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Tuesday, 3rd May
19th April 2011 • Volume 18, Issue 11 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • ISDN 8139966 • Tel: 8•400•200
Disgraceful Condition Of Ramps In Rush T
he disgraceful condition of traffic calming speed ramps in the North County is causing a huge outcry among residents and Tidy Towns associations across the region.
Ramps, severely damaged over the past couple of winters, are of major concern, not just to road users, but particularly to the local residents. The condition of these ramps is bad everywhere, but particularly so in Rush. Residents of the seaside town are exasperated by the local authority’s dilly dallying and endless promises to have them repaired. Numerous vehicle owners say that they have had their tyres damaged and the only people to benefit from all of this are the puncture repair garages. Towns in the North County, like Rush, rely on tourism and in attracting visitors to survive and the apparent ambivalence of the Council in this respect is causing annoyance and frustration. At the moment, Rush resembles a ‘Third World’ town and visitors will surely wonder if there is any pride in the place.
By Patrick Finnegan Louise O’Loughlin PRO of Rush Chamber of Commerce hit out at the local authority and said their lack of interest in the town is causing further problems. “There are 14 ramps from the bottom of Channel Road as far as the Church alone. This is forcing traffic down South Shore Road, a smaller, mainly one lane road with no ramps. Consequently, cars speed up and down this road and this has led to a particularly bad accident here around Christmas time,” said Louise. The ramps are generally constructed with two materials, a tarmacadam base and a red asphalt top which is imprinted to give a brickwork look. The problem relates to the red asphalt material. This cracks and gaping holes appear when sustained frost occurs, like in the previous two summers. These cracks are a death trap for cyclists and motor cyclists. “I’m a cyclist,” says Louise “and when I’m approaching one of these ramps, the sides are all broken down, which forces me into the middle of the road and into oncoming traffic. It is safer for me to alight and walk on the
pathway to avoid the ramps,” she said. She continued, “There are far too many ramps in Rush ; it’s like an obstacle course trying to navigate through the town. Skerries has half the ramps we have, but they are strategically positioned and are far more effective. I have a friend from Skerries, who told me that ‘not for diamonds’ would she visit Rush, purely because of the state of the roads here.” Meanwhile, an angry Peter Smullen, who is a member of the Rush Tidy Towns committee, as well as the Chamber of Commerce, told the County Leader, “The lanes are riddled with potholes, as a result of traffic being forced here due to the condition of the main roads. From a Tidy Towns perspective, our hard working committee are entering the competition for the first time in many years. The great efforts are now being hamstrung by the County Council’s lack of interest in repairing the unsafe and unsightly ramps. “If the judges were to visit Rush at the moment, we would not have a chance of being considered, no matter how many hanging baskets we have and all our work would be in vain,” he said.
Ruth’s Wish Comes True One lucky girl had an amazing experience last week as she was granted a wish from the Make A Wish Foundation. Ten year old Ruth Nolan, from Malahide was shocked as she walked down the driveway of her family home to find a waiting limousine to take her on her adventure. Ruth suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and was speechless as she arrived home from school last Thursday. She and her family and friends went with her on the first part of becoming a pop star for the day and record her own CD. This was a part of her wish being granted by the Make A Wish Foundation. Initially, the kind hearted young girl only wished to record a CD, as she loves to sing among her many hobbies. Ruth is a very active girl and has lots of hobbies, from singing, dancing to swimming and tennis. She is very happy all of the time, and is big into helping others, despite her condition. Ruth’s mum, Elaine told the County Leader, “I can’t even describe what it means to me, it’s just everything and the excitement of it all is great for Ruth. She is a very caring girl and when it was her birthday in March she had a party and asked her friends to donate €10 to Trocaire, rather than give her a present. We asked if she could make the CD and the foundation came up with the idea to turn Ruth into a pop star”. Her dad, Ken told the County Leader, “I was in work today and slipped off to be with my family. I wasn’t supposed to be here, as it’s all the girls, but I just had to come and see the look on Ruth’s face. She is an amazing child, as are all my children and I’m delighted she’s getting her wish, she is also the baby of the family.”
Pictured is Peter Smullen from Rush Tidy Towns Committee as he points to one of the many damaged ramps in Rush.
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LIVE MUSIC & DJ’s Ruth Nolan is pictured centre with her best friends Lauren Collins and Lauren Higgins. Ruth was speechless as she arrived home from school to be greeted by a waiting limousine and her two friends, as she went off to be a pop star and record her own CD as part of her wish being granted by the Make A Wish Foundation.
By Leslie Murphy Elaine had applied to Make A Wish last year and forgotten all about it and was delighted when she got the call letting her know Ruth had been granted a wish. Initially, the wish was just to make her own CD, but Make A Wish went a little further and decided to make her a pop star too. Ruth told the County Leader, “I am so happy and this was so unexpected as I thought I was only getting to record the CD. I couldn’t believe it when I walked through the gate of the house and saw the limousine waiting and all my family. I’m so happy and have five songs that I have been really practicing,
including ‘The Climb’ and ‘Fight For This Love’, so I’m really excited about recording them”. Niamh Sherlock who is the current Dublin Rose, works with Make A Wish as a Wish Granter and told the County Leader, “Ruth is a great girl and we wanted to make sure her wish was special. Every child who has a wish granted is great and the joy it brings to them is priceless.” Ruth spent last Thursday and Friday living the life of a pop star, and was chauffeured around in the limousine and recorded her very own CD at Temple Lane Studios.” We might be lucky enough to get a listen to this amazing child if were lucky enough.
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