Bollards make northside estate a safer place for children and adults

A RESIDENT living in a housing estate on the northside of the city has said the estate is now a “safer place for both adults and most importantly the children” following measures introduced to address traffic concerns.

Myles Gaffney, who has lived on Ardmore Avenue for the past 15 years, had called for one point of a road accessing numbers 71-95A to be closed to through traffic.

“A blind corner is being used as a main road and cars are coming in and there are no footpaths so residents are walking out of their door straight onto a road,” Mr Gaffney told The Echo back in August.

“It’s lethal and it’s only a matter of time before somebody is hit.

“I really think they should just close it down at the bottom and leave the top half open for the residents to go down.”

Following concerns expressed by Mr Gaffney and other residents, Sinn Féin councillor Mick Nugent submitted a motion to Cork City Council calling for a survey to be conducted on the traffic routes around the Barnardo’s facility in the area. Speaking at the time, Mr Nugent said that while signage was in place to indicate that the road accessing these properties is a one-way system, this was not always observed and needed to be improved.

Cork City Council has now installed bollards at one point of the road to create a cul-de-sac which Mr Gaffney said has been transformational.

“With the implementation of the bollards we don’t know ourselves. The traffic and speeding cars has completely ceased.

“It is now a safer place for both adults and most importantly the children.

“I would like to thank Cllr Mick Nugent and Cllr Ken Collins on behalf of all the residents here in Ardmore Avenue, Knocknaheeny for getting this motion passed and delivering on their promise,” he said.

Councillor Kenneth Collins welcomed the installation of the bollards. “The key thing here is that the bollards are in and it will stop people using it as a rat run,” he said.

Mr Nugent also welcomed the measure as an important first step.

“There’s a bit of work to be done yet with footpaths needed and signage but it’s very positive that the bollards have been put in,” he said.

He expressed concerns about a blind corner at the nearby estate of Beara Drive off Harbour View Road and said he intends to raise this with Cork City Council next.