Action needed at 'lethal' Oberstown Cross, say local public representatives

Accidents continue despite safety measures by council

In response to a spate of recent accidents at the junction, Sinn Féin representatives Darren O'Rourke TD and Cllr Aisling O'Neill have issued a joint call for urgent works at Oberstown Cross in Skryne.

Deputy O'Rourke, who lives nearby, said: "Oberstown Cross is an accident blackspot. At the start of the year Meath County Council completed long-awaited low-cost safety measures including the installation of bollards and flashing signs. Unfortunately, they have not had the desired effect. On one side of the junction, the safety bollards lasted all of 48 hours before they were destroyed in an accident. In the past month alone, there have been three serious collisions at the crossroads. We are very lucky that they weren't more serious.

He continued: "The junction is very, very busy. It is a tight junction with lots of heavy industrial and agricultural machinery using it. It is also quite blind on the approach from Ratoath and as a result, despite the signage, drivers unfamiliar with the area regularly fail to stop. I have raised the need for enhanced works at the junction with Meath County Council on numerous occasions. On Friday, I raised it with the Council again, and with An Garda Síochána, at the quarterly meeting of the County Meath Joint Policing Committee. We need urgent action before it's too late."

Cllr O'Neill added: "With the weather and road conditions deteriorating as we head into the winter months, it is very important that we have an urgent and appropriate response from Meath County Council, as Roads Authority. It is very dangerous. The junction is strewn with car parts from the many collisions there. It is very concerning. Previous works at the site have failed. I have called on the Council to do more. We have seen at Curraha and elsewhere the difference a comprehensive road safety plan can have. Additional signage, ramps, road markings and lights, if necessary, would significantly improve the situation. There is no excuse for any delay."

In May of last year, serious damage was done to the wall of Swan's Pub on the crossroads when a vehicle struck it, knocking a whole right though the gable end of the pub into the lounge bar during the day.