Speeding traffic in Kealkil is a ‘timebomb' – Collins

By Kieran O’Mahony

SPEED illumination signs could be installed in Kealkil village to combat the increasing speed of traffic that is causing worry for residents there. 

At a recent meeting of the Municipal District of West Cork, Bantry-based Cllr Danny Collins raised a motion calling for the County Council to come up with a solution to ease the speed of traffic going through the village and described it as a ‘time bomb waiting to happen.’

‘The speed of some motorists going through this village is outrageous and there have already been a number of minor accidents in recent years and it’s a very busy road with lots of trucks going through it,’ said Cllr Collins.

Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy (FF) said this problem is an ‘old chestnut’ and called on traffic calming measures to be introduced going into the village.

‘It’s the only way and we need to look at a proper solution there,’ said Cllr Murphy.

Cllr Mary Hegarty (FG) said she passes through the village on a regular basis and praised the work of some students who previously did a project on the problem of speeding motorists there.

‘There was a garda presence there for a while after this, but you’ve got large trucks coming from Castletownbere and there are really narrow roads there. There’s a great community there and whatever it takes to highlight the problem of speeding would be welcomed,’ said Cllr Hegarty.

Michael O’Driscoll, a senior executive engineer with Cork County Council said that the speed limit within the village is 50 km/h and that the Council is going to reduce the 100km/h speed limit approaching the village to 80km/h, but said the enforcement of the these limits is a matter for the gardaí. 

‘We might consider speed illumination signs at both sides of the village, but these signs are only effective for a few weeks, and less so after about five or six weeks when drivers get used of them,’ he said.