The one-way traffic system in place this week in the city may not be working as well as had been expected, according to the Mayor of Kilkenny Malcolm Noonan who is still hopeful that the system will work once people get used to the route.
The gridlock caused to motorists travelling through the city centre throughout the past week has been a source of enormous grief and frustration to drivers who are more hopeful that the trial one-way system will be suspended sooner rather than later - preferably before the schools reopen next week.
However, Mayor Malcolm Noonan has said that this will not happen and he called on the public to be patient with the new traffic flow and to give the one-way system a go to analyse the long-term affects on traffic flow and business in the city.
Traffic flow has ground to a halt on John Street, Rose Inn Street, High Street and Parliament Street following the implementation of the new system, leaving motorists stuck in their cars for lengthy periods on the streets.
Senior engineer Kieran Fitzgerald said that the first day of the system had very disappointing results as bad weather hampered the painting of the road markings to mark out the routes for motorists and cyclists. However, he added that a road accident involving a Garda car on Green’s Bridge and a slow-moving funeral procession didn’t help the situation either.
Traffic light configurations were also thrown off due to the saturation of the junctions where traffic could not move leading to lengthy delays for motorists and yesterday these had still not been set.
Mayor Malcolm Noonan told the Kilkenny Advertiser, that although there were problems, in the long term - a one way system would be preferable for the city.
“I know that both businesses and motorists are suffering at the moment but we hope that drivers will look for alternative routes and use the city centre carparks. We are one of the only cities of our size without a one-way system and it has worked very well in other places. We will have to see how it goes next week when the schools go back and analyse the traffic then to get a real vision of its effects.”
Mayor Noonan is also disappointed that there is not an alternative public transport system such as a shuttle bus and park ‘n ride facility in place prior to the new trial system being implemented.
“ We do need alternatives to driving into the city and these are not in place now. The completion of the ring road would also be very helpful and the connection of all the cycle lanes would help with people cycling to school or work,” he said,
Businesses are reporting big losses on the streets affected by the gridlock and Mayor Noonan is sympathetic with their plight.
“I know this is difficult for everyone but I am asking people to bear with it for a few days. It is part of a wider plan for smarter travel. We are looking for people to switch their driving patterns and in the long run it might just be better for everyone. There is a lot at stake here and if it doesn’t work well we may well just have to abandon the plan this time and go back to the drawing board,” he concluded.
The scheme is due to remain in place until September
