Gardaí issue penalty points to drivers going wrong direction

Despite the efforts of local councillors and residents at O’Growney Drive in Mullingar, and local gardaí, some motorists persist in driving the wrong way on one-way roads through the estate.

Cllr Ken Glynn has worked with residents association there, and led efforts to have council budget allocated to marking the roads for a one-way system a handful of years ago.

They had hoped that would discourage motorists from using the estate to get from the Ashe Road to the Green Road, but it hasn’t worked, and now gardaí are keeping a closer eye on the area.

“There have been ongoing issues there and residents have been complaining to me about cars going the wrong way, and earlier in the year, I requested additional signage to try to improve things. The council said they would look at it, and improve signage, and after that, it is realistically a matter for the gardaí.”

Cllr Glynn said he was in the area to meeting residents and gardaí some time ago, and while there one officer instructed a driver going the wrong way to turn around.

“So the guards have seen it, they’ve been aware of it, and I welcome the fact that they were present again recently to deal with the issue of the ongoing rule breaking there.

“It’s a dangerous situation given how narrow it is, and are various ages of people living in the area – it’s a quiet area, and the whole idea of putting in the one-way system was to try to improve the traffic flow, but instead it’s this ongoing rule breaking that has caused the problem.

“So I welcome the fact that the gardaí were on site and have promised to come back. Hopefully, the input of the gardaí now will help resolve the issues.”

Local gardaí posted on the An Garda Síochána Facebook page last week:

‘This lovely estate in Mullingar is O’Growney Drive. Some residents have been living here for more than 40 years. A number of years ago, there was a one-way system put in place, which the residents asked for and welcomed.

‘Time and time again, however, the residents have experienced vehicles travelling on the one-way road incorrectly, despite road signs and paintings clearly marking it as a one-way street.

‘Today just after 4pm, we encountered three vehicles in the space of 10 minutes driving the wrong way, just to save two or three minutes by avoiding school traffic at Fairgreen.

‘These drivers will receive fixed charge notices and penalty points.

‘We will continue to perform checkpoints at the entrance to the estate to try to deter any more breaches, We would ask motorists to respect the residents of this estate, some of whom have young children. Thank you.’

Raised at council meeting in December

Cllr Bill Collentine told officials at the December meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad that there is a need to erect additional signage, and to modify the exiting ramp at O’Growney Drive in Mullingar.

The problem is, Cllr Collentine said, that there is traffic going the wrong way through O’Growney Drive and O’Growney Gardens, to the Green Road.

District engineer, Pat Kavanagh, said that all the signage and road markers in place are correct, but he accepted that some motorists are continuing to drive the wrong way despite knowing well that they should not do so.

"We will actually double up on some of the signage, just in case there’s any confusion, which there shouldn’t be," Mr Kavanagh said, adding that the issue might also be one that the district should discuss with An Garda Síochána as well.