17 December 2015
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Sinn Féin General Election Candidate Cllr Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire has called on the local authorities in Cork, to work with other key stakeholders, such as Bus Éireann, to take urgent action to help tackle the increasingly difficult levels in the Western Suburbs.
In particular, he has called for a Western Suburbs Park and Ride to be considered.
Councillor Ó Laoghaire said;
“In recent months, and particularly in this Christmas Period, we have seen significant levels of Traffic in the Bishopstown-Wilton area, and the Western Suburbs generally.”
“While some of this is seasonal, some of this is due to an increasing number of cars on the road, and a number of local factors. Particularly, additional retail development in the form of Aldi, in an already retail heavy locality, adjacent to CUH, has added further to traffic on the Bishopstown Road. This is likely to be seriously exacerbated by the decision to grant planning permission to LIDL directly across the road. This is a very questionable decision, given the already existing traffic pressures.”
“This has implications for traffic further west, at Curraheen and indeed Ballincollig, because there is traffic going in both directions for significant employers in the locality, including the CUH, and employers such as Stryker, Boston Scientific, Abtran and EMC in Model Farm Road/Curraheen and East Ballincollig. City based traffic bound for the latter causes a snarl up as far back as Wilton Roundabout, and City Bound Traffic has a knock on right back as far as Ballincollig. This is even without mentioning CIT traffic.”
“In addition, the Wilton area is used as an access to the South Link as well, because of previous planning failures the whole area has the potential to suffer total gridlock if one road has an accident or blockage.”
“Given the significant plans for Curraheen Science Park, which, if successful will be a base for thousands of workers, this needs to be resolved now, before it gets any worse.”
