HOUSEHOLDERS FED UP WITH TAILBACKS IN DOWDALLSHILL

RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION PLACE ADVERTS IN NEWSPAPERS AS PART OF THEIR PROTEST CAMPAIGN December 1976

DOWDALLSHILL residents, fed up with congestion caused by the customs clearance station, place a newspaper advertisement to formally protest against the situation.

‘Dowdallshill Area Residents’ Association protest to the authorities responsible for the chaos caused by the present location of the customs clearance station at Newry Road, Dundalk.

‘Our protest in the main concerns the following points:

1. Six-days a week blockage of main trunk road – causing delays to residents and communities, sometimes extending upwards to half an hour.

2. Ambulances, doctors, fire services, clergy, security forces, funerals, are all subject to serious delays with possible danger to life and property north of this station.

3. Housewives, children and elderly people put their lives at risk in trying to negotiate the hazardous passage to town, from St. Patrick’s Cemetery to the Big Bridge due to lorries blocking access to footpaths.

‘We have already protested to all authorities who might conceivably be responsible for this hazard, and have had minimum response.

‘ This has now become a major problem for the Dundalk community. We now seek your support in our protest for the removal of this insult by asking you to sign, and having your friends to sign, in the spaces provided below.

‘Signed forms may be handed in at the following centres: Grafton Shoes, Dundalk Shopping Centre and Arthur’s Supermarket, Backhouse Centre.

‘We request that signed protest notices be handed in to any of the various centres before Christmas.’

Meanwhile, Dundalk urban council approves the banning of all parking on the west side of the road from the Big Bridge to the Doylesfort Road junction, at all times.

This is included in a list of proposals for traffic management in the town, which are tabled for the council’s consideration, following meetings and studies on the ground with gardai.

In addition to the Newry Road, there are proposals for Rampart Lane to be one-way from Park Street to the Rampart (i.e. no entry from the Rampart, no exit to Park Street; River Lane to be oneway from Park Street to the Rampart; Vincent Avenue to be one-way from the Crescent to Dublin Street; Stapleton Place to be one-way from Dublin Street westwards and Chapel Street, no parking on west side. No parking on east side from Roden Place to Seatown junction, during business hours.

Explaining why Rampart Lane and River Lane are both one-way in the same direction, Canice O’Mahony, town engineer, says it is felt these two streets are narrow, and the proposal to have both running down from Park Street, will permit the filtering of traffic off Park Street down to the parking facilities along the Rampart Road.

Traffic from the Rampart Road will get into the main streets via Distillery Lane and Thomas Street.

The council adopts the proposals, which will not come into effect until after Christmas.