Lorry drivers are led astray in Mayo by Google Maps
Drivers of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are being led astray by Google Maps and are ending up stuck at narrow junctions, a local councillor has claimed.
Cllr John O’Malley raised the matter at the June meeting of Westport-Belmullet MD, when he asked for signage to be erected at two specific locations in Westport.
“We have a problem with the railway bridge on the Ballinrobe Road because there is no proper sign to stop the trucks coming right down to it and at least three times a week a truck has to back up again from it, causing traffic chaos.”
He told council management: “You need a sign with a graphic of a truck on it or some clear representation that shows how low and narrow it is, because some of the foreign drivers coming in can’t read English."
Cllr O’Malley said he had already asked management to put in a similar sign at Mucklagh in order to stop HGVs coming up onto the Newport Road via Barley Hill, and while this was promised, “it is still not done".
"Four times since then, a local man has had to get out of his bed to tow yet another truck that got stuck at the turn at Barley Hill. It happened again last Wednesday. All it needs is a sign saying for no trucks to go up this way.
"These are simple jobs that should be done by the council. They are not major projects and don’t cost money.”
Cllr O’Malley said part of the problem lay with Google Maps, which is directing motorists coming up from Carraholly to access the Newport Road via Barley Hill, when the correct flow is to travel up along the Golf Course Road.
“It is an awful problem, and this man is not getting out of bed again to tow another truck. He had to get up at 1am to back out his own truck and pull the one stuck there again last week."
Cathaoirleach Cllr Brendan Mulroy said the Barley Hill junction also leads to the Pilgrim's Rest Nursing Home and that had an ambulance needed to get out of there in an emergency, it would have been stuck for three hours.
Cllr Gerry Coyle commented that Google Maps is also omitting the sea in some of its calculations, saying: “I was talking to people at Doolough Beach who told me their accommodation in Achill was just 20 minutes away according to the map. What they didn’t realise was that it was 20 minutes by boat, but a good hour and a half away by car.”
Head of the municipal district Seamus Ó Mongáin said he would talk to the roads section in the council “to see can they do anything on the Google situation".
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
