TRAFFIC speeds through the village of Ballydehob have been described as reckless after a number of recent incidents, including one in which a motorbike was driven on a footpath rather than the road.
Several incidents in which pedestrians, especially the elderly, were put in danger were outlined by Durrus Road resident Deb Beale.
She complained about one incident in which a large, modern tractor, drawing a trailer load of pipes, ‘bombed’ through the village and almost caused an incident where the road narrows at the junction leading to the community hall.
She also pointed out that the drivers of trucks and tractors will often take ‘a split-second decision’ and turn up Staball Hill to avoid congestion on the Main Street.
Given the gradient of Staball Hill, she said it presents a danger to pedestrians and oncoming traffic – much of which is tourists looking for off-road parking.
‘It is totally dangerous with traffic coming against them. I pity the poor residents,’ she said.
‘Parking on footpaths means they are no longer accessible to wheelchair users and people with prams,’ she added. One resident recently opened her door to see a motorcyclist drive by on the footpath in a bid to avoid the congested thoroughfare.
Deb Beale said she was involved in a community effort, about five years ago, to address problems with parking in the village, but she said it was argued that less parking would increase the speed of traffic through the village.
‘We are the main route for places like Schull and the Mizen, so when vehicles drawing boats come through it just adds to the congestion.
‘But Schull has its own problems with big trucks driving through the village at speed. It seems to be a problem throughout West Cork,’ she said.
