Councillor seeks return of safe overtaking lines on Letterkenny-Fintown road

A call has been made to reinstate broken white lines at suitable sections of the R250 between Letterkenny and Fintown to provide safer overtaking opportunities. Cllr Donal Mandy Kelly has asked the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District to review road markings along the route. The Fianna Fáil councillor said some stretches which previously allowed overtaking were changed to continuous white lines following resurfacing works and could merit another look. At the same time, Cllr Kelly called for the restoration of broken lines at other locations to help discourage dangerous overtaking. He raised concerns around McFadden’s petrol station at Breenagh, where vehicles are permitted to overtake not far from the business entrance, and it has been the scene of a number of accidents. “If possible, I would ask that the road is reviewed again and that anything that can be done to reinstate safe overtaking areas is considered,” he said. “It would be very beneficial and particularly might alleviate the problem we see every day.” The local authority responded to say road markings on the route had been laid in accordance with Chapter 7 of the Traffic Signs Manual, the national standard for road markings in Ireland. Senior Roads Engineer David McIlwaine said the council could carry out a review, but any changes would have to meet national standards and sight-line criteria. Mr McIlwaine said double broken lines could potentially be examined to increase overtaking opportunities where the criteria are met, although he could not say at this stage whether they would be suitable on the R250. Cllr Kelly welcomed the review, saying his call was focused on improving safety for road users.