Safety measures needed at dangerous stretch of the N51

Residents are demanding immediate road safety measures at a dangerous set of bends on the N51 which was the scene of a recent accident that saw a truck packed with logs overturn.

Caucestown, which is situated along the N51 road between Atboy and Delvin, for several years has been the scene of a number of crashes, with at least two fatal collisions in recent years.

Most recently a truck carrying logs turning the bend overturned and went into a front garden. Nobody was seriously injured, but the road had to be closed off. This is just one of four recent incidents of a truck overturning in the area.

Stephen Revington, a local resident, said he has been trying to get the council to make alterations to the bends since he started living in the area twenty years ago.

“It has definitely gotten an awful lot worse. We have had a few life changing injuries and one death on that bend in particular, and another death on the other side of the hill some years ago.”

A fatality occurred from an accident involving the bend two years ago.

Mr Revington said he used to run on the road where the bend is.

“One day, a car was going around the bend and a truck was coming from the other way. The car couldn’t swerve around me because of the truck and didn’t realise until the last second. They skidded up to me and I ended up on the bonnet.” He now drives to another location if he wants to go for a run.

It's understood that Meath County Council had initiated contact with a local landowner in an effort to address the issue. Signs have been put up for people heading from Athboy to Delvin reminding them of the speed limit and dangerous conditions.

He hopes the situation will be tackled sooner rather than later believing it to be "only a matter of time before someone else is killed."

Local Cllr David Gilroy said one of the main issues with the bends is that “the hedges are too high”.

“There is no sightline when approaching the bends other than just a couple of roadsigns saying there are bad bends ahead. It doesn’t really tell the nature of the bends.”

“I would like to see that work done sooner rather than later and then ultimately, similar to the roadworks that took place between Delvin and Mullingar, would like to see the road straightened up and the bends taken out altogether. That is a significant piece of work, but that is where I think it needs to go.”