Traffic gridlock putting new businesses off Letterkenny

Letterkenny’s traffic logjam is deterring new businesses from setting up in the town, it has been claimed.

The Mayor of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District, Councillor Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly, has called for a special workshop to address the congestion issues and present a report on future road projects ‘as a matter of urgency’.

The April meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford MD was delayed for around 15 minutes as a handful of Councillors were delayed in the gridlock.

“People are just fed up here,” Councillor Kelly told Tuesday’s meeting. “We need to sit down with the roads service senior management and design to come up with a  realistic solution. It seems to be getting worse.

Maggie Maguire celebrates her 106th birthday in Inver

It was a family affair in Inver on Good Friday as Maggie Maguire reached her 106th birthday

“It is shocking here. The traffic is at a standstill, it’s bumper-to-bumper. Business are suffering and we can’t just sit back and let it continue.

“Shoppers are going across the border and we should be enticing the people to come to Letterkenny.

“It is looking more and more as if the traffic management system is failing Letterkenny and we need to address it.”

Councillor Kelly told the meeting that he was aware of two people who were interested in setting up a business, but opted not to base in Letterkenny due to the traffic problems.

“Only for the ShopLK scheme, there wouldn’t be as much money spent in Letterkenny,” he said.

The Glenswilly-based Councillor reiterated the need for relief roads around Letterkenny, noting that the Four Lane road project ‘will not address the traffic’. He said the recently-installed traffic lights close to the Dry Arch Roundabout are ‘another disaster waiting to happen’.

“You could have traffic backed out the dual carriageway and up Lurgybrack,” he said. “We need to get realistic here because this is not getting better, it’s getting worse.”

Councillor Ciaran Brogan, who seconded the motion, highlighted what he says is a ‘lack of commitment’ from Donegal County Council HQ in Lifford to Letterkenny.

“This is the employment and growth centre of Donegal,” he said. “The whole lot needs to come together because we deserve an update on where we are. The roads people need to start being more proactive to infrastructure in Letterkenny.”

Councillor Gerry McMonagle said the need for bridges in Letterkenny is ‘the elephant in the room’.

“We need three bridges, not just the one,” Councillor McMonagle said. “We need the Bonagee Link, we need one off the Neil T Blaney road and one onto the Glenties road.”

The Mayor of Donegal, Councillor Liam Blaney, branded as ‘disgraceful’ the fact that the journey from Woodlands National School to Letterkenny takes 35 minutes. “It should be a five-minute drive,” he said.

David McIlwaine, a senior executive engineer for Donegal County Council, said a meeting with the relevant parties would be requested and a detailed reported prepared.

“We need to get to the bottom of this,” Councillor Kelly said. “The situation is just diabolical at the minute.”