Call for extra post boxes to reduce traffic congestion around west Mayo town
Westport councillor Peter Flynn called for extra post boxes on the outskirts of town to reduce traffic around the new post office
A WEST Mayo councillor has called for An Post to install extra post boxes at the edge of Westport to reduce traffic congestion around the new post office.
In June, the Westport Post Office moved from the North Mall, ending more than 125 years of the postal services at the location, to new premises in Kavanagh's Super Valu supermarket on Shop Street.
The move to the new location was criticised as Shop Street is one of the busiest streets in Westport with limited parking options for customers of the post office to park.
Speaking at the July monthly meeting of Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Peter Flynn acknowledged that the move from the Mall was not welcomed by all people.
“It is an iconic building [old post office] and always a location that people knew as the post office not just for Westport but the entire area. Whether we like it or not, it went for sale on the open market and nobody bought it for a post office and as a result it moved up to Super Valu.
“We are lucky we still have the post office in town when we could have lost it entirely. Is it the most suitable location compared to the other one? Absolutely not but it is there,” he said.
The Fine Gael councillor proposed that An Post consider installing additional post boxes on the Ballinrobe Road and the Newport Road/Castlebar Road 'in the interest of reducing traffic congestion in the town centre and improving accessibility to postal services'.
“The request has come from a number of businesses on the north and south of town that An Post would put in drop off locations where people can drop off parcels and envelopes instead of coming into town and adding to the congestion.
“Could we write to An Post in the interest of sustainable travel and in the interest of making life a little bit easier if they could consider putting in locations on the Newport road or Castlebar road or Ballinrobe road that people can drop off,” he said.
His proposal was seconded by Cllr Brendan Mulroy.