Kerry's 'Russian roulette' junction is in dire need of a roundabout, Kerry County Council (KCC) has heard, as lethal accidents loom ahead.
A five-way intersection in Rathmore is posing a 'huge danger' to school children and motorists according to local residents at a recent council meeting.
Councillors unanimously supported them in calling for the establishment of a roundabout to reduce dangers and ease traffic flow.
The busy junction at Shinnagh Cross, connecting into the N72 road between Killarney and Mallow, serves as the main access to two busy housing estates on either side of the road, as well as a significant regional road to Cork via Millstreet.
Tim Herlihy, a resident of Rathmore, said the cross merged five "extremely busy" roads, with the attraction of nearby businesses adding to the congestion.
Friday evening created particular 'chaos' due to traders passing through, and other weekend traffic, often grinding the junction to a standstill.
Further adding to the danger is the nearby school, Sliabh Luachra Montessori, whose pupils are often around the junction, as well as parents dropping off their children.
Mr Herlihy stressed there was 'huge danger' and warned the number of accidents would increase if nothing was done.
Chair of the Rathmore Social Action Group, Donal O'Keeffe, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the impact of the junction on elderly residents nearby.
We promote independent living of our elderly. The junction prohibits people from driving...there are people that are not driving because of fear of this junction," the meeting heard.
"From an elderly perspective, if we are to promote independent living for our elderly, I think our environment and roads need to be in line with that."
Councillor Brendan Cronin supported the Rathmore residents in urging KCC to consider a roundabout, wading into the archives to point out this solution was far from new. According to Cllr Cronin, the council heard from a deputation from Rathmore 25 years ago, who pressed for a roundabout to be established at the same junction.
The traffic has since quadrupled, he said, and thus the danger has significantly increased. He criticized Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) for its "failure" to recognise the danger and proclaimed now was a "golden opportunity" with four TDs and one government minister representing Kerry.
Councillor Maura Healy-Rae, who had invited the Rathmore residents to the meeting, and who had raised similar concerns over two years ago, called the junction "a game of Russian roulette".
She said motorists on the opposite side of the junction were being forced to second guess each other's moves, creating confusion and accidents.
"As much as we know about it, ye know the most about it," said Cllr Heally-Rae to the Rathmore representatives, "and as much as the engineers know about it, ye know as much about how it's like to enter and exit the junction every day."
"Anyone using that junction it's a pure game of Russian roulette, and I'm not trying to be dramatic. That's the truth of it and I stand to be corrected."
"I don't believe that there's a similar junction...anywhere in the county. If anything, it's highly unique, but surely that tells us that it's highly dangerous as well."
Another junction on the N72, condemned as an 'incident blackspot' by Cork County Councillor Bernard Moynihan, was recently upgraded to a roundabout. Works finished on the Ballymacquirke Cross junction in 2023, transforming the reputation of an interchange, once dubbed "the most dangerous in the country".
Cllr Healy-Rae expressed her frustration that similar works weren't being done this side of the border.
"Its beyond me that there's a similar situation just a short distance away and we can't seem to impress on anyone from the National Road Design Office (NRDO) the need for something similar here," she said.
While Cllr Healy-Rae said the lack of a NRDO representative at the meeting "spoke volumes", the council argued it was not their decision and that there were adequate resources present to answer questions.
Councillors rejected traffic lights as a potential solution despite concerns around the geometry of the junction, with two of the five links being very close together.
Lights would generate huge backup at the cross reasoned Councillor John O'Donoghue, adding "with a little creativity" this issue could be resolved.
The council said it would consult TII procedures and look at both short-term and long-term solutions. While temporary solutions such as improved signage or extra road markings were in their gift, any work regarding a roundabout would have to be funded through a national scheme, meaning competing with other local authorities.
Cllr Healy-Rae pressed the council for a commitment to produce a design for the roundabout and for a traffic count.
Councillor Marie Moloney supported the motion, emphasising the danger of the crossing.
"People are taking their lives into their own hands," she said, "I can't understand the reluctance intervene".
"There is going to be an accident. There's no point in saying there has to be an accident before we can determine what to do. That's not good enough for the locals or visitors going through Rathmore every day."