Sinn Féin councillor Thérèse Ruane has described the road markings at the roundabouts in Castlebar as a fiasco. She is calling on the National Roads Authority and Mayo County Council to revert to standard road markings for roundabout layouts in the town of Castlebar and will be putting this motion before the members of Castlebar Town Council at next Thursday’s monthly meeting. She is hopeful of their full support.
“It’s downright dangerous, each roundabout is different to the next one,” Cllr Ruane said. “I fail to understand why Castlebar has to be different to every other town in the country.” Cllr Ruane went on to say that driving instructors are having to teach people the rules of the road and then get their students to use different rules when they do a driving test in the town. “This issue is particularly frustrating for driving instructors who teach the so called standard rules but then indicate to learner drivers that a different rule applies in Castlebar. Some people accustomed to Castlebar are also using roundabouts inappropriately in other towns as a result of this confusion.”
She also said a number of state bodies are in agreement with her that something needs to be done to address the situation. “I’ve spoken to the road safety officer, an Garda Síochána, and driving instructors about this issue and they are all in agreement that the road markings pose a real danger as they are currently. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
