Traffic delays in Mayo town are now 'really critical'
There are so many complaints about traffic delays in Ballinrobe that a local councillor has had to turn off his mobile phone.
Cllr Michael Burke made the comments at the September meeting of Mayo Co Council after submitting a motion for the council to call on Minister Jack Chambers to expedite the Ballinrobe bypass as critical infrastructure.
“The three Ballinrobe councillors are looking for support on this because we have been advised it will be 2033 before the bypass will happen as it is going at a snail’s pace in terms of all the work needing doing. As it stands, I find I have to switch off my phone from 2pm to 5pm because I am just getting more and more phone calls.
"The situation it is getting really critical. Three ambulances could not get through Ballinrobe the other evening with the traffic. Even if we could do a link road, it would at least do the job in the short term, but if we have to wait another seven years, it will just be chaotic in Ballinrobe. It already is, as every evening of the week you won’t get through. The traffic is getting heavier all the time.”
Cllr Patsy O’Brien said it was disappointing that the route for the bypass was selected as far back as 2016 but funding was not provided.
"We forecasted then what is now a reality and it was only going to get worse. It is a nightmare to be in Ballinrobe any evening now, especially Fridays. Also, the network of local roads in the vicinity are widely used as bypass routes and they can’t take the traffic.”
Cllr Damien Ryan supported the motion, telling management: “We are open to whatever works because the route for the bypass is in place since 2016 and that corridor is still sterilised. There has to be a method to fast track it now. The sheer volume of traffic there every day - it is probably the worst bottleneck in the county. It will get to the stage of emergency vehicle not being able to get through.”
Cllr Richard Finn said a bypass would not only help the traffic situation, but would also lead to economic progress in Ballinrobe and free up the whole town to business, as that is what had happened in Claremorris, where it took 20 years to get a bypass.
Cllr Al McDonnell said the issue did not just affect Ballinrobe but also many people in the Castlebar municipal area who use the route.
“The gridlock extends sometimes from the racecourse, making Ballinrobe an area to be avoided now rather than to visit. It is a very serious issue and needs to be planned, with great urgency attached to it like never before.”
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
