A Laois County Councillor has called on Google Maps to remove a road near the Rock of Dunamase from their system.
Fine Gael Councillor PJ Kelly has asked that Google be contacted and asked to stop sending vehicles from the Ballycarroll Road down to the Rock of Dunamase.
He says that the problem is that when people are travelling to the Rock of Dunamase via the M7, they are being diverted this way.
Cllr Kelly asked that Laois County Council contact Google and ask them to take the Ballycarroll Road down to the Rock of Dunamase off of their system as local residents are unable to cope with all the extra traffic that is directed to this route by sat nav.
Cllr Kelly said that local residents are afraid to walk on the road and that one man, who lives along there, drives to an estate in Portlaoise to walk his dog instead.
He said: “A good few residents along that stretch of road have asked me about this since I became a Councillor.
“Residents say they can’t walk, they are afraid to walk that road any more, there is too many heavy vehicles going down that narrow stretch of road.
“I met a man in town here in Portlaoise walking his dog in an estate because he says he can’t walk his own road.
“He says some of his neighbours now are doing the same because he has told them it is a lot safer.
“It is more to do with coming off the motorway, everything is directed there off of that roundabout down the Ballycarroll Road.”
Cllr McEvoy, in support of Cllr Kelly, said that this was part of a wider issue in relation to roads around the Laois tourist attraction.
He said that with plans for a new car park in place, the site is going to become busier and the infrastructure is going to have to be improved to allow for that.
He said: “The roads that are up there now are simply too narrow. So an overall review needs to be carried out.”
Independent Cllr Aisling Moran said she doubted that Google Maps would take the road off their system.
Instead, she called on the Council to erect signage to warn people not to travel down there if there purpose was to visit the Rock of Dunamase.
In light of this, Cllr Kelly said that he would instead like to call on Google Maps to divert people who wish to visit the site to do so via the Stradbally Road instead.
And it was agreed that the motion would be amended to reflect this.
SEE ALSO – Weekend Read: The LaoisToday team make their sporting predictions for 2024
