Search
12 Feb 2026
Search
12 Feb 2026
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Main Street in Bagnelstown and (inset) Cllr Thomas Kinsella. Photo: Google Maps.
A number of Bagenalstown residents have made complaints over Carlow County Council’s policy of narrowing junctions in the town.
Fine Gael councillor Thomas Kinsella spoke on the subject at the council’s February plenary meeting.
Cllr Kinsella said: “I’ve been getting a lot of representations and possibly even complaints, particularly about Bagenalstown and the Safe Routes to School [Programme].
“There has been a lot of concrete put down and things like that. One of the major problems that they have is every single junction has been narrowed in.”
He added that he was unable to provide a reason for the changes in his response to these constituents.
READ NEXT: Carlow singles go swipe-mad as county named one of Ireland's biggest dating hotspots
He also stated that one man had complained about flower beds being put in in places where junctions are being narrowed.
Cllr Kinsella continued: “I suppose with the Safe Routes to School [Programme] there has been a lot of concrete put in but I’m hoping that it will work as it should.
“I’ve seen no evidence of it yet but the biggest complaint is the junctions. Every junction where works have been done they’re being narrowed in quite a lot.”
In response, Coilín O’Reilly, Chief Executive of Carlow County Council, said that narrowing junctions is part of the Safe Routes to School Programme.
Mr O’Reilly said: “What we’re trying to do with the Safe Routes to Schools, if you narrow a junction, it makes it much safer.
“You also have sightlines of old people, children crossing the road and that’s part of when you try to make a place safer.
“It does slow down traffic, that’s a given. It does make drivers try to look and think, that’s part of what we’re trying to do.
“You take cars away from the junction so the driver can see it and that’s what the planting [of flowers] is for.”
The exchange took place amid a wider discussion on Carlow County Council’s Annual Service Delivery Plan 2026.
After much deliberation, the plan was unanimously approved by all councillors present at the meeting.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
Follow us on
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
