Donegal County Council has been urged to seek funding for crash barriers on the Rathmullan to Ramelton road, due to increasing near-miss accidents.
The R427 runs along the scenic Lough Swilly, but the width of the road and the lack of barriers have given rise to serious safety concerns.
Cllr Pauric McGarvey called on the council to carry out a safety assessment on the road to establish the weak spots, particularly from Ray to Rathmullan, where there is a 10-15ft drop in some areas.
“I have witnessed cars in the shore through the years and thankfully the tide was out, nobody was killed or seriously injured,” Cllr McGarvey told the March sitting of the Letterkenny-Milford MD.
The council pointed out the challenge of securing funding for safety measures on non-national roads like the R427.
“The danger is there and a resolution is more important here than if something serious happened,” Cllr McGarvey said.
In recent years, a €95,000 allocation was used to strengthen the road side embankment on the R247. A spokesperson for the roads department said the works were done in consultation with residents and were deemed suitable as it is a 50km stretch of road. Cllr McGarvey responded by saying that a traffic survey would reveal how much traffic actually travels up the road at 50km.
However, he welcomed that an allocation of €90,000 has been received from the Climate Adaption funding to carry out coastal protection works on this section of road.
