Wheelchair users highlight obstacles faced accessing day activities

A GROUP of wheelchair users in Navan have raised their concerns over safety on the Commons Road and have called on Meath County Council to provide a pedestrian crossing there.

Service users at the Coill Darrach centre at Clogherboy face a number of obstacles including a dangerous bend on their regular travels to Claremont stadium where they have three times a week.

The group attends day activities at Claremont on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and staff members push them from the centre in Clogherboy to Claremont.

"When we leave Coill Darrach, we cannot cross the road because the footpath on the Volkswagon garage side of the road is inaccessible.

"There is a broad grass verge with a high kerb and no wheelchair access point. There is no continuous footpath on the the right hand side going from the Commons Road crossroads to Claremont," explains a staff member who is supporting the service users.

"We have no choice but to run the gauntlet of crossing the road, just past Watters Lane. There is limited visibility to the left due to the bend. Unfortunately the 50km/h speed limit does little to calm the traffic here and we have had many incidences where we have to quickly retreat back to the footpath, not an easy task when handling a wheelchair. "We share this footpath with school going children, mothers and buggies and indeed other wheelchair users. "We expect access via a safe route to our daily activities and are very hopeful that this will be taken seriously by Meath County Council," she said. The group is calling on Meath County Council to provide a pedestrian crossing and a continuous path.

The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Eddie Fennessy said safety concerns on the Commons Road were nothing new.

"I’ve tabled several motions over the years calling for traffic control measures particularly at the Watters Lane entrance. There’s a bend in the road near the entrance which creates a blind spot, and it’s a stretch of road that motorists tend to come around at speed.

“My attention was drawn recently to the plight of the residents of the Coill Darrach respite centre at Clogherboy.

All of them rely on the use of wheelchairs. A number of days per week they attend day activities at Claremont Stadium.

Their carers and nurses push them to Claremount Stadium each day. They have limited access options on the footpaths from Claremount Stadium and are very restricted on where they can cross the road.

“The footpath on their side of the road ends just past Watters lane. Crossing there, at a blind spot, is exceptionally dangerous and there have been a number of near misses of late,” Cllr Fennessy continued.

“I have serious concerns for their safety. The installation of traffic control measures at that point in the road is a must. Not just for the residents of Coill Darrach, but also for the young mothers pushing buggies along there, the elderly, the infirm and the many children who walk along there every day."

At the May meeting of Navan Municipal Council, Cllr Fennessy called on the executive to install a pedestrian crossing on the Claremont Stadium side of Watters Lane. He was told the council had no current plans to install a new crossing there but the request would be added to a list of new works requests and would be considered for inclusion in future works programmes. This works programme is subject to funding.

Cllr Fennessy welcomed the council placing his request on a works list.

"However, there is no commitment to delivering the infrastructure anytime soon. It is an accident waiting to happen. I will continue to press for safety measures in or around that point on the Commons Road until such time that it is made safe for the local community,” he pledged.