Traffic chaos in Mayo town 'is nuts'

Castlebar councillors have highlighted traffic and road safety issues.

Cllr Harry Barrett told a meeting of Castlebar Municipal District that the daily traffic backlogs in the town cannot be allowed to continue.

“There is an emerging issue that we have to start taking decisions on very quickly - and that’s the traffic in this town. The population is increasing, the number of cars on the roads is increasing. Rathbawn Road in the morning is causing serious delays. We have had this for a number of years and we are going to have to start taking decisions on it,” said Cllr Barrett. “Not only that we now have traffic backing up from Linenhall Street on to Davitt Terrace up into Pontoon Road and going all the way out the road. 

"The way things are now we are giving the two fingers to people living on the Rathbawn Road. They have been asking us for the last 10 years to do something about it. The same thing for people coming in from Lahardane to work in the morning, from Ross, from Turlough, Sarnaght," he added.

The construction of new homes on the Rathbawn Road and plans for additional housing developments in the same area is heightening the long-running issue.

“It’s nuts. There is going to have to be action there immediately. I would like to see the most effective engineering solution brought before us,” said Cllr Barrett.

Cllr Al McDonnell said it is a similar situation on the other side of the town. He said a journey from the Belcarra junction to Castle Street car park can take 25 minutes each morning.

Meanwhile, Cllr Ger Deere said urgent action needs to be taken at the junction leading from Straide to the N5 at Ballyvary.

“I’d say there has been an accident there every week,” said Cllr Deere.

He said frustrated motorists are “taking chances” which increases the danger.

“There is plenty of space to do something there - a roundabout lights, or something,” Cllr Deere added.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme