A priest has slammed local authority chiefs for its lack of “basic courtesy” over its decision to embark on “yet another wave of unannounced disruption” in the centre of a midlands town that threatens to disrupt the everyday lives of its citizens.
Fr John Deignan lambasted senior Westmeath County Council bosses concerning its announcement on Thursday to embark on an eight week junction improvement project along Athlone’s Market Square and Elliot Road areas.
Council officials said a contractor had been appointed on behalf of its Athlone-Moate Municipal District to lead the two-month programme that will see both traffic and pedestrian controls being introduced to facilitate the works.
The announcement drew an incensed reaction from the Monksland based cleric, however who called into question the rationale for works to be carried out at what is one of Athlone’s most heavily congested thoroughfares.
Fr Deignan said the apparent suddenness of the move only served to illustrate a “glaring lack of communication and correspondence” from local authority chiefs.
“Frustration is once again on the agenda in the heart of town as local businesses, residents and churchgoers face yet another wave of unannounced disruption on The Market Square,” he said in a post on the Parish of Saint Peter and Paul’s Facebook page.
“In the absence of official updates, we are left relying on social media to learn about significant obstructions that will directly impact daily life, local traffic, and solemn community traditions.”
Fr Deignan said despite there being a certain level of acceptance surrounding improvements the junction could benefit from, he had been left “baffled” by works that will see the area reduced to a single lane of traffic.
He said current traffic conditions had already brought with it lengthy backlogs past the front of Saint Peter and Paul’s Church with an existing two-lane setup providing a “vital escape route” for vehicles along the town’s Elliott Road.
The changes, he contended, council chiefs had signed off on threatened to “exacerbate town-centre congestion, amplifying travel frustration” for locals, workers and visitors to the area.
In a further stinging rebuke at the practicalities behjnd the move, Fr Deignan said the plans would “completely eliminate” the only suitable parking point for hearses arriving at or departing from Saint Peter and Paul’s Church for funeral services.
“(It’s) an oversight that demonstrates a concerning disconnect from the community’s most sensitive needs,” he said.
“This adds to ongoing grievances regarding the Market Square, where half the space has already been co-opted for workers’ vans during castle renovations, leaving the cordoned-off area sitting empty and unused during nights and weekends.”
Fr Deignan said his outspoken critique of the council’s latest efforts to improve traffic flow through Athlone was not an argument against progress or town development but rather part of a more impassioned plea for “basic courtesy and meaningful dialogue” to those people who must “navigate, live, and work in the town every single day”.