats not very pleasant, but I don’t care, my issue isn’t with the individual drivers, it’s not with the individual companies, even though they shouldn’t on this road, it’s not with them, my issue is with the complete lack of planning and forward thinking in the council”.
