Traffic back-up at junction in Westport is 'a nightmare'

A local councillor has called for urgent works on the Golf Course Road in Westport in order to reduce the back-up of traffic occurring at the junction with the Newport Road.

Independent Cllr John O’Malley told the December meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District that "something has to be done with it".

"It’s a nightmare to come up that road in the morning, when kids are going to school. It’s backed up as far as the printing works and if someone is turning for Westport they have to wait and wait. If there were two lanes there to turn to get onto the N5, but it is not wide enough, you would have to go up on the footpath. We need to put two lanes into it or somebody suggested everybody should turn left and go around the roundabout and it might be faster that way.” 

Mayo Co Council's Head of Roads Conrad Harley told Cllr O’Malley: “We will look at the junction and maybe there is something we can do at the top of the road to improve traffic flow. However, it’s not a good idea to have two lanes left and right as the car on the left blocks the view of the car on the right to see anything coming left, but we will see can we do something else to improve traffic flow there.”

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.