‘We need new measures to fix N25 chaos’
NEW TRAFFIC MEASURES are planned for New Ross after traffic chaos lead to tailbacks of up to one hour on the Waterford to New Ross road in early October.
Cllr Anthony Connick raised the matter, saying he has never seen traffic backed up so far before. Cllr Connick said: ‘I have never seen anything like it. Traffic was backed up passed the church on Rosbercon Hill and up passed my house at Millbanks. It’s a critical problem, the right-hand turn on the quay. I think that is what is slowing this down as drivers are hesitating at that turn.’
He said he raised the matter at a policing meeting, saying residents in the Rosbercon area have nearly come to blows on the road over the traffic build up.
‘We really have to do something about it, whether we get a garda on duty or something. We have to try and help in some way. We can’t just sit and do nothing.’
Cllr Larry O’Brien said trucks from local companies are losing up to one hour per day stuck on the N25.
District Director Eamonn Hore said the same problem has existed in towns like Enniscorthy and Wexford where the bridge is the only entry and exit point. Mr Hore said changes to the way traffic flows through the town will only ‘ tinker around the edges’ of the problem, adding that the temporary cessation of the Passage East ferry had a minor impact on traffic through the town. Expressing caution about changing the town’s traffic management plan, Mr Hore said if the right-hand turn off the quay onto Quay Street were prohibited and traffic was directed up Charles Street into the town, traffic congestion problems could occur in the town centre. He said according to a traffic survey carried out in early October only one car per minute, on average, is turning right onto Charles Street. He said there could be traffic congestion with cars queuing up in the right hand turning lane for Charles Street. Cllr Michael Sheehan said the journey time to Waterford is equivalent to getting to Dublin when traffic is at this level. He suggested closing Quay Street to traffic between the hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to aid traffic flow and to have more signage at Mannion’s pub junction to encourage drivers to use the ring road.
‘You have three junctions coming together at the same time (one the N25) and nobody is willing to give way. The traffic in the morning is getting equally as bad.’
Cllr Sheehan suggested including a motion on closing Quay Street on the November meeting agenda.
Cllr Willie Fitzharris said the problem is that traffic is not coming across O’Hanrahan Bridge quickly enough. He said: ‘Everyone accepts that they’ll be 20 to 30 minutes coming into New Ross but 50 minutes to an hour is totally unacceptable.’
Executive Engineer Abraham Dunne said council engineers are preparing a preliminary design about traffic using the roundabout at the bottom of Quay Street at the bridge.
Council staff carried out a traffic survey on Thursday, October 6 across the road from Kavanagh’s shop from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Mr Dunne said on average 69 cars per hour every day turn right onto Quay Street from the quay.
On average 167 cars per hour use the Bridge Street approach road to the bridge. And at its busiest 330 cars turned right in one hour onto O’Hanrahan Bridge.
Speaking after the meeting Mr Dunne said plans are only at analysis stage and may involve closing Quay Street for a period or preventing vehicles from turning right onto the bridge from North Quay. He said no decision has been arrived at yet. Cllr Martin Murphy suggested having staff members from New Ross Municipal District on point duty helping to direct traffic during emergency situations.
Mr Hore replied: ‘I don’t see that as an option over a long period. For a start we don’t have enough staff. It’s health and safety and it’s for the guards.’