Ballivor residents demand action on safe and accessible pedestrian crossing in the village

An incident in which a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in Ballivor earlier this month has led to renewed calls for safe and accessible pedestrian infrastructure in the village.

Locals staged a protest at the crossing on the main street on Tuesday evening (30th December) and blocked traffic to highlight the issue of speed and safety in the village

In another incident this week, locals reported that a mother with her six week old baby in a buggy attempted to use the crossing in broad daylight, but two cars flew through it, completely oblivious to the crossing and the pedestrians.

Residents met on Tuesday night to demand more traffic measures for the village, something for which they have been campaigning for years.

Speaking at the meeting local resident, Debbie Keegan said: "The pedestrian crossing needs to be raised. The lights need to be changed. Something has to be done. It can't be acceptable that young children or adults of any age, including the elderly or women with prams, can cross at a pedestrian crossing and feel unsafe. They're there for a reason. They're there to be crossed.

"I have a daughter working in the village and she has to walk to work, so I feel it's unsafe her crossing the road to go to work. That shouldn't be the case.

"I know there's a lot needed in Ballivor, and we can't make it all happen. But one thing is for sure, the safety on the road is not right.

"I'd like to call on Meath County Council to come out at the time that people use the road and see what we have just been doing on the streets."

Ms Keegan said they needed more people to come out to support them.

"We're not looking for anything that we are not entitled to. We're not going to get very far as small, little group, we need the people, we need the noise. We need the community to come together. There is a petition going to be going around in January. If you'd like to sign it, get in contact."

Ballivor Community Council member, Claire O'Mara said the crossing needs to be raised and repainted and it needs more street lights at night. "There are absolutely zero warning signs on approaching road to indicate to road users to slow down, that a pedestrian/zebra crossing is ahead."

Cllr Dave Boyne said the community has reached breaking point. The council had told them ramps werent needed which had outraged local residents.

"The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous. So far, people have been physically injured. But if nothing changes, someone is going to be killed. At that point, it will be too little, too late.”

"While community members are calling for calm, there is growing frustration on the ground," said Cllr Boyne.

“Ballivor is a growing community. Its residents deserve infrastructure that prioritises safety, accessibility, and common sense — before another preventable incident occurs”.