D-DAY FOR GATE

‘Don’t do another West Street’: taxi drivers warn of traffic chaos

DROGHEDA’S taxi drivers are urging councillors to think long and hard about closing St Laurence’s Gate to traffic, saying they believe a decision should be deferred until the Northern Cross route is ready.

‘Look at what happened West Street’, taxi federation boss Kevin Faulkner stated this week. ‘I hope the council don’t make another mistake in relation to the gate.’

They fear traffic gridlock if the move, likely to be brought before the council meeting on Monday, is passed.

They say to defer the decision to close the gate would be prudent, until a proper route for over 2,000 cars per day is secured.

Longer distances to travel will also see an increase in meter fares, they say.

Campaigners believe the gate should be closed now before there is any more damage done to it.

It has been the victim of a number of lorry strikes in recent times.

Last week, they said that the closure of the gate would be a ‘ legacy’ left by the present council to future generations,

Cathaoirleach of Louth CC Paul Bell will be suggesting a further public meeting on the closure.

ALL going to plan, next Monday night will see a vote on whether Drogheda’s historic St Laurence’s Gate will close to traffic for good.

As the vote approaches, the past week has seen both sides of the debate grow louder - but who will win out, or will the decision be made to defer the closure for fear of rising a traffic meltdown.

The crucial factor in this debate is that thousands of cars use this road every day, so where will they go?

Francis Street can’t take them, neither can Scarlet Street or the Chord Road. It seems the closure of such an artery within the town will need a major operation .

It has been said before - don’t close the Gate in a fit of passion - only for it to re--open within months due to chronic problems.

The Close The Gate committee have fought a magnficent campaign and re-introduced the beauty of the gate to many townsfolk.

They know the issues closure will bring, but they seek to educate people about other routes they can take. Do they really need to drive under the gate?

Also, if a truck does strike the gate again, this time causing real damage to the arch and it has to be closed for safety works for weeks or months, the traffic will have to find an alternative route.

The councillors will have all the facts and figures in front of them come next week but is the traffic plan in front of them - certainly a lot less comprehensive than the last one five years ago - be enough to make them ‘ take the chance’ on closing the gate?

But history and heritage stands in front of them too - begging for a brave decision. Easy it’s not....