A new plan to ease rush-hour traffic chaos faced by people living in Roscam every morning has been welcomed by city councillor Declan McDonnell as ‘a good compromise’.
Cllr McDonnell said that almost 3,000 cars a day are currently caught up in the traffic problems locally, pointing out that according to the City Council’s own figures, a total of 1,400 vehicles leave the Boireann Bheag/Ros Caoin housing estates every day.
They then merge, when they reach the southern Doughiska Road (sometimes referred to as the Roscam Road ), with a further 1,400 vehicles, made up of many hundreds taking a ‘rat run’ shortcut from the coast road and cars from houses on the railway line side of the locality, including Caiseal Carn, Garraí Sheáin, Roscam Park, Duirling and Réileán.
“It is mayhem in the mornings, especially between 7am and 9am when most people are going to work. Cars trying to leave Boireann Bheag and Ros Caoin and other smaller estates are backed up going way back into the estates,” said Cllr McDonnell.
He complimented city officials and local residents and businesses, who came together to come up with a compromise solution to the problem, which will include new traffic lights at the junction of Doughiska Road with the Boireann Bheag/Ros Caoin exit road, near the local Spar shop, along with a widening of the road there to create an extra lane for vehicles turning left towards the coast road.
Another part of the solution follows on from recent Active Travel works, which included the provision of a cycle lane approaching the busy junction of the Doughiska Road and the Dublin Road, but had caused an additional problem for commuters in cars.
“Previously there was space for two lanes of traffic approaching this junction, accommodating vehicles that were turning left towards the city, those travelling straight on and those turning right in the direction of the Galway Clinic,” added Cllr McDonnell.
“But now, with the road reduced to a single lane to accommodate the cycle lane, up to a point just a few yards short of the traffic lights, there is only room for maybe three cars to fit in the tiny stretch of left hand lane that remains . . . that is causing even more tailbacks, because all cars are now queuing in a single lane of traffic.
“Thankfully, as part of the compromise arrived at between officials and people in the area, the cycle lane will end a few car spaces earlier than at present, which should help greatly. On top of that, the timing of the traffic lights at this junction will be adjusted to allow for longer green-light times for cars coming from Roscam.” he said.
The Independent councillor said that it was extremely difficult to come with a solution to the traffic situation in the area that suited everyone, and while the new plan for the area should improve traffic flow for most local people, there were some knock-on effects for others.
“For instance, priority at the new traffic lights at the exit to Boireann Bheag and Ros Caoin will be given to those cars leaving the estates, which will result in traffic coming from the coast road direction finding it slower to get through, and the Council hope this will cut down on the number of cars using this as a rat run to get to work faster.
“Unfortunately, that will have the knock-on effect of penalising people living in houses along that part of the Doughiska Road, making it more difficult for them to get onto the main Dublin Road, which is unfair. But overall, the plan is a good compromise, I feel,” Cllr McDonnell concluded.
