'It's a catastrophe waiting to happen'

Traffic and road conditions around the Abbeylands area have reached a dire state, according to the local District Council. 

At the Piltown Municipal District meeting, Councillors raised the worsening traffic throughout Ferrybank.

Councillor Ger Frisby stressed contacting neighbouring Waterford City and County Council (WCCC) to ameliorate the issue. He said: "I think we need to write to WCCC to get them to expedite their snag list to get this thing moving."

'Bedlam'

The Fianna Fáil councillor commented at the end of a recent meeting in Ferrybank: "We saw at the weekend a couple of videos posted: two, three minutes of queues. No one could get up or down the road, no one could go back, no one could go forward."

He went on: "If an ambulance needed to get in if there was an accident, if there was someone in Abbeylands Estate who needed an ambulance, you wouldn't be able to get up there.

"It was bedlam. The videos are out there online. I think it's crazy."

Cllr Frisby referenced the impasse at Ferrybank Shopping Centre in his comments. He said: "It's a pity we're not dealing with Dunne's being here in the shopping centre now, we have to wait until after the judicial review, which was orchestrated not by us, but anyway.

"We need to get a decision on that as well, so that we can start engaging with Dunne's; and in relation to using that huge empty carpark that's out there. It needs to be used again, especially to alleviate [traffic] on weekends, mainly Saturdays when you have both the GAA and soccer coming together there."

He ended: "It's a catastrophe waiting to happen if ambulances can't get up or down there."

Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme.