Vandalism and theft of road signs 'could lead to a fatality'

Proper signage and line markings are paramount to road safety, according to a local councillor.

Fianna Fáil councillor Damien Ryan put forward a notice of motion at last week's Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District meeting asking that supplementary funding be immediately provided to replace all of the road signage removed in South Mayo. He also asked for funding for upgrades to the lining on the R332, R334, R345 and R346 roads. Cllr Ryan described the work as important safety measures and said they required immediate attention. He also said he was not accepting the response he received from council staff prior to the meeting.

“I’m rejecting this, as the reason I put this down as a notice of motion is because it is so serious. We had damaged signs, as well as signs removed, in South Mayo and they haven’t been replaced as they come with a huge cost, but they have to be,” Cllr Ryan said. “They are an absolute part of our safety. They need to go back without delay.

“The lining on the R334 is obsolete and has to be replaced. I am calling for top-level intervention on this and I want it to be an item on next month’s meeting.” 

Independent Cllr Patsy O’Brien said more needs to be done to stop people from stealing signs.

“Either you put it up to a certain height that you can make it more awkward or you can put something in place that will stop them doing it. If somebody goes out and there’s a yield sign missing, they could get killed,” Cllr O’Brien said.

“We need to do something radical in relation to how we can combat signage being taken. There has to be some way, weld them, make it a bit different, because there’s no point replacing them time after time and they’ll still be missing.”