Mells Blind Spot affecting 80 Motorists a day- Kevin Callan

Mells Blind Spot affecting 80 Motorists a day- Kevin Callan

Local Fine Gael Representative, Kevin Callan has said that residents of the Riverview Estate in Mell are in need of help from Drogheda Borough Council in connection to the junction at the entrance to their estate. The West Gate Ward Representatives comments come on foot of complaints received from local residents who are having difficulty exiting the estate due to a blind spot.

“An accident is waiting to happen at the entrance to Riverview with The fast-moving traffic coming down from Mell towards Trinity Street. A high slope that creates a blind spot and schoolchildren who prefer to cross the road rather than use the pedestrian crossing further up the hill at the National School are combined risks that make it dangerous to just about anybody exiting the estate”.

According to some residents of the Riverview Estate, which has over eighty houses, it is easy to believe that if nothing is done to rectify the situation, it will be just a matter of time before an accident takes place.

The entrance is partially blocked by a high slope, and this cuts off visibility of oncoming traffic at a corner, thus making it even more difficult.

According to one resident, "Some motorists might not realise that there actually is a junction here until the last minute and this is why we need to have something done immediately, I don’t think traffic lights are the answer, but better signs letting people know there is a junction and a mirror across the road from the estate so that when we are pulling out, we can see if there is oncoming traffic”.

Mr. Callan has said that there are several traffic issues in Mell and Trinity Street and that he is preparing a study of this stretch of road this year and will be submitting a report to the Borough Council with several recommendations.

“Mell is a very populated area, it has a hill descending down towards West Street and traffic does travel at speed at times, we also have a problem with traffic jams in Trinity Street at peak times, traffic light settings have to be reviewed and the junction at Riverview needs a solution now, we also have a national school that sits beside a busy stretch of road”.
Mr Callan went onto say that there was a need for more traffic calming measures in Mell and that a review of the traffic in the area was vital.

“We have residents in Riverview who find it hard to get out of their estate in the mornings, people are dropping children to school and going to work but cannot leave the estate as they cant see oncoming traffic, the simple solution is to place a viewing mirror across the road to allow residents to see oncoming traffic, as one resident has already suggested. I will be in touch with the Borough Engineer about this problem as it is serious when people are being inconvenienced in the way that they are”.

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Contact Kevin Directly on: 087 777 6648

A Facelift for Towns Recycling Facilities- Kevin Callan

A Facelift for Towns Recycling Facilities- Callan

After they have given years of service to the people of Drogheda, Kevin Callan is calling on Drogheda Borough Council to undertake a facelift of waste recycling facilities on the Northside of the Boyne. Mr. Callan has highlighted the issue in relation to the sites located at Palace Street, Mell, Bolton Square and on the North Road. The facilities allow for members of the public from Drogheda and the surrounding areas to drop off materials that can be recycled.

Mr. Callans recommendation as West Gate Fine Gael Representative has been sent to the Borough Council. He is calling for the bins in place at the minute to be cleaned and disinfected and that more of an effort should be made by the council to ensure that the facilities are kept clear and are not allowed to overfill.

“People of the town go to great lengths to gather up materials that can be recycled and use the facilities where countless tonnes of materials have been collected for recycling”.
“I recycle and I have seen the state of the facilities and the faces of the bins around the town, they are filthy and covered with beer, wine and other liquids from containers that are placed in the bins. I have spoken with people who use the facilities and many people feel strongly about the issue and want to see the facilities kept cleaner and to have the bins emptied more often”.

“It is my aim to help in encouraging and promoting recycling and if the facilities in the town were more well kept I honestly believe that more people would recycle”.
The facilities in Drogheda have been abused by some people in recent years who have begun dropping off materials in front of the bins that cannot be collected at the sites on the North of the Boyne. These materials include bags of household rubbish.

“I am calling on the council to clean up the facilities in the town, this would not cost a great deal of money from any council budget but would help people who are making an effort to what they can to help the environment. I think that a facelift will go a long way to encourage people to visit these sites and use them more”.

In fact, the prevention of overfilling of bins and perhaps the introduction of extra bins would be one of the welcome by-products of Mr. Callans call.

Kevin is not only calling for the current facilities to be given a clean, he is also proposing a bold new initiative for the local area. The Fine Gael Representative is calling for moveable recycling collection areas that would visit certain estates at certain times of the month that would allow people to recycle on their own doorsteps.

“A lot of elderly people recycle and this would be a great help to them in their efforts. I am calling on Drogheda Borough Council to approve the concept”.

“At the minute when you mention recycling facilities in Drogheda you automatically think of overflowing bins relegated to obscure corners of local car parks. I want that to change and I think that Drogheda needs a pilot scheme that is more accessible, and which provides high-profile recycling facilities that promise to have more capacity and to be cleaner”. If the experiment of mobile facilities to local estates and the cleaning of the current facilities was undertaken by the Council, we will see an increase recycling rates, and then we can have more facilities introduced elsewhere in the county.

According to Mr. Callan, Mobile Recycling Units could be used to collect card and paper, glass jars and bottles, plastic bottles, and food and drinks cans and cartons. "I look forward to working to encourage an increase in the amounts of materials recycled in Drogheda and I am calling on the Borough Council to do all that it possibly can to improve the facilities currently available to the people of the town”.

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Contact Kevin Directly on: 087 777 6648

40% School Transport Charge Hikes Unlikely To Be Reversed - Kevin Callan

40% School Transport Charge Hikes Unlikely To Be Reversed - Callan

Will charges increase for local students again after Easter?

West Gate Fine Gael Representative, Kevin Callan has said that the hike in school transport charges is unlikely to be reversed despite some evidence that they are causing hardship. Information obtained by Mr. Callan shows that school transport charges increased from 33Euro to 46Euro per term for local students in the junior cycle and from 51Euro to 71Euro per term for students in the senior cycle.

“That school charges have been hiked by 40% highlights just how little regard there is for the financial strain such a massive increase will put on families in Drogheda”. “Obviously, with increases in the cost of providing school transport and charges being held constant over a period of time, there may very well be a need to increase charges. However, I would like to know how Minster Mary Hanafin can justify such a massive increase in one go”.

“The Education Department says that revised charges will be introduced at Easter to 'reflect increases in the cost of providing school transport'. Does this mean that further increases are on the way”. The Minister must not only specify why the 40% hike was brought in but also whether further rises are on the way.

“It seems clear that there is no intention of reversing this enormous increase and that further hikes may be on the way. It is to the detriment of families that his is the case”.

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Contact Kevin Directly on: 087 777 6648