N25 safety action meeting to take place 

A public meeting to highlight and raise awareness around ongoing safety issues with the N25 road between Waterford and New Ross is to take place in the Rhu Glenn, in Slieverue, on June 16, at 8pm.

There have been numerous accidents on the road in recent years - including incidents in which people lost their lives in addition to people being seriously injured and there is growing concern among local people that the need to action to address the issue is not being taken seriously enough.

Cllr Joe Kelly is one of those involved in organising the meeting and speaking to Waterford News & Star he said the NTA (National Transport Authority) refusing to fund upgrading the road was one of the things that started the campaign. However, Cllr Kelly said the overall campaign was very much being driven by a local nurse who unfortunately experiences first hand the horrific injuries suffered by people involved in accidents on the road.

"Some of these people suffer life-changing injuries," said Cllr Kelly. 

With regard to the issues with the road Cllr Kelly pointed out that whether someone is heading in the direction of New Ross or towards Waterford there are multiple turn-offs that necessitate people stopping in the middle of the road with traffic travelling at 100km coming towards them.

"It's also the main route to Rosslare Europort so you also have huge trucks coming against you if you're heading towards New Ross and are turning off the road," he said.

"You're sitting there very vulnerable because cars behind you are passing you on your left and you're waiting in the centre to turn right," he added.

"Anyone making a misjudgement - either the driver that's turning or the truck driver coming the other way - could lead to you being wiped out at 100km/h."

"That's the main danger but the second danger is that faced by residents or people out there going to GAA clubs and things," he said.

"The problem they face is that if they come out the junction and then have to cross the road, if you're going to another junction, it's extremely dangerous," he added.

He said that because of the volume of traffic on the road and the speed that vehicles are travelling at leads to minute pockets of time for people to get out onto the road safely.

"They are the critical issues are trying to highlight," he said.

"We need to come up with a system where either those left-hand, right-hand turns are either eliminated or made much safer so that there are only key turning points." he added.

He said the road from Waterford  towards Carrick-on-Suir is an example of something that might work on the N25.

"There was untold number of deaths on that road for years and they erected a steel barrier, with wires, that control where you can cross and the number of accidents and deaths plummeted," he said.

"That's an example of something that could be done relatively cheap and while it might discommode some people in terms of them having to go in a particular direction for half a kilometre before they get to make a proper turn as such, at least it would keep them and everyone else safe," he added.

"That's just a simple example of what could be done for very low cost."

He also pointed out that most of the junctions on the road aren't lit up at night and that's something that could also be looked at. 

European Route 30

The N25 is part of a stretch of road called European Route 30 that goes from Cork to the Russian city of Omsk, near the border with Kazakhstan.

With that in mind the organisers of the forthcoming public meeting have invited not just local elected representatives to attend but also a number of MEPs.

For much of the Russian section of the roadway it follows the famous Trans-Siberian Highway and also a section of the Asian Highway Network.

Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting in the Rhu Glenn where they will get an opportunity to voice their concerns over the matter.

"This is a huge issue," said Cllr Kelly.

"We were all shocked that the N24, on the Waterford to Cahir section was downgraded, but also the N25 was identified as needing work but no funding allocated and it's likely to be 2030 at least before something is done," he added.

"That's outrageous because how many more people will die or be seriously injured between now and 2030. Something needs to be done and it needs to be done immediately and that's why we're holding this meeting."