That Roscommon County Council make an urgent submission to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) seeking immediate and comprehensive safety measures at Scramogue Crossroads where the R371 crosses the N5.

This dangerous junction is widely recognized as a major accident blackspot, with fatalities, serious injuries and collisions over the years. There is inadequate signage, road markings, and no public lighting, making it especially dangerous at night.

With the new N5 bypass due to open within 12 months and traffic expected to increase significantly, urgent action is required to prevent further loss of life.

That Roscommon County Council make an urgent submission to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) seeking immediate and comprehensive safety measures at Scramogue Crossroads where the R371 crosses the N5. This dangerous junction is widely recognized as a major accident blackspot, with fatalities, serious injuries and  collisions over the years. There is inadequate signage, road markings, and no public lighting, making it especially dangerous at night. With the new N5 bypass due to open within 12 months and traffic expected to increase significantly, urgent action is required to prevent further loss of life.

The Meetings Administrator read out the following reply:

TII is legally obliged to carry out road safety assessment(s) of the entire national road network in accordance with applicable legislation. The N5 route is subject to this assessment. Based on this ongoing assessment, it is noted that this junction has not been identified as a high collision location.

An analysis of the available road collision data (over the eleven-year period 2014 to 2024 inclusive) indicates that the vast majority of recorded collisions involve material damage only (i.e. no injuries) and occur during daylight hours. Over this period 3 Minor Injury collisions and 12 Material Damage Only collisions were recorded in the immediate vicinity of the junction. All 3 Minor Injury collisions and two thirds (8 no.) of the Material Damage Only collisions occurred during daylight hours. There is no record of any collision involving fatal or serious injury during this period.

An inspection of the road signage and marking at this location has been carried out and confirms that both road markings and road signage at this location are consistent with current requirements. See attached photographs which record existing road markings and road signage on the immediate approaches to the N5 from the R371 Regional Road.

Notwithstanding the above, further improvements to the existing N5 / R371 junction will be undertaken as part of the ongoing N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge project which is scheduled to open to traffic in Q4 2027. The improved junction will comply with current TII Standards and will be subject to road safety audit.

The improved junction will as per current arrangement comprise a Right / Left Staggered Ghost Island Priority junction with right turning lanes for both minor roads (R371). The stagger distance between the minor junction arms will be increased to 50m. The R371 northern arm of the junction will be realigned and a 3m channelising island will be sited at the junction to direct right turning vehicles from the N5 mainline. The R371 southern arm of the junction will be re-graded locally at the junction mouth to tie-in to the new N5. A 3m wide channelising island will be constructed to aid drivers making the right turn from the ghost island on the N5 mainline. Road markings and signage will be provided in accordance with the current Traffic Signs Manual.

Consideration of the requirement for Public Lighting

The provision of public lighting at this location was initially considered as part of the planning application for the N5 Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road project.

DN-LHT-03038 is the TII Publication/Standard which contains requirements and guidance for the design of road lighting systems on the National Road network. The lighting on regional and local roads that form part of a National Road scheme is also required to be developed in accordance with this Standard.

The Standard notes that the provision of lighting may not be the most cost-effective method of reducing night-time accident rates and that improvements to road alignment, improvements in carriageway markings, delineation of traffic and signing may offer a better solution. Consideration of alternative measures likely to have a lower lifecycle cost or less adverse environmental impact should be assessed when determining the requirements for lighting on any project. According to DN-LHT-03038, single carriageway priority junctions shall be unlit. The provision of lighting for such priority junctions will require a Departure from Standard from TII.

Conclusion

An analysis of the available collision data (2014 to 2024 inclusive) does not indicate a frequency of collisions to warrant its classification as a high collision location. In particular, the analysis undertaken does not indicate a high frequency of collisions occurring during night-time hours.

Given that the improved junction geometry at this location will comply with all relevant TII Standards and the junction will be signed and marked in accordance with the requirements set out in the

Traffic Signs Manual, it is considered that the provision of public lighting at this location is not warranted. Furthermore, it is noted that a formal Departure from Standard would be required to provide public lighting at this location and it is considered that such a Departure could not be justified based on the available evidence.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Callaghan noted that, while Standing Orders specify that notices of motion relating to specific engineering matters should be discussed at Municipal District meetings, he allowed this item on the agenda due to its importance and the recent fatal accident at the junction. He stressed that, going forward, roads and infrastructure issues should be referred to the Roscommon, Athlone, or Boyle Municipal Districts.

Cllr. Crosby strongly disagreed with the suggestion that such matters be referred to sub-committees. He expressed disappointment with the TII report, describing it as one of the poorest he had seen in his 35 years of public representation on such a serious issue. Living in the area, he emphasised that the junction is a major blackspot and reiterated the concerns outlined in his motion. He highlighted that a fatality occurred at the junction within the last three months, which was not reflected in the report. He called for a senior TII official to visit the site and conduct a comprehensive study, stressing the urgency given the ongoing N5 bypass works, which will connect to this junction and significantly increase traffic.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

           SECONDED by Cllr. Byrne

It was AGREED to make an urgent submission to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) seeking immediate and comprehensive safety measures at Scramogue Crossroads where the R371 crosses the N5.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

           SECONDED by Cllr. McDermott

It was AGREED to invite the CEO of TII to present to the plenary council of Roscommon County Council on this matter.

Members fully supported the motion and raised the following points:

• The junction is extremely dangerous.
• Lack of engagement and communication from TII with elected members is unacceptable.
• Traffic volumes will increase further due to N5 upgrade works.
• Similar issues exist with the N61 in South Roscommon, with poor TII engagement.
• Roscommon County Council staff are proactive and understand local issues, but TII is unwilling to engage.
• There is a need to clarify what accident data is collected by Gardaí, how it is shared with TII, and how it informs junction safety assessments.
• Roscommon has the second-highest road fatality rate per capita nationally.
• Concern that TII recently stated it cannot share accident data with local authorities.

Cathaoirleach Cllr. Callaghan expressed his support for the motion, agreeing that action must be taken before the new N5 opens and traffic volumes increase significantly.

Director of Services, Mark Keaveney, confirmed that Roscommon County Council fully supports improving junction safety. He explained that the TII report was based on 2014–2024 data, as reports are published annually, and the 2025 report will provide the most up-to-date information. He noted that improvement works will be carried out, though not to the extent members requested, and added that the Council receives annual support from the Department of Transport, the NTA, and TII for road improvements.

Cllr. Crosby thanked members for their support and reiterated his concerns.

On the PROPOSAL of Cllr. Crosby

           SECONDED by Cllr. Moylan

It was AGREED to circulate this notice of motion to the neighbouring Local Authorities of Mayo County Council and Longford County Council.