No Changes To Crossing At Cogan’s Corner, Carrigaline Writes Leo McMahon
No modifications are proposed to the pedestrian crossing near Cogan’s Corner, Carrigaline, members of Cork County Council’s Bandon-Kinsale Municipal District (MD) were informed at their monthly meeting. Cllr Aidan Lombard (FG) had a motion asking the council to look at the design of the traffic lights and crossing on the Lower Kilmoney Road side of the right angled bend and suggested these be moved further up the road so that one of the lights wouldn’t be blocked by an ESB pole and so that traffic didn’t get blocked on the busy yellow box T junction. A report to members stated that the lights and crossings were designed to enable the public to walk up and down Church Hill and cross safely the R611 Kilmoney Road and Main Street. If moved further west, it was likely people wouldn’t be able cross the road safely and they wouldn’t be inclined to go further up Kilmoney Road to use a crossing. ‘The ESB pole does not obscure significantly the view of motorists on Main Street/Kilmoney Road and consequently doesn’t need to be moved. Work associated with such a move would incur significant cost and involve power disruption to the area. A yellow box has been provided on the junction and appropriate use of this will prevent its blocking. For the above reasons, we believe there is no need for any modifications to the pedestrian crossing at this location’, the report added. Cllr Lombard maintained that one light was partly blocked by a new ESB pole but acknowledged that this was installed after the crossing was put there. ‘A lot of people have come up to me and said the crossing is too near the corner with traffic backing into the village. If pushed back by at least one car length it wouldn’t stop people using it. The other crossing is a reasonable distance up the hill.’ Expressing disappointment with the report, he contended it wasn’t working and asked that it be re-visited. There have also been concerns about speeding along Lower Kilmoney Road. Executive engineer Billy Horgan said observations on the ground indicated the crossing was working. He pointed out that there was a yellow box and argued one’s view of the light was obscured by just a split second. The day the lights arrived, the ESB took the pole down and when finished, a new pole was put up unknown to the council. While Cllr Lombard and the engineer were not in agreement, Cathaoirleach Kevin Murphy (FG) declared the issue ‘a draw’ but remarked that having pedestrian crossings close to junctions always presented problems, such as at Boland’s Corner, Kinsale.
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