‘I’ve been palmed off too many times’

Two local pensioners are living in fear because an average of eight road accidents per year occur in their front garden.

Quigley’s Point county councillor Mickey Doherty told council officials that erecting a crash barrier is the only solution to the problems which has been ongoing for years.

The local Fine Gael councillor said he can’t understand how more lives aren’t taken on the Carn Brae between Quigley’s Point and Carndonagh

Last month a van travelling from the Carndonagh direction misjudged the sharp corner and crashed straight through the pensioners hedge into their garden. Six months ago a lorry suffered the same fate.

“I can’t have a man of that age ringing me in the middle of the night stressed and thinking there might be someone dead in his garden.

“This has been going on too long, there is too big a history here. I’ve been palmed off too often so I’m only accepting one thing and that is a crash barrier.”

Following the lorry crash in October last year, the elderly couple spoke to the ‘Journal’ about the terrifying ordeal.

“I heard the huge thud when the lorry, it was so loud I thought he hit the house. Only for the telegraph pole he hit, he would have been in through the house. I just thank God there was no car coming the other way.”

The local councillor also accused the Gardai of being too “laxy-dazy” in their response.

“The latest crash was dealt with by Buncrana Gardai, maybe they are not forwarding on all the reports they should be. The local Gardai weren’t even told about it.

“I’ve been waiting for someone to get back to me about and still I haven’t got back to me. I think someone has to be killed before you can be taken seriously.”

Charlie Care from Donegal County Council’s road design team told Colr Doherty that the road safety team did consider a crash barrier but decided against it.

“They don’t believe a crash barrier would prevent an accident occurring. They want to put up high visibility boards and relay the rumble strips on the road. They would prefer take a preventable approach.”

However Colr Doherty said he’s been told this before and is not excepting it again.

“Every day people ignore the signage on the road, this is not the answer. I’m proposing that a crash barrier be erected on this road.” His motion was seconded by councillor Bernard McGuinness.