Transport - Thurles Information

Old Metal ESB Lamp Standards Gone From Liberty Square, Thurles.

They are gone at last, the old metal lamp standards/poles that, over many years, lit up Liberty Square, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

Until today, these lighting standards were the only freestanding, yet silent witnesses, that watched in recent times as traders fled from Liberty Square, each avoiding being slowly strangled to death, by parking charges introduced by Tipperary Co. Council.

The new, slim lighting standards, however, will pose a problem for Tipperary politicians and local councillors, since they do not offer similar opportunities for the erection of photoshopped election posters.

Then of course, ESB Networks have, since 2017, been reminding election campaigners that the erecting of posters on electricity poles is “strictly prohibited” and could result in serious injury to both ESB staff or members of the public.

Posters erected on electricity poles in the run up to previous elections and referendums have led to electric shocks, falls, and poles falling and catching fire, according to the electricity network. Posters on these poles also distract motorists, while restricting visibility to traffic.

To this end, the ESB reminds members of the public, contractors and would be elected representatives that erecting posters on electricity poles is strictly prohibited, and same will in future be removed by ESB staff when & where possible.

Tipperary Co. Council Engineers Continue To Waste Tax Payers Money.

Work on the new R-660 Abbey Road Roundabout, first hailed in press releases by Councillors on February 1st, 2019, (Just before the local elections) eventually got underway in August 2021; some 2.5 years later; all paid for, having been extracted from the deep pockets of the Irish taxpayer, supposedly costing €75,000.

Last August here on Thurles.Info, we spoke about how unhappy agricultural contractors; members of the farming community travelling to Thurles Mart and indeed the general public were, with the overall upgrade. They claimed the roundabout centre area itself was too large, thus restricting the towing of trailers and other large machinery.

Ordinary motorists were condemning the use of motorway signage used in the roundabout’s construction, claiming that the eight massive signs then introduced, blocked driving visibility; particularly when facing west into late evening blinding sun light. This they claimed, endangered pedestrians using the newly constructed pedestrian crossing.

The work was for the most part completed some 6 days ago and as we forecast, already one set of the large motorway signs has been struck by what appears to be some high sided vehicle, forced to mount the kerbing in order to traverse the narrow road surface circuit.

It seems engineers did not take into consideration that the basic diameter of a 16 wheeler truck measures at least 3.8m wide x 9.8m in length; difficult enough to manoeuvrer, especially if you are towing a trailer, on a narrow road surface.

But, sure look at it this way, thankfully no one was killed or injured and if asked maybe the taxpayer won’t mind paying a second or even a third time. Then again, it’s rare that the taxpayer is ever asked about anything in Tipperary.

Of course we could rip it all up again and do it properly, like we did with the junction of Clongower Road and Slievenamon Road; taxpayers won’t mind.

Remember, our report on September 24th last, regarding a street light cover dangling dangerously overhead, close to the Town House Deli, on Slievenamon Road, Thurles. Six days later it is still dangling dangerously overhead, but hopefully the promised gusty southerly winds may dislodge it.

Watch your heads.

Donegal Ambulance Sent On Emergency To Tipperary.

An interesting article, written by Mr Chris McNulty, and published by the Donegal Daily yesterday, (dated September 28th 2021).

The article claimed that an ambulance was “tasked” from Co. Donegal, to answer a call in Co. Tipperary recently; latter distance at least some 326km (203 mls) via the N17 with a normal driving time of some four hours.

The matter was raised by county counsellor Mr Jerry Crawford at the Regional Health Forum West yesterday, prompting serious questions about the dispatching of ambulances.

The Porthall, East Co. Donegal based counsellor has now asked for an urgent meeting between Ambulance Management and Forum Members, to address his concerns on this issue.

“I have reason to believe, and I will leave it as ‘reason to believe’, that on a recent occasion, a Donegal ambulance was tasked to Tipperary” counsellor Crawford was quoted as stating.

Tipp. Co. Co’s Super Mattress Bonus Give-Away Begins Tomorrow.

Tipperary County Council’s Mattress Bonus Give-Away

Local Councillors and a Senior Executive Officer from “Environment and Climate Action”, stationed within the local Tipperary Authority, rushed out last week to announce on Facebook; on Local Radio and on local Press that an opportunity had arisen to dispose of unwanted mattresses at Civic Amenity sites across Tipperary.

With politicians on holiday, news and political self-promotional announcements, within Tipperary as a whole, were down to a mere trickle at the end of August. It was no surprise therefore that Local Radio; Local Press, together with Local Councillors, all of whom do not get out much anymore, should go into a ‘feeding frenzy’, with news of this “Super Mattress Bonus Give-Away” announcement, taking place only during the month of September 2021.

Well actually folks, readers need to read the fine print, it is only happening on 3 days during September – note 3 dates, are Friday 10th; Friday 17th and Friday 24th.

This event is being lauded as part of Tipperary County Council’s new anti-dumping initiative, with the mattresses to be taken in free of charge at Civic Amenity sites, instead of at the normal costs of €20 for a double mattress and €18 for a single.

You will remember that previously, the council, had discussed equipping themselves with MQ-9 Reaper drones to identify and annihilate fly tippers. One hoped that sufficient training would be given to councillors, when R9-X variant missiles were being used, so as to avoid collateral damage to ordinary unemployed local civilians. [Well you saw what happened recently in landlocked Afghanistan.]

OK, let’s examine the logic of this great “Tipperary County Council “September Mattress Bonus Saver”.

Firstly Remember, Thurles is the only town in all of Co. Tipperary that does not have a Council Civic Amenity Site, despite the town currently having the second largest population in the county. (Estimated Population 10,000). The result is that Thurles residents must therefore use the facilities enjoyed by other more influential upmarket towns in Co. Tipperary.

Clonmel (Estimated Population 17,500) Civic Amenity Site: Mattresses accepted only on Friday, September 17th, 2021 only from 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:00pm-3:30pm at their Carrigeen facility, Business Park, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
The return trip to Thurles is 99 km taking approximately 90 min driving time.

Nenagh (Estimated Population 9,500) Civic Amenity Site: Mattresses accepted on Friday September 10th, 2021 only, from 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:00pm-3:30pm, at their Limerick Rd, facility, Stereame, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary.
The return trip to Thurles town is 80km taking approximately 80 min driving time.

Roscrea (Estimated Population 5,500) Civic Amenity Site: Mattresses accepted also on Friday September 10th, 2021 only from 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:00pm-3:30pm at their Roscrea Civic Amenity Site, on Dublin Road, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.
The return trip to Thurles is 70km, taking approximately 80 min driving time.

Donohill Tipperary (Estimated Population 5,500) Civic Amenity Site: Mattresses accepted only on Friday September 24th, 2021, from 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:00pm-3:30pm at their Garryshane facility. Donohill, Co. Tipperary.
The return trip to Thurles is 70 km, taking approximately 75min driving time.

And finally, Cashel (Estimated Population 4,500) Civic Amenity Site: Mattresses accepted only on Friday September 24th, 2021, only from 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:00pm-3:30pm at their Wallers’ Lot facility Clonmel Road, Cashel, Co. Tipperary.
The return trip to Thurles is 50 km, taking approximately 45 min driving time.

Mattress Transport:
Since double or indeed single spring or memory foam mattresses will not fit in most motor vehicles; a van or trailer is actually required to transport your mattress.

Then the first three questions that you need to ask yourself is:- (1) “Do I own a car or is the husband or wife gone to Dublin to work, using it”? (2) “Have I got a hitch on my car”?, and finally (3) “Do I hold a licence to tow a trailer”?

With Irish Amazon’s ‘fulfilment centre’, set to create 500 jobs, no longer coming to the Munster Hotel area in Thurles, thanks to useless self-promoting and nest feathering politicians, can the man or woman in your life inform their Dublin employer that “I need to take Friday off, to get rid of a badly stained double or single (or both), mattress“?

[Of course if you work in the Public Service, you should be OK. Unlike every other employment in our State you will be allowed, without question, to “pull a 3 day sicky” a couple of times each year, without a request for a medical practitioner‘s cert.]

Since we are informed that a maximum of 4 mattresses are only allowed per customer, how will they know that 4 mattresses were not brought to more than one Civic Amenity facility?

Will the neighbouring counties of Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Offaly, Laois, Galway and Kilkenny, jump at the opportunity to suddenly traverse our badly defended borders, using false addresses and spreading the Covid-19 virus, in their effort to rid themselves of their smudged, splattered and urine blemished mattresses?

Assuming that you now use one of the many individuals currently licenced to operate a “material recovery business”, (latter businesses of which there are many in Thurles), a brief check today confirms that one double mattress and one single, cost €40 in transport costs.

Now, I can see why people wait until after dark to dump their trash out in the wilds of Templetuohy bog; in Littleton bog or here in Thurles on the “Double Ditch”, before then setting it alight to avoid detection through letters and other paper being accidentally included; thus causing “Wild Fires”.

However, what now leaves me suffering from cold sweats late at night, is the thought that the back office individual who dreamed up this great ‘Tipperary Council Super Bonus Giveaway’, could actually get elevated to a higher station, when their next annual increment is given the “nod and the wink”.

Warning To Thurles Motorists – Single Vehicle Collision On N75.

7:45pm, September 8th 2021: A single vehicle collision has just occurred on the Dublin road east of Thurles, (N75) opposite the junction of Ard Carraig and the entrance to the Anner Hotel at Lognafulla in the town.
Two sections of Thurles fire brigade, Gardaí, Paramedics and the Ambulance Service are currently in attendance at the scene.

While the cause of the accident has yet to be determined; motorists are being asked if possible to avoid the area.