Councillor calls for replacement of infamous Farronosheen roundabout with signalised junction
An Active Travel project on the roundabout has seen an entry lane removed from the Upper Grange Road.
Fine Gael councillor Jim D’Arcy has called for the Farronosheen roundabout to be replaced by a traffic light-controlled junction.
Reports around congestion at the roundabout have been rife in recent months.
An Active Travel scheme designed to promote sustainable transport has seen the implementation of pedestrian crossings at the roundabout. An entry lane has also been removed on the Upper Grange Road.
A report commissioned by Waterford City and County Council showed delays at the roundabout at 4:30-5:30 pm rising from 3 to 13-16 minutes in the wake of the Active Travel scheme.
“Roundabouts don’t prioritise pedestrians or cyclists,” said Cllr. D’Arcy.
“The best example of this is the roundabout at the University Hospital entrance.
“The Faronshoneen roundabout while meeting regulations is mayhem as lights on a roundabout are a dichotomy ie once the lights are used it ceases to function as a roundabout.”
Cllr. D’Arcy referenced public works undertaken in Galway, where roundabouts on the city’s outer ring road were replaced by junctions.
The measures were carried out to improve road user safety. Cllr. D’Arcy said similar action needs to be taken in Waterford.
