Roads - Thurles Information

Tipperary Co. Co. & Thurles Municipal District Officials Ability Called Into Question.

One must seriously call into question the ability of Tipperary County Council and Thurles Municipal District officials, together with their supposedly qualified engineering department, when it comes to street design and basic planning decisions.

**Location: Liberty Square, Thurles. Crossroads sign no longer fit for purpose for those drivers, unfamiliar with the town centre.**
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

Thurles.info has consistently warned of the complete waste of money, when it comes to positioning signposts; pedestrian lighting lamp standards and more recently, giant flower-pot street furniture; latter positioned too close to high sided vehicles, and indeed all vehicles attempting to manoeuvre their way through the mostly narrow medieval streets of Thurles.

Location: Liberty Square, Thurles. New carpark sign supposedly directing parking to the new carpark, no longer fit for purpose, for months pointing in the wrong direction for those visitors unfamiliar with Thurles town.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

The very existence of these high sided vehicles are testament to the failure of two resident TD’s, namely Mr Michael Lowry and Mr Jackie Cahill, who have consistently failed miserable, to obtain a long promised ring-road diversion; now no longer being discussed until 2040, at the very earliest.

**Location: Liberty Square, Thurles.** A giant, now skewed, flowerpot just installed recently. Latter street furniture has become the latest victim to suddenly change its position, courtesy of a vehicle attempting to find a non existent parking space.
*Pic: G. Willoughby*.

Liberty Square, Thurles, Perplexity.

Of course not all of Thurles streets were medieval, until current local elected councillors voted (Part 8) for what can only be described as the total destruction of Liberty Square from a business and traffic perspective, with no imput from local residents or business people being embraced during the planning stage. All businesses remaining in the area and interviewed report at least a 60% drop in customer footfall as a direct result.

Note, the above three pictures are taken within just a few metres of each other on the newly, half updated Liberty Square area of the town centre, where we learn even goods delivery vehicles, same prevented simply attempting to go about their daily business, are being issued with tickets for inescapable parking violations.

Councillors To Consider Traffic Calming On Kickham Street, Thurles, On Monday.

Locally elected councillors will consider ‘Traffic Calming Measures’ for Kickham Street, latter situated on Route N75, east of Thurles town in Co. Tipperary, at tomorrow’s [Monday November 20th, 2023] Municipal District Council monthly meeting,

NOTE: None of the Municipal District Councillors or Municipal District Officials have issued an invitation to any of Kickham Street residents, to attend said meeting, however, we learn from the grapevine that the already proposed changes, are now open for debate, through public consultation, until Monday December 18th next, which will allow for the general public to make submissions, in writing, up until 4:30pm on January 8th 2024.

The proposals for Kickham Street, according to PLANS TO BE FOUND HERE, include improvements to currently almost non-existent drainage; road resurfacing, and the installation of an uncontrolled pedestrian crossings close to Centra. Other improvements appear to include various raised pedestrian crossings at public exit/entrance points. A narrowing of the roadway to create a 3.25 metres wide area, together with a minor design change to the existing roundabout layout, also appears to be planned for Mill Road roundabout/crossroads.
The road, which links to the M8 motorway has a daily traffic movement average of over 5,600 assorted vehicles, with particulate matter and air pollutants impacting on the health of local residents.

‘**End to end’ traffic continuously at a stand-still, while attempting to enter Liberty Square, Thurles**.

The traffic set-up shown in the picture above captures the traffic situation experienced currently between 8:30am and 10:00am, on 6 mornings each week; between 3:00pm and 6:15pm on 6 afternoons each week; and between 7:00pm and 9:30pm, every Friday evening, as parents arrive to drop-off teenage sons & daughters in Liberty Square to attend the local disco venue; forcing vehicles to come to a halt on a single lane framework; on a street where previous adequate parking spaces for vehicles was readily accessible and today now sadly eradicated, to the detriment of the few only remaining, operating businesses.

Eight and ten wheeler *“semi style”* diesel trucks attempting to pass each other, between two rows of terraced houses, on Kickham Street, situated on route N75 and showing the left-hand-side of a vehicle forced to mount the footpath, rather than adjust driver side mirrors.

Surely, almost static traffic movement requires no further ‘Traffic Calming Measures’.
Changes to this section of the N75 route have already been agreed, without any public consultation, and based on previous public discussions regarding areas of the town e.g. Bowe’s Corner, Liberty Square, Slievenamon Road etc, no public concerns expressed, have ever been accepted or adopted.

Tipperary County Council in their Corporate plan 2020-2024 claim, as one of their corporate objectives, to quote “Support the growth in retail activity thereby, increasing the vitality and vibrancy of our town centres”.

Alas, their day dream has long since melted away, with yet another business gone just this month alone, and an indication from another leading business that they will cease to trade after Christmas. And all due, they rightly claim, to what was an avoidable massive decrease in footfall; with ill-advised changes voted as totally acceptable by locally elected councillors; same speeded up by the removal of car-parking spaces and the greedy introduction of hourly vehicle parking charges. (Oh and let’s not forget the public’s total silence on the matter.)

Tipperary County Council May Be Unable To Continue Delivering Basic Public Services.

Tipperary County Council may be unable to continue delivering basic public services next year, due to rising inflation costs unless the government reinstates a special funding stream normally provided for local authorities.
Last year, the government made available a special funding stream for local authorities to deal with rising inflation costs., however, no such extra funding for rising inflation will be coming from government this year, for 2024.

This issue, it is believed by officials, could seriously impact on as yet unidentified maintenance; enhancement works; and other various community projects like unnecessary fireworks displays and festivals.

Here in Thurles the already lack of maintenance has been evident for over the past two years, [See pictures attached with more to be published here soon].

**Sign on the Nenagh Road roundabout unattended for weeks, flattened by the rear wheels of an elongated truck.**

A move has been supported by Councillors to now write to the Minister for Finance Mr Michael McGrath TD, and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Mr Paschal Donohoe, expressing grave concerns, and requesting a reversal of this decision.

**Cathedral Street carpark resembling the cratered and pitted surface normally found in lunar geology, and believe me it has never been impacted by any asteroids, meteorites, or comets**.

This issue it is believed could seriously impact on unidentified maintenance; enhancement works, and various community projects.

Could this end up with staff at the lower end of the pay scale finding themselves unemployed, while decision making officials and elected councillors remain sitting back with their feet up, retained on high salaries’ waiting for our financial climate to change.

Once again, we ask the question “What are we getting in return for compulsory Annual Property Tax Payments”.

Status Orange Wind & Rain Warning Issued For Tipperary, Due To Approaching Storm Debi.

Note advice to all schools hereunder.

A ‘Status Red’ wind warning has been issued for counties bordering on Co. Tipperary, as Met Éireann warn of expected extremely gusty winds tonight; courtesy of Storm Debi, and posing a potential danger to life.

According to Met Éireann, when a Status Red warning is issued; which is rare, action should be taken to protect both yourself and your property. So it might be a good idea to check your garden at this time,for items of furniture, children’s play houses, Trampolines, plastic slides etc, all easily moved by high wind gusts.

From midnight on tonight, the whole of Ireland will be placed under a ‘Status Yellow’ wind and rain warning; same remaining in place until 3:00pm tomorrow afternoon, with motorists warned of poor visibility and potentially dangerous travelling conditions.
From 2:00am tomorrow morning, a ‘Status Orange’ wind warning will come into effect for counties Tipperary, and neighbouring counties Kilkenny, Limerick, Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Clare, together with counties Carlow, Dublin, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath, Wicklow, Kerry and Galway. This evening’s warnings come in the wake of the devastation caused by preceding storms, e.g. Babet and Ciaran.

The first ‘Status Red’ wind warning will come into place at approximately 3:00am tomorrow morning, Monday, and will impact, in particular, counties Clare, Galway, and south Roscommon, remaining in place until 5:00am, before impacting counties Offaly and Westmeath.

Met Éireann warn that ‘Storm Debi’ could potentially cause damage to exposed and vulnerable structures, while causing disruption to services and transport, with significant power outages, including localised flooding, hail, hazardous travelling conditions, and fallen trees and branches.

From midnight tonight, the whole of Ireland will be placed under a ‘Status Yellow’ wind and rain warning remaining in place until 3:00pm tomorrow afternoon, with motorists warned of poor visibility and potentially dangerous travelling conditions.

Note according to RTE: All schools and pre-schools in 19 counties affected by Status Red and Status Orange warnings are being asked to remain closed until 10:00am tomorrow morning.
[Advice from Keith Leonard, National Director of Fire and Emergency Management.]

WARNING – Thurles Cyclists Beware.

Pictures hereunder currently show the present state of just a two meter (6.56ft) stretch of roadscape in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.

State of roadscape currently on Friar Street in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, latter a town with two Dail Éireann politicians both currently in residence, who have their constituency offices less than 500 meters from the above.
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

The craters have developed over a period of 12 weeks, on Friar Street in the town, and can be easily located just east of Supervalu.

Cyclists in particular are warned to take great care to avoid these craters positioned close to the footpath. These craters measuring up to 15cm (6ins) deep are a particular hazard after dark, and presently force cyclists to quickly move out into often fast moving traffic, in an effort to avoid the cratered surface.

The current state of this particular streetscape, together with other areas of the town [e.g. Barry’s bridge, Kickham Street etc, etc], demonstrate a total lack of proper administration by Thurles Municipal District Council officials.

**Kickham Street, Thurles, pictured after a light rain shower.**
*Pic: G. Willoughby.*

Perhaps, this would be an opportune time for Mr Jackie Cahill TD and Mr Michael Lowry TD to invite Minister for Transport, Mr Eamon Ryan TD to visit a now forgotten Thurles. Emphasize and ensure that he brings his bicycle and pedals around the town.
Other benefits would be that the latter TD’s could have their pictures taken, together with local Town Councillors.