Milford-based GPs voice concern for pedestrian safety on busy road without footpath

SIX GPs in Milford have voiced their concerns for pedestrian safety, and are urgently calling for a planned footpath between Mulroy Woods Hotel and Lidl.

The Milford Health Centre-based doctors have told of their fears for patients travelling daily along the R245 road between the hotel and supermarket.

The GPs have said they are concerned that residents and hotel guests – including elderly persons, families, pregnant women and parents with young babies in prams – are being forced to walk on the road verge or on the single carriageway to reach the town and the supermarket.

Mulroy Woods Hotel has been used as accommodation for refugeesinternational protection applicants since 2022, increasing the number of people without private transport who must walk the route to local shops and services.

In a letter penned to Donegal County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Paul Canning, Minister for Transport Mr Darragh O’Brien, CEO of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) Mr Sam Waide and Donegal’s five TDs, the GPs said the current situation is creating “an immediate risk of a serious road traffic collision”.

“There have been at least two serious collisions near this location in recent months, one of which resulted in a patient being struck while leaving the health centre,” the GPs said.

They also highlighted the growing risk of walking during the dark winter months, where conditions will be darker and wetter, increasing the risk of drivers not seeing pedestrians and the risk of slips and falls.

In June, it was announced that a safety boost was on the way for the Milford community, as €125,000 was officially allocated from the Community Recognition Fund towards the construction of a much-needed footpath along the hazardous stretch of road from the Mulroy Woods to Lidl.

“We appreciate that statutory process and funding affect delivery timelines. Nevertheless, given the risk to life and the seasonal increase in vulnerability, we urge Donegal County Council and the relevant stakeholders to implement measures,” the letter states.