Ballina gridlock was down to 'a lack of notice' on works

Councillors have called for better advance notice of roadworks taking place in Mayo after traffic backed up along the Sligo Road in Ballina last Tuesday after Uisce Éireann failed to give prior notice that it was carrying out maintenance works on a burst water pipe.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Annie May Reape raised the issue at the October meeting of Ballina Municipal District, saying that callers to Midwest Radio had been “blaming Ballina MD” for the disruption when this was not the case. Cllr Reape clarified that the delays were caused by repair works carried out by an Uisce Éireann contractor following a burst water main, rather than any work by the council.

“As it happened, it wasn’t to do with the council, it was an Uisce Éireann contractor that was the issue on the Sligo Road. That could happen anywhere. It had nothing to do whatsoever with this council,” she said.

“We were not to blame for the traffic backing up. I want that message sent out loud and clear. It was Uisce Éireann,” she added.

Cllr Reape proposed writing to Uisce Éireann as similar situations were happening “all too often”. She said both the public and the council should be notified in advance of works likely to affect traffic, suggesting the public body could contact local media channels to inform people of planned maintenance.

“Uisce Éireann should have issued a warning, but that didn’t happen,” she said.

Cllr Marie Therese Duffy supported her colleague’s comments, saying even 24 hours’ notice would make a difference and allow people to plan their journeys.

“People are reasonable, if everyone knew even a day in advance, they could leave earlier to get to work and school,” she said.

Cllr Duffy noted that Mayo County Council publishes a weekly roadworks information update on its website. She suggested they could also provide a weekly schedule of planned maintenance works, allowing people to see which roads to avoid or adjust their travel times accordingly.

“That stop-start system was a disaster,” she said, referring to the situation on the Sligo Road last Tuesday. “If people got advance notice for these works, especially along main roads and bridges, they would be able to plan better.”

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.