Roadworks bring city traffic to a halt

ANGRY motorists criticised Cork City Council last night as traffic ground to a halt for the second day running.

The worst congestion was experienced by northbound traffic, with queues stretching back further than the Douglas/Carrigaline interchange.

Three lanes were squeezed into one on the southern side of the tunnel as angry motorists, including this reporter, spent up to an hour in the tailback.

Speaking from the next lane, John Murphy, from Glanmire, estimated it took him around three-quarters of an hour to get home.

“I understand that maintenance work has to be done on the tunnel, but Cork City Council didn’t advertise this properly. They should have done more, including advising motorists of alternatives routes to take. It’s not good enough,” Mr Murphy said.

Jim Ryan from Ballincollig said the first he knew about the closure was when he saw signs up on the road. But by then it was too late to turn back. “I’ll know better the next time, but there’s no chance for anybody who lives outside of Cork. How are they going to know?” he said.

The situation was exacerbated on Tuesday evening with the taxi drivers’ strike, which forced more commuters to use their cars. In addition, the city council also blocked the eastbound lane of Merchants Quay and there were roadworks at the Kinsale Road roundabout and in the Douglas area.

A spokesman for Cork City Council said that August was traditionally a quiet month on the roads and therefore was an appropriate time to carry out maintenance.

“It was not practical to stagger all the work during August,” he added.