This article is from page 8 of the 2007-05-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
A CLARE motorcyclist is threat- ening to take the county council to court over what he describes as “wil- fully dangerous roadworks”.
Mountshannon resident Ciaran Ma- cAodh came close to serious injury at the weekend when his motorbike skidded out of control after he drove across gravel which had been thrown up on the road surface from road- works on the opposite side.
The accident happened at Cloon- tymweenagh on the road between Scariff and Mountshannon.
“I saw the roadwork warning signs and slowed right down but the gravel dressing that the council put on the other side where the works are go- ing on wasn’t rolled into the road. Cars driving over it threw up stones, which went all over the road on the side I was driving. There was noth- ing for the bike to grip on — it was just sliding,” he said.
MacAodh was thrown from his bike and the bike went spiralling away.
He was treated in the accident and emergency department for injuries to his wrist and said that he was still unsure what damage was done to the bike.
“There was a car coming in the other direction and it was just as well that I wasn’t going any faster because
I could have ended up under that car. This happens all the time with road- works. The council never considers what happens to a bike when it hits loose gravel.
“Cars can cope but not bikes. I’m sick of it and I’m going to court this time,’ he added.
A spokesman for Clare County Council’s roadworks section said that surface dressings like this were “always rolled”’.
He added that there was “always signs imposing a temporary speed limit and warning about roadworks. Nowadays, health and safety issues are all important and every precau- tion is taken to warn motorists and prevent accidents”.
A spokesman for the Tulla area of- fice of the local authority confirmed that the work at Cloontymweenagh are part of a major roadworks pro- gramme, which will be ongoing in the favourable weather conditions.
The spokesman said that the council tooks certain measures when putting down the temporary surface.
The procedure was a “normal part of the construction process.
“The stones are there to form a base for the final surface. There’s not much can be done, aS some stones are thrown up by car wheels as the temporary surface is driven on,’ he explained.