THE pedestrian crossing on Bridge Street in Skibbereen is likely to receive ‘significant upgrades’ according to Cork County Council, writes Chris Benn.

Its location close to a corner was raised at a meeting of West Cork Municipal District by Cllr Brendan McCarthy (FG), who described it as ‘extremely dangerous’ and ‘an accident waiting to happen’.

Cllr McCarthy called for  it to be moved further east along Bridge Street, warning: ‘The crossing is more or less on a bad blind corner, and vehicles coming around the corner are on the crossing before they know it. I have experienced near misses here myself.’

He added that drivers are also at a disadvantage,  because ‘the crossing is immediately outside the door of a busy shop.

I have been driving over the crossing and someone suddenly appears from the shop and are on the crossing in seconds.’

John Ahern, Council senior executive engineer, said the junction of Bridge St, Upper Bridge St and Ilen St will be redeveloped under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, with the scale and scope of the works yet to be determined.

He said that under the statutory consultation process before the crossing was installed ‘neither the Chief Fire Officer nor the Chief Garda Superintendent had any objections to the proposed zebra crossing at its location on Bridge St’, adding: ‘In the six years since it has been operational there is no record of any accident at the location.’

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.