New measures aimed at dealing with congestion at Blake’s Corner have been met with a cautious welcome.
Clare County Council has confirmed that traffic lights are to be put in place at the notorious traffic blackspot on a trial basis, in response to a campaign by local residents and businesses.
Clare FM’s Derrick Lynch reports:
Just weeks after protestors took to the streets of Ennistymon, Clare County Council has committed to installing traffic lights at Blake’s corner.
It was one of the suggestions put forward by people living locally, who have become frustrated by ongoing traffic issues there.
Just last weekend, two buses hit buildings at the infamous corner, causing massive delays, while there’s regularly traffic gridlock during the height of the tourist season on what is the main route for many to the Cliffs of Moher.
The local authority is pushing ahead with plans for a new bridge and Inner Relief Road, and it’s expected that project will enter planning by the end of the year.
CEO Pat Dowling says the lights are being installed on a trial basis but he admits they may not work.
The news has been given a cautious welcome by the “Let’s Get Ennistymon Moving” group, who had demanded a temporary solution while long-term works are awaited.
Traffic lights were trialled unsuccesfully two decades ago but Joe McInerny, who’s a publican on Parliament Street hopes this time will be different.
Local Councillors Bill Slattery and Richard Nagle and Ennistymon Senator Martin Conway have been working with authorities over the past number of years to try and provide a solution to issues in the notorious blackspot.
Councillor Nagle says an on-duty Garda remains the preferred option, even though that suggestion has played down by senior members of the force.
