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Is this Inishowen’s most dangerous
corner?
25.11.09
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen
Independent
Eight vehicles have come off the road in just over
month at a section of the Quigley’s Point to
Carndonagh road known as Northy’s Corner.
Speaking at last Tuesday’s Inishowen Electoral Area
meeting in Carndonagh, Fine Gael councillor Michael Doherty announced that
six accidents had occurred at the spot in the space
of a month. The same afternoon Cllr Doherty was
speaking about the spate of accidents, another crash
took place at the spot. Then, on Friday, a grey BMW
crashed at the corner.
“If this corner doesn’t qualify as a dangerous bend,
I don’t know what does,” said Cllr Doherty who took
the Inishowen Independent to the scene of the
crashes at the weekend.
Debris from several different cars littered both
sides of the road, including a Seat logo, a Northern
Irish licence plate, a grey plastic bumper section,
tail light covers and wing mirrors. Deep grooves
were visible in the road where metal had cut into
tarmac. |
The Quigley’s Point
based councillor wants Donegal County Council to put
new signs and rumble strips on either approach to
the corner, similar to the measures now in place at
the top of the Carn Brae in Quigley’s Point.
One resident who lives close to Northy’s Corner
claimed there have been at least 25 crashes at the
spot in 2009.
One of those to have a fallen foul of the stretch of
road in recent weeks was Fr John Farren. On the
morning of the 31st of October, the Iskaheen Parish
Priest was on his |
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way to Carndonagh hospital when his car crashed at the
corner.
“The back end of the car slid out. I went up the
ditch on both sides of the road as I battled to
control the car. It could have been a lot worse, if
there was someone coming the other way,” said Fr
Farren who travels on the road several times a week.
“There is not too much wrong with the design of the
road, but signage is a problem.
Traffic can come on the corner before they realise
it because the road takes a quick bend to the left
[coming from Quigley’s Point]. That’s when motorists
brake and can lose control.
“Drivers need to be made aware of these crashes
because it could happen to anyone if you lose
concentration for a split second.”
Carn man Liam Doherty is a regular in the road. He
almost lost control of his car at the Northy’s
Corner a few weeks ago.
“It was a wet day but I wasn’t even doing 50 miles
[an hour]. All of a sudden I felt the back end of
the car start to leave me, but was able to retain
control of the car,” said Mr Doherty.
Cllr Doherty said that drivers approaching from
Quigley’s Point (the direction that most cars
leaving the road at the corner come from) can be
lulled into a false sense of security because of the
long straight that precedes the left hander.
Donegal County Council are aware of the problem and
are understood to be working on a solution. Cllr
Doherty called for the immediate introduction of
rumble strips and signs spelling out that a
dangerous bend is ahead. |
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