Fiddown set for speed review by Kilkenny County Council

A review of vehicle speed through the South Kilkenny village of Fiddown is set to be conducted by Kilkenny County Council following concerns that were brought to the attention of Piltown Municipal Chair Pat Dunphy (FG).
Addressing the Municipal District meeting in Ferrybank on Wednesday last, Cllr Dunphy said that speeding through Fiddown “had been an issue there for a number of years”.

He added: “Fiddown is at the centre of a lot of transport activity, when it comes to the road running through it, over Fiddown Bridge and on into Waterford (via Kilmeaden) and the busier N24 Rosslare to Limerick Road which bypasses Fiddown and Piltown and runs through Mooncoin. It’s a very busy area, and Fiddown is in the middle of it all and it’s quite different from other villages in the south of the county: it’s at the centre of a junction between Waterford and Tipperary.”
Cllr Dunphy told the meeting: “I don’t feel it’s anyone’s fault in particular, and I’m cognisant of the improvements that have been made in relation to Mooncoin between the new surface, the speed signs, traffic lights and the installation of footpaths, but I’d like to think now that that upgrade has been completed that we may be able to look at doing something about the issue in Fiddown, a problem which is not particularly new.”
Suggesting that he flashing light ‘Thank You/Too Fast’ and the digital speed read-out signs in place in Mooncoin might be a good fit for Fiddown, Cllr Dunphy was told by Area Engineer Ian Garnder that the Gardaí was the “first port of call” on this matter.
“There’s a 50kph speed limit in place through Fiddown and it is up to the Gardaí to see that that’s enforced,” he stated, adding that a speed review will be conducted by the Council to ascertain the extent of the local speeding issue.
It is understood that the cost of digital read-out signage such as that erected in Mooncoin comes in at approximately €3,500 per sign, and that does not include subsequent maintenance expenses.
Meanwhile, persistent concerns about speeding vehicles through the ‘calmed’ Mooncoin remains an issue, with Cllr Ger Frisby (FF) querying if a speed camera could be installed in the mid-section of the village.
He also suggested that the speed van regularly deployed on the Piltown/Fiddown Bypass could be used in a more “practical” manner.
“Everyone knows that speed vans just tend to be parked in the same place the whole time. But it would surely exercise or train people’s minds about watching their speeding in a more concentrated way if the van was deployed in a slightly less consistent location.”