Council aims to break toll road deadlock
The Irish Road Hauliers’ Association (IRHA) has boycotted the Fermoy bypass, resulting in gridlock in Watergrasshill village as truck drivers dodge the new toll motorway — designated the M8.
The IRHA says tolls on lorries as high as €5.30 per trip are far too steep, and, before Christmas, it asked the toll operator, Direct Route, to lower them by at least 10%. Direct Route refused and talks broke down.
Yesterday, at a meeting in County Hall, Cllr Kevin O’Keeffe (FF) won support from colleagues when he asked local authority officials to help broker a deal that would see trucks removed from the village.
His party colleague, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, said he believed the problem lay with Direct Route, not the IRHA.
“The people of Fermoy, Rathcormac and Watergrasshill are suffering from this,” Mr O’Flynn said.
Cllr Tomas Ryan (FG) said he believed that tolling would cripple the country.
“Commercial lorries should be free on the road. For God’s sake, we have to solve this problem before somebody is killed in Watergrasshill,” Mr Ryan said.
The Mayor of County Cork, Cllr John O’Shea, said he would be available in his official capacity in an attempt to seek compromise, but he added that the Transport Minister should also be lobbied.
“I want to know why the Port Tunnel in Dublin is free for lorries when the Fermoy bypass can’t be,” Mr O’Shea said.
Concerns about heavy trucks driving directly past Watergrasshill National School were also aired by Cllr Aileen Pyne (FG) and Cllr Sean Sherlock (Lab).
They pointed out that the local community council had formulated proposals for traffic calming measures in the village and asked county engineer Ned Flynn to meet with its representatives. Mr Flynn said he was more than willing to do so.
