Doughnut drivers 'dicing with death' on Kilkenny bridge

A north Kilkenny councillor has made a plea for a ‘policing or engineering’ solution to stop joyriders who are “dicing with death” doing ‘doughnuts’ on a motorway overpass.

Locals are having sleepless nights as they fear if a car loses control it could go through the barriers and down onto to the M8 motorway below. 

Describing the situation as “horrendously serious,” Councillor Mary Hilda Cavanagh said ‘only the man above’ could tell what damage or injuries could result in such a situation. “It doesn’t bear thinking about,” she said.

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“It’s bad enough when they come by night, then they started to come by day, especially Sunday afternoons,” Cllr Cavanagh said.

It was one thing when this was happening on a wide road where oncoming traffic could see and where cars would go into a ditch if they went out of control, but on a bridge over a motorway was different. Motorists passing underneath, at 120kph, wouldn’t have a chance, she said. It would be the last thing they would expect to fall from above.

“If you were under it you would have no hope. People are petrified,” she said.

She said she was pleading with area engineer Philippe Beubry to put rumble strips on the road to stop the cars doing doughnuts there, if he thought they could stop it.

Mr Beubry said he did not think rumble strips would work, and that he could give a dozen locations where this is happening. He said it was a garda issue and would create a precedent to install the rumble strips, which would just move the problem from one area to another.

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Cllr Cavanagh said it has been reported but gardaí can’t be hanging around there.

Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick urged people to report the car licence numbers to gardaí and said he would raise the matter at the next meeting of the Joint Policing Committee.

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Cllr Denis Hynes said he supported Cllr Cavanagh’s call. Gardaí do what they can but they can’t be there every hour of every day, he said.

Cllr John Brennan said safety had to be a top priority.

Mr Beubry said the problem could also be raised at the Transportation Special Policy Committee.

Cllr Michael Delaney said only the gardaí could deter the driver behaviour.