Council denies it is responsible for traffic congestion

WATERFORD County Council has refuted claims that it is to blame for constant traffic congestion in part of the county which has spurred demonstrations since the Summer.

County manager Ray O’Dwyer says the local authority is not to blame for the traffic chaos in Passage East. It was accused of not doing enough to push the case at government level for funding for a vital access road for a new ferry terminal upriver from the village.

Mr O’Dwyer rounded on the criticism levelled by the Passage East Car Ferry company by stating that the council was “absolutely not at fault in any way” for the access road for the proposed ferry terminal not being in place.

The meeting was told that County Engineer John O’Flynn had written to the Department of Environment during the summer requesting the proposed road be designated a Strategic National Route, like the access road to the South-East Regional Airport, and that funding be allocated for the project as soon as possible.

“The Department wrote back to us on August 31 asking for further studies. The request for further information is quite significant.

“We will be responding straightaway and if we get the funding we will do it straightaway but we couldn’t possibly take it on (from our own resources). It’s a significant sum of money. It’s €7m and it would serve the ferry only,” said Mr O’Dwyer.

The county manager was responding to Passage East’s public representative John Carey, who said he didn’t agree with the criticism levelled against the Council.

The Fine Gael councillor led several recent high profile protests over the traffic congestion in the village.