Reduced motorway toll or bridge over river put forward as solution to Cork town's traffic gridlock

One councillor said she knows four people in one family who live on the southside of Fermoy who pay tolls daily to commute to and from Mitchelstown for work

'There is heavy congestion being experienced in Fermoy town at peak times.' File picture: Dan Linehan

Reducing toll charges on a motorway or building a new bridge crossing the River Blackwater are the only real solutions to tackling increased traffic gridlock which is grinding a North Cork town to a standstill, according to councillors.

They say such measures are intended to tackle increasing traffic gridlock in Fermoy. Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority have been asked by Cork County Council to provide money for a major traffic survey aimed at finding measures to tackle the town’s traffic issues.

Independent councillor William O’Leary said Fermoy has been suffering from increased traffic back‑ups since the pandemic, and something needs to be done to address the issue as a matter of urgency.

“There is heavy congestion being experienced in Fermoy town at peak times on the N72 approaches into the town and in Pearse Square," said Mr O'Leary. "We need a traffic impact assessment for the route in order to identify possible measures that could be introduced to alleviate the this."

Aontú councillor Peter O’Donoghue said traffic gridlock is one of the biggest issues in Fermoy and that councillors are constantly receiving complaints from constituents about it. “There is no point in putting sticking plaster over a big hole," he said. 

"The more the toll charge increases on the M8 (Cork-Dublin motorway) the more traffic comes into the town (to avoid paying it). There are another 300 houses to be built on the northern side of the town, which is welcome, but that is obviously going to add to extra traffic."

Mr O’Donoghue suggested there were only two ways to address the town’s gridlock: 

• A significant reduction in the M8 toll, or its complete removal;
• The construction of a new bridge over the River Blackwater linking traffic from the Waterford side to the main Mallow road via a new route.

Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre O’Brien said she knows four people in one family who live on the southside of Fermoy who pay tolls daily to commute to and from Mitchelstown for work. 

This is costing them a small fortune, said Ms O'Brien, as they can’t afford to get stuck in the town centre during peak times.

She suggested that the toll operators should operate some kind of discount for frequent users.

Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson said that congestion in Fermoy at school opening and closing times is serious.