Cork council gets €500k to prepare plan for easing gridlock in Midleton and Carrigtwohill

Cork County Council heard gridlock on the N25 at Midleton used to be confined to rush-hour times, but is becoming far more common now at off-peak times. File picture: Dan Linehan

Cork County Council is to spend almost €500,000 on a special transport plan aimed at easing gridlock in the Midleton and Carrigtwohill areas.

The study is to be drawn up by the council's engineers and consultants and will propose a range of solutions in a bid to reduce congestion in the two towns. News of the move was given to councillors representing the East Cork region by a senior county council engineer.

John Slattery, who works for the local authority’s sustainable travel unit, said the council has secured nearly €500,000 from the National Transport Authority (NTA) to conduct the study.

“It will look at interim measures and long-term solutions,” he said, adding that work on developing it will be undertaken in the next few months.

Plans to upgrade a section of the N25 between the two towns was put on hold in recent years as funding for the project failed to be sanctioned.

Senior council engineers have said that section of road is now overcapacity and in places dangerous. There have been a number of very serious accidents on it.

Plans to upgrade a section of the N25 between the two towns was put on hold in recent years as funding for the project failed to be sanctioned. File picture: Denis Minihane

Mayor of County Cork Independent councillor Mary Linehan-Foley told officials and fellow councillors she has written to the minister for transport Darragh O’Brien asking him to visit the area to witness first-hand the congestion problems.

The meeting heard that urgent action is needed to ease congestion, especially at the Lakewood roundabout on the N25 at Midleton.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty said gridlock there used to be confined to rush-hour times, but is becoming far more common now at off-peak times. “This is leading to longer commuting times for people and causing frustration,” he said.

Council proposals to ease gridlock

Mr Hegarty suggested that signalising the roundabout might provide better traffic flow. One of the issues at peak time is the queuing on the roundabout itself which leads to vehicles not being able to access it from its junctions.

Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Mulcahy suggested ‘yellow box road markings’ to prevent this happening. Mr Slattery said there was merit in that proposal, but Ms Linehan-Foley argued that a large percentage of motorists ignore them.

“It’s a pure and utter nightmare there. It's gone out of all control,” she added.

“It (the roundabout) isn't fit for purpose anymore,” remarked municipal district chairman Fine Gael councillor Rory Cocking.

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Independent councillor John Buckley maintained there should be enough land available to create a dedicated slip road at the roundabout for traffic coming out of Midleton’s St Mary’s Road and on to Youghal.

Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern suggested a similar measure be used on the southern side of the roundabout to allow traffic coming from the Youghal side to access the Ballinacurra/Whitegate road.

Mr Slattery said the creation of two dedicated slips roads had merit and he would bring the two councillors’ suggestions to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) as it controls the road and would have to give permission for their development.

Carrigtwohill congestion

Traffic gridlock is also a major issue in Carrigtwohill, according to Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry.

He said congestion on the N25 is forcing commuters to take back roads around Carrigtwohill which simply can't cope with the volume of vehicles, especially HGVs.

Mr Slattery said the transport project team will design short-, medium-, and long-term solutions as well as put together costings as part of the plan.