26 years after being built, the residents of Elm Court estate Ramelton remain without a footpath to the local school and the recent Council decision to increase the speed limit on the R254 up to 60kph told them it was time for action. A public meeting on Monday evening on the verge of the road spoke to the volume of traffic using this main artery from the Letterkenny-Moorfield road and it was evident that drivers reduced speed when they saw the gathering down at the estate. You get a full appreciation of this crisis standing at the entrance to Elm Court - there is no footpath from there to the Lennon Grove estate, several hundreds of metres further down the road. The left hand side of the road has the narrowest of verges and is totally unsuited for any strategy for active travel. While across the road, the undergrowth resembles a wildly overgrown theme park - forgotten by the hand of time. Liam Blaney was one of three Cllrs present offering their support. He said the final decision on the speed limit will be taken by the Cllrs in Lifford. “You need not have any fears and the Councillors will not be putting it through,” he told the residents. He guaranteed the community that the current speed limit of 50kph will not be changed. Marti McElhinney, a spokeswoman for the estate, that is also battling defective blocks issues, said the speeding on the road is quite frightening and it is very unsafe for children - and there is no footpath.
