Letterkenny is losing out on vital business revenue due to the severe chronic traffic congestion with shoppers leaving the town to shop elsewhere.
This was the overwhelming message from last Saturday’s (8th August) public meeting held at the Station House Hotel held to address the issue.
Donegal’s Aontú Rep Mary T. Sweeney who organised the meeting says
“It is beyond unacceptable that the Northwest capital’s town is losing out due to the impact of severe traffic congestion, road chaos, and safety concerns. And poor planning by someone. Who is responsible, we need to know that.
“The continued frustration that people are feeling was evidenced by the large turnout on a Saturday night in August.
I have been inundated with correspondence from locals who say they dread having to drive into Letterkenny such are the queues they have to endure. No wonder as a 7 minute journey is taking an hour.
So many people say only for the fact that they have to use the hospital they wouldn’t come near the town.
One shop owner talked of having one customer in total that day, generating a €40 sale.
How on earth can a business survive that. The stress and strain on people is absolutely awful.
A local taxi driver said he is really concerned about his drivers’ mental health as the daily toll is really grinding them down.
A local major bus operator described her drivers’ difficulties in navigating the new road layout and referenced several examples of difficulties navigating with multiple other school coaches at the same destination.
Another shop owner showed a video of the empty Letterkenny main street, that day, a Saturday at 6pm and this is during peak summer holiday season.
The local Chamber of Commerce has also this week raised public concerns that the ongoing traffic chaos is indeed having a significant impact on local businesses and commuters.
People have had enough.
Many across Donegal feel traffic flow in Letterkenny which was already difficult has been further exasperated by forcing in an Active Travel Plan (ATP)prematurely.
Unbelievably a town with a population of some 25,000 has no bus town bus service, no transport hubs but a collection of new large footpaths and cycle lanes which are reducing road size.
Two large HGVs can no longer drive in or pass each other on a two lane carriageway which just had circa €16 million plus spent redesigning it.
Crucially, that also means if there is traffic congestion a large fire truck or ambulance will not get through. There is no hard shoulder to pull over onto.
So, while it is serious that business is losing out , the prospect of lives being endangered due to this traffic chaos is far more serious
Letterkenny is known for its hilly topography and would not be that sympathetic to cyclists who commute to school or work on a daily basis due to the hilly ground and harsh winter frosts and snow.
The ATP Road works in town and approaching roads has now only further increased the stress commuters are having to contend with.
We have now formed a committee to drive a concerted campaign to deliver an independent “Critical Review of the Active Travel Plan and planning in Letterkenny” and other planning issues including the redevelopment of the Market Square.
“The only way forward was for a critical planning review for Letterkenny to be conducted by an external Traffic Planning specialist, as there was no confidence any solutions would be found locally. The Council is not listening to the people and the business owners who are suffering” she said. One business owner recounted the numerous references in Town planning design courses identifying Letterkenny as how not to plan.
Local Taxi company owner Shaun Gallagher spoke out passionately of how the Council is ignoring the stress and pressure on taxi drivers and commuters. He read a strong letter addressed to the DCC chief executive to reflect that the Council by failing to deliver “adequate roads infrastructure networks” is affecting the health, safety and welfare of his employees. …as his drivers were being subjected to prolonged stress. He has requested Council address a series of concerns he raised within 21 days.
I have contacted my colleagues, Deputies Peadar Tóibín and Paul lawless together with Senator Sarah O’ Reilly in a bid to get this gridlock sorted. People just can’t stand it any longer “.
