Transport - Thurles Information

EU Commission Proposals Regarding Refresher Courses For Elderly Drivers Shelved.

New proposals suggested by the European Commission that, if implemented, could result in drivers over 70 years of age having to undergo driving refresher courses, will not be implemented here in Ireland.

**Just one small section of unravelled** **roadway on Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary ignored by local elected councillors and Thurles Municipal District officials.**

It has been confirmed that there are no plans by the Irish government to change the current age from over 75 years old to 70 years. Thus drivers under 75 years will not have to supply a medical report confirming their fitness to drive, unless they are specifically identified as someone who has a specific illness and therefore required to do so by law.

The European Commission’s proposals were centred around some motorists having to undergo regular medical tests and refresher courses in order to renew their driving licence. These proposals also suggest mandatory training for professional van drivers, as well as allowing children, as young as 16 years, to drive cars that have been fitted with a governor, thus limiting the top speed of their vehicles.

The new EU proposed directives, which are seen by some as being ageist, unfair, ineffective and harmful, will not be made mandatory for individual member states. While intended to improve road safety, same would be seen as being unjust to those drivers residing in rural areas, that have limited access to other alternative forms of public transport.

According to a European Transport Safety Council report, over 5,400 people aged over 65 years were killed on EU roads in 2021; a third of which were pedestrians.

Here in rural Co. Tipperary, an effort to provide and invest in local road improvements, would be identified as being much more beneficial to the elderly driver, than undergoing driving refresher courses, as anyone who has driven around the streets of Thurles town will most surely confirm.

Thurles Potholes Photographed At Low Tide.

Although the weather has been extremely cold here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary over the past week, it has remained extremely dry with very little rain.

We therefore took the opportunity to photograph two x 22.86 centimetre (9in) deep giant potholes or craters; call them what you will, currently available to view on the Mill Road, in Thurles, which we first highlighted on April 20th, 2023; again on October 15th, 2023 and more recently on November 24th, 2023 at high tide.

**One crater on Mill Road, Thurles, unattended since before April 20th, 2023.**

Today, again we photographed same, at low tide, in an effort to warn the public of the dangers when travelling on the Mill Road, with the craters existing just 600 meters (0.373mls) from the residence of one local Councillor.

**Second crater on Mill Road, Thurles, unattended since before April 20th, 2023.**

Since April last, yet another local town Councillor has been calling to local residents on this same Mill Road, canvassing for road frontage to enable the installation of a footpath and has failed to notice this piece of roadway sliding into the Drish river.

Today, we contacted Tipperary Co. Council Webform to report this issue. Same have replied as follows:

Dear Sir,
Thank you for your e-mail regarding ” Road or path defects “
I have forwarded your e-mail to the Thurles District Office for their attention and direct reply to you. Should you wish to follow up on this case, please contact Customer Service Desk quoting reference number T-233557-V8T6.
Regards,
Customer Service Desk, Tipperary County Council.

The Mill Road, over the past two years, as our readers will attest, has become the preferred route for increased car and heavy duty vehicles, same anxious to avoid Thurles town centre, because of major traffic delays caused by the recent upgrading of half of the Liberty Square town centre area.

**Evidence of vehicle tyre tracks on our half updated, expanded, footpaths on Liberty Square**, **Thurles**, **as vehicles attempt to find a non-existent parking or set down space.**

Picture above indicates that some of our Thurles traffic have already begun to avoid our lack of town centre parking spaces and now park on our overextended footpaths. It is this lack of set down spaces, which has driven most of our town centre traders, out of the Thurles town centre.

Last few remaining traders will certainly move out of Thurles town centre, if the Munster Hotel car park, situated on the junction of Cathedral Street and Kickham Street closes. The car park is used extensively and daily by local school buses, business consumers and those attending nearby Church services in the Cathedral. Closure is threatened in February next, in a dispute over failure to agree on a future rent, between the owner of Thurles towns greatest eyesore, (the Munster Hotel), and Tipperary County Council.

EPA Publishes National Criteria Allowing For Safe Reuse Of Site-won Asphalt.

EPA Publishes National Criteria that allow for the safe reuse of site-won asphalt (road planings) as by-product.

The generation of construction and demolition waste needs to vastly reduce: the sector is responsible for over 50 per cent of all of Ireland’s waste.
The EPA new national by-product criteria supports the prevention construction waste and instead allows its reuse, as a lower-carbon alternative to virgin materials.
National by-product criteria will provide the construction sector with an efficient regulatory process to reuse road planings in the production of consistent and quality road surface products.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published National By-Product Criteria for Site-Won Asphalt (road planings) from road developments.

**Kickham Street, Thurles, Co. Tipperary at 3:15 pm today**.

These criteria allow for the classification of road planings as a by-product, meaning it is not waste. The by-product can subsequently be used or placed on the market in the same way as virgin material. These criteria support waste prevention and facilitate the reuse of materials in new construction projects, in line with the circular economy.

There is a strong demand for secondary construction products in Ireland to support development of new infrastructure with a low carbon footprint. The criteria allow used asphalt to be remanufactured into new bituminous products for road building.

Commenting on the criteria, Mr David Flynn, Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Sustainability, said: “The publication of national by-product criteria for site-won asphalt is an important step for the ‘greening’ of Ireland’s construction industry.
The criteria will support waste prevention and circular economy ambitions, by tackling the generation of construction waste, the largest waste stream in the country, while encouraging the reuse of materials.
This is the type of progress needed if Ireland is to move in a meaningful way from the linear to the circular economy.”

The criteria provide a simple way to assess materials for re-use, and will support green procurement ambitions for road development projects.

Mr Warren Phelan, Programme Manager of the EPA’s Circular Economy Programme noted: “The publication of the national criteria show the EPA’s commitment to streamlining the regulation to support secondary products. The shift away from the assessment of case-by-case applications to national criteria, which is available to all producers, offers more regulatory certainty to the stakeholders involved. These criteria will introduce a level playing field for industry and introduce a single set of rules that are easy to implement.”

The EPA calls on relevant stakeholders in the construction sector to adopt and implement the new criteria.

Further information on the national by-product criteria and other initiatives of the circular economy programme are available on the EPA website, HERE.

Five Persons In Hospital Following Collision In Thurles Co. Tipperary Yesterday.

Five Persons Hospitalized Following Two-vehicle Collision In Thurles Co. Tipperary Yesterday.

As reported yesterday, it is understood that five people were hospitalised following a serious road traffic collision, involving two motor vehicles, on the N62 south of Thurles, Co Tipperary, between Turtulla Cross and Clongour Road Junction yesterday.

The serious collision which occurred yesterday morning, saw a five persons; three male juvenile teens and two women, aged in their late 40s and 50s removed to Limerick University Hospital by two helicopters, to be treated for injuries. The injuries to one teen is understood by Gardaí to be serious.

The road which was closed until late yesterday evening for examination and has now fully reopened.

Thurles Gardaí are now appealing for any witnesses to this collision to make themselves known. Road users who may have dash-cam footage and were travelling in this area between 10.30am and 11.15am are asked to make this footage available.

Persons with information are asked to contact Thurles Garda Station TEL: 0504 25100, the Garda Confidential Line TEL: 1800 666 111, or indeed any Garda Station.

Thurles N62 Road Closure Due To Traffic Incident.

The N62 roadway from the junction of Clongour Road and Slievenamon Road remains completely closed off since lunch time today; due to a traffic incident, in the vicinity of Thurles Golf Club.
Only local traffic is being allowed into Monadreen, Willows and Rosemount housing estates.

The scene has been attended by Gardaí, ambulances and fire service personnel and motorists are being advised to avoid the area.
Diversions have been put in place.