Static traffic lights at busy Mayo junction would 'be a disaster'

Placing permanent static traffic lights at a busy junction in a Mayo town would 'be a disaster' according to a senior official who believes smart lights may be a better solution.

The traffic congestion at the junction at Gallow’s Hill in the centre of Castlebar has been a matter of contention for local councillors in recent months with calls for traffic lights to be trialled to help solve the traffic problems.

The four-way junction is considered one of the busiest in the town with traffic merging from Rathbaun Road, Chapel Street and Newline onto Tucker Street.

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The problem was raised at the monthly meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District by Cllr Ger Deere who once again called for a traffic management plan for the area.

“We need to look at a traffic management plan for that area because it is going to mushroom with a couple of hundred houses in the next couple of years out there. We will be in crisis and will need a proper management strategy as to where we are going. Lets not be blindsided, we need to plan now to apply for funding,” he said.

The Fine Gael councillor questioned if the council had looked into the idea of traffic lights and was informed by David Mellett, the Head of the Municipal District that they were looking at installing smart traffic lights at the junction.

“We had discussions internally and with other groups who have tried to put in static lights and the consensus is it would probably be a disaster up there,” he explained.

“We would need smart traffic nights to sense where the traffic is building up and the lights will react accordingly. We have had discussions with the consultants who have been on board with the active travel team who are very familiar with the flow of traffic counts in the area and we are getting a price from them to come up with a lighting scheme for that area and also look at the filter lane,” he said but warned that smart traffic lights can be expensive.

Cllr Deere also called on Uisce Éireann to do an audit on the condition of manholes and water meters after commenting that a number of them are in a disgraceful condition.

“No private individual would be let away with that and to think a state body will leave it in that condition. It is disgraceful,” he commented.