Metro raises questions over city centre traffic in Waterford

Questions were raised recently over the state of traffic in Waterford City. 

At the December meeting of the Metropolitan Council, several councillors spoke damningly on the level of traffic and delays throughout the city. 

Councillor Pat Fitzgerald (Sinn Féin) said: "Its an immediate priority to review traffic along the Quays. We have to do something, everything stems back to the one lane traffic on the Quay."

Referring to a recent journey he made past the railway station he said: "It was like something you would see at rush hour, but this was at half past two in the afternoon. A fourth river crossing is badly needed."

Councillor Mary Roche (Social Democrats) also referred to installing another river crossing on the Suir to ease traffic congestion. Speaking on issues facing the city, Cllr Roche said: "One of those is access into the city, particularly from the North side across the bridge and the amount of times it takes for traffic to get in here. I've mentioned it a few times; we need to start to plan for a second river crossing, a vehicular river crossing."

Councillor Adam Wyse (Fianna Fáil) spoke about the traffic situation around Farronshoneen, and said: "We're coming up on a year since the roadworks on Farronshoneen Roundabout. Since then there have been huge issues on traffic there." 

Cllr Wyse told the Council how a recent drive from the bottom of John's Hill to the Roundabout took him 41 minutes to make, and commented: "If you were in my constituency and you had a kid going to school in that area, it would take you an hour and 20 minutes each day to get from school to home."

He pointed to the one-lane system as exacerbating the problem and raised the possibility of reintroducing the two-lane system. 

"People are very frustrated by it," he said.

"I'd ask that Council would ask the EPA to commission a report on peak times in that area," he added.