One long overdue project, namely the extremely dangerous junction situated at Bowe’s Corner, (latter connecting Friar Street west, with Abbey Road (west – R660) and Matthew Avenue north, with Butler Avenue/Iona Avenue (south), not forgetting the Colm Yard Lane (west) and Railway Road (west) in Thurles, has been allocated .5 million euro, same to be spent in an effort to make this area safer for both pedestrians and more importantly in this case for motorists, latter often blinded by late evening sun and objects obstructing full clear visibility.
No timeline for this work has yet been determined, however Thurles (west side) can again expect considerable disruption in the area, while this works is being carried out. Hopefully, “Yield” and “Stop” signs will end up facing in the right direction, unlike same presently being neglected in Thurles town over the past 9 months. [SeeHERE.]
“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
Following this announcement, some inactive local TD’s and Councillors, from various political persuasions, were quick off the mark; “like the proverbial bat out of Hell”, each claiming responsibility for acquiring this ‘grand chunk’ of funding.
Thurles Independent Councillor Mr Jim Ryan expressing particular delight stating that since being elected as a member of Thurles Town Council, he had been raising this issue. He further stated that he was thrilled that this .5 million will be spent in the area, thus guaranteeing a safer experience for all pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. “This is very good news for Thurles and I compliment the county council engineers and staff for pursuing the project”, he stated.
To be fair, our records do show that indeed Councillor Jim Ryan was the first to highlight this dangerous junction, and was even responsible with successfully forcing some safety changes in the past, undertaken by the local Council.
Not suprisingly, Tipperary Fianna Fáil TD, Deputy Mr Jackie Cahill quickly grabbed the headlines, according to local press reports, stating he was absolutely delighted to receive confirmation from none other than his colleagues in Government, that the Bowe’s Corner Junction Improvement Scheme had been allocated .5 million for major improvements, all courtesy of his imaginary imput. He failed however to name his colleague in Government who informed him, but reiterated his delight in seeing hishard work paying off. He also was gracious enough to include fellow local Fianna Fáil councillors, namely Mr Seamus Hanafin and Mr Seán Ryan, for working on this and other numerous road and footpath projects in the county.
Independent TD, Deputy Mr Michael Lowry, despite his “Lowry Team” supporters, was last to hear of the success of county council staff, but eventually got around to welcoming the overall allocations, stating that this funding would help make urban centres, throughout the county and the country, more attractive places to live, work, visit and be unemployed. Well one would hope so, surely these financial allocations, paid for by the Irish taxpayer, are not intended to make the county and the country more repugnant or inefficacious.
Perhaps, some of the above councillors or others would be equally as fast, as to put their ‘curser indicator to computer screen’, to answer the following.
* What Thurles taxpayers are anxious to know is when will the other half of the 12 million Euro, Liberty Square project be completed, latter financed by taxpayers and now three years in the offing, to the detriment of traders and consumers? * Will Friar Street, in Thurles town, be completely under siege from both ends, (Westgate & Bowe’s Corner) in 2022 or will it be 2023/24 or even 2025 perhaps? * Will GAA match followers, arriving from the north east and south by rail, now be steered up Abbey Road, through Kennedy Park, to Semple Stadium, thus avoiding Liberty Square altogether?
But sure look, when you are an ineffective councillor or a politician residing in Thurles, you have to be saying something in the press and on social media, in the slim hope that the electorate are stupid enough to vote you back into office, come next elections.
Pleasing everyone is just impossible, but pissing everyone off, I find, is a piece of cake, and so I go diligently to work.
Motorists will agree that, with increased traffic on our roads and streets, there are hazards everywhere, specifically in towns and other built up areas. To this end warning road signs are normally put in place to avoid and reduce driving risks to an acceptable level, thus circumventing serious accidents. Well that is accepted normally; except in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
As in places of employment; were there to be a Health and Safety Authority investigation undertaken presently, on the town of Thurles, our whole unit would be immediately shutdown for weeks.
The video hereunder, valued readers, is not in any way fabricated, so if you are out walking this sunny eve, “eyes to the fore please” and observe for yourself the facts, while contemplating the question, “Why should I be forced to Pay Property Tax?”
Questions: (1) Have the local Garda Authority or the Thurles Garda Roads Policing Unit, raised the issue of the Council failing to provide adequate signage at their monthly meetings, attended by elected councillors? (2) Have Driving Instructors reported this issue to local Council officials on behalf of their students? (3) What do Driving Instructors say to their pupils, when explaining why necessary warning ‘STOP’ signs, for over 6 months, are facing in the wrong direction – or totally absent – or indeed never erected at all, e.g. both ends of the Ikerrin Road in Thurles? (4) Then there are the Driving Test Inspectors; have they contacted the Thurles Municipal District Council Office regarding this utter neglect of signage, noticed when testing learner drivers? (5) We live in a town, possibly one of the few towns in Ireland, where there exist two elected, powerless and resident TD’s; namely Mr Jackie Cahill and Mr Michael Lowry. Both TD’s appear to coexist with five elected Councillors, namely, Mr Séamus Hanafin, Mr Micheál Lowry, Ms Peggy Ryan, Mr Jim Ryan and Mr Seán Ryan. To the latter named, “What do you intend to do to protect passing motorists not familiar with our Thurles medieval streetscape, promoted by council engineers?”.
All aforementioned appear to have no shame when it comes to denying truth, defending lies, and demonstrating only a modicum of principle.
Shame is nothing more than denial of the truth andI now ask why are you all failing to protect Thurles, the area you all promised to serve, prior to you being elected.
Note, all the aforementioned elected officials reside within the postal district of Thurles. All preside over a rural town seriously neglected and decaying at warp speed; all for the want of someone skilled in the use of a sweeping brush and a spanner.
This attached video link has been forwarded by email to Mr Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive, Tipperary Co. Council, (macgrath@tipperarycoco.ie), and to Ms Sharon Scully, Thurles District Administrator, (sharon.scully@tipperarycoco.ie). We have asked both individuals to explain this wanton neglect and permitted destruction of Thurles, “A Town that I Love so Well”.
As readers are already aware, local TD’s and locally elected councillors do not read or reply to correspondence, only when threatened by the Standards In Public Office Commission. We have therefore decided to not disturb their daily idleness.
Elected representatives and local officials, please make an effort to earn your generous salaries, paid for by the taxpayer.
It is going to happen around mid-November, possibly before the frost sets in. Yes, Tipperary Co. Council are going to once again provide a more efficient set of traffic lights at the junction of Clongower Road and Slievenamon Road. Same are expected be more efficient than the traffic light they installed last week.
L to R Picture (1 & 2): Endless line of traffic on Clongower Rd. Picture (3): Large vehicle traffic blocked by illegal parking on Clongower Rd., forcing exiting vehicles unto a cycle path. Picture (4): New STOP sign on junction of Fianna Road (N659) and Slievenamon Road (N62).
Engineers are going to upgrade road-markings at this same junction, just installed last week, making it the third time to upgrade same in the last two years; all in an effort to ease the ongoing build-up of traffic caused by these traffic lights, which in turn was introduced by poor engineering skills within Tipperary Co. Council or Transport Infrastructure Ireland or whoever. Truth is we do not know who is responsible for anything anymore.
This continuous money wasting work unfortunately is expected just to be a reconfiguration of the existing traffic lights, with new road markings to provide for clear-ways at both the Rosemount and Monadreen exits. No mention of removing the unnecessary grass margin opposite Lidl.
Of course all that was needed initially was a low level roundabout, thus to ensure that traffic was kept flowing, significantly reducing the current totally unnecessary traffic build up which currently frustrates drivers. These so called filter lanes are expected to provide ease of access to both Lidl and Clongour Road.
But what about drivers attempting to exit Clongower Road? Residents on both sides of Clongower Road find themselves unable to exit the gateways of their homes due to the long continuous lines of traffic tailed-back, all caused by poor quality engineering design.
Traffic entering Clongower road are further hampered by large vehicles illegally parked on a cycle path, while their occupants work on a house in the area. Same parking is holding and preventing large trucks, which must wait for traffic exiting that road, timed at the rate of 5 cars every 4 minutes.
We watched today as frustrated drivers continuously ran red lights, and as (parents please take note) small primary school children using pedestrian crossings, took chances.
It therefore comes as no surprise that a motorist in sheer frustration was clocked doing almost twice the speed limit in a 60km/h zone at Clongower (N62) on National Slow Down day this week. The motorist was clocked doing 114 km/h; just 6 km/h short of travelling at double the speed limited to that road and making national headlines.
This is a now a new problem created by a road engineer. Get rid of these traffic lights and employ a road engineer with proven experience and knowledge to solve this continuous logjam.
The amount of taxpayers money which continues to be wasted on this one junction demands a public enquiry, followed by sackings for those who have displayed total incompetence.
Meanwhile, with the whole town suffering the same fate, as shoppers struggle to enter the town from all directions, note the new problem on Slievenamon Road, delaying traffic (See image above). Vehicles, for the sake of a spanner to tighten a nut and bolt, are being asked to STOP on Slievenamon Road (N62) instead of on Fianna Road (N659). One wonders who’s side will be supported by Gardaí, in the event of a serious accident?
Meanwhile, as I am here standing on my soapbox; could elected councillor please inform SSE Airtricity to turn off the feckin lights during the daytime on almost every road and street in Thurles Town? They are operating 24 hours each day.
Now you understand why we are expected/forced to pay property tax?
Regular maintenance is essential in every village, town or city. Same enables us to keep our work environment clean, safe and reliable. Inadequate maintenance leads eventually to dangerous situations, near accidents and even serious health problems.
Here in Thurles local political factions are ‘quick off the mark’ to announce something new, whether involved or not, mostly not, each failing to realise that we the taxpayers are paying the bill for what they are announcing. If we raise issues, we are being negative, non-progressive and failing to be positive in our attitudes, as same TD’s and Councillors crowd around waiting to have their photo taken.
As our elected representatives announce “that new something”, they fail to put into place even a smidgen of required maintenance in their thought process. Now, having watched the slide-show above, let us take a look at the undeniable evidence of which I speak about here in Thurles.
Tipperary planning authority granted developers on the new Lidl site, (latter accessed from Slievenamon Road in Thurles), permission to remove 150 meters of mature deciduous Blackthorn (Prunus spinosahe) during the nesting season, same against EU law. They sowed 8 small saplings to replace same. Today 4 of these tree saplings are dead. No maintenance.
All over the town, buildings both public and private display poor quality graffiti, (no evidence of the pseudonymous England-based street artistBanksy so far), now a common site. After weeks of watching the offensive graffiti “Vaccines Kills“, we contacted Thurles Town administrator, Ms Sharon Scully last. Ms Scully immediately replied, “Mr Willoughby, Thank you for your email. I have asked the Town Foreman to remove the graffiti at his earliest convenience”. It was still there today. No maintenance.
Exercise areas beautifully provided in our town park, which was officially opened by Councillor Mr Seamus Hanafin (27th March 2016 only 5 years ago), are now badly vandalised, smashed up over 2 years now. ‘Hedge Bindweed’ (Calystegia sepium) climbs the metal fences. Here again spray-can graffiti is everywhere. Bye-laws governing consumption of alcohol are openly flouted. Some 22 metres, exactly from a public toilet and in an area where children play and adults walk, we have undeniable evidence of human excrement. Emulsion paint spread over newly dried cement now lies on the ground at the new foot bridge, since last winter. No attempt to sweep it up. Electric lighting is working day and night on the footbridge and Thomond Road. No maintenance.
Clothing Pods and Glass Pods in Parnell Car-Park and elsewhere is left unattended and regularly overflowing. No maintenance.
River Suir is turned into a cesspit. A stone embankment beside Barry’s Bridge, built by the late Mr Wilbert Houben and myself, was destroyed over the past 14 days when several ton of sand and other building materials were dropped onto its surface by those employed to repair the underbelly section of the bridge. A Grundfos stainless steel pump, generously donated by Cantwell Electrical, Gortnahoe, and which airated the river, as a performing fountain, has vanished without a mention. No maintenance.
‘The Source’ building is now the dirtiest looking building in Thurles town. Initially paid for by rate paying local businesses, same is run by Tipperary Co. Council. Tipperary Co. Co operate this latter complex, plus a gym and swimming pool, in competition with other local restaurants, pubs, hotels and theatres. It greedily eats up massive arts grants not readily available to its competitors. Alongside ‘The Source’ the 3 wooden tubs have now disintegrated over 3 years ago and their Box hedging contents remain an embarrassment. No maintenance.
Now let us take a look at the Liberty Square upgrade. First let me say the actual workmanship is very professional, while the design itself is an absolute disaster. Allow me to explain. The 3 tiny litter bins provided in this area to date overflow by noon every day. An employee armed with a handheld mechanical reach extender (grabber arm, helping hand, trash picker, picker-upper, extended gripper, long arm gripper, extended reach grabber, grabber tool, call it what you like), wanders about grabbing objects that should have found a home in a litter bin. Some shopkeepers now work on the assumption that they are no longer responsible for the plastic cups, cans, cardboard cups and other disposable item discarded by their customers, same involved in outdoor eating outside their premises, sitting on free furniture paid for by the taxpayer. Should we insist that no further disposable items be used on Liberty Square one wonders? Signage is erected too close to narrow lanes of traffic. Same are already bent after just a 3 day exposure. Engineers have learned nothing from previous pedestrian crossing traffic light problems and associated money wasting. Tyre tracks are already evident on pedestrian areas, as motorists attempt to find parking @ €1.60 per hour. Will this new granite brickwork be regularly cleaned? Presently there are no plans. No maintenance.
Perhaps our five local elected councillors and two Tipperary elected local TD’s would like to join me for a stroll, before dark some evening. I promise to give each and all of you massive publicity, as I record your lame excuses.
“Mr Waste lived across the street, right opposite the Slows, And every weed that ever grew, in his front garden grows. Bill Waste lost all his lesson books, Moll Waste on hers she scribbled, And so between the pence and pounds away their money dribbled. This story is a sad one; the end is as you fear. Yes, the Waste’s are in the Workhouse now, Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear.”
In March of 2021, my car suffered from no less than three “hit and runs”, in just three weeks, while it was correctly parked close to the junction of Ikerrin Road and Kickham Street, Thurles. Same three “hit and runs” were caused by customers reversing their vehicles out from a local Supermarket in that area; the drivers failing to take the necessary due care and attention.
After the last hit and run it became necessary to have my elderly car scrapped. In doing so, I applied to rightly claim back my road tax on the now scrapped vehicle and approximately one month later, I received a cheque from Tipperary County Council, on the 28th of April, 2021. See picture of cheque hereunder, showing repayment of €248, with date framed in red outline, note 28th April 2021.
Next, see letter received on May 7th, 2021, sent some 9 days later, stating : –
Dear Sir/Madam, I refer to your application for refund of licencing fee in respect of the above vehicle. Arrangements are today being made to issue a Paying Order in the sum of €248 under separate cover to you. Should you fail to receive same within 6 weeks please contact the undersigned.
Yours faithfully, etc.
To date, I hasten to add, despite the latter correspondence, Tipperary County Council have correctly failed to pay me twice for this once off transaction.
The cost of sending me the refund cheque was a 95 cents stamp, plus cost of envelope and possibly duty on the cheque. The cheque had no accompanying correspondence attached, indicating what the reason was for the payment. This resulted in a telephone call by myself seeking an explanation (cost 30 cents). Since no one in charge of cheque distribution was available to explain my query; County Council staff agreed to phone me back. The call-back came sometime later and after a 5 minute discussion, all was fully clarified, at an total cost of about €2.00 in total.
Now for the letter dispatched on the 7/5/2021, costs: 1 x Stamp – 95 cents, 1 x Typists salary – cost unknown, 1 x line Manager/Supervisor to halt any second payment – cost unknown, 1 x Sheet of Headed Paper – cost unknown, and finally 1 x large white envelope – cost unknown.
Taxpayers wonder why their hard-earned money is diminished daily in amount and why property taxes increase by 10% annually. Within Tipperary County Council Motor Tax Office it is obvious that they are over staffed with “the left hand not knowing what the right hand doeth”.
Who cares, the strings of the public purse in Co. Tipperary remain loose, flexible and easily accessible to public servants and their officialdom.
More on the huge waste by Tipperary County Council officials in the coming days.
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