COMMUTER DELAYS: Kildare's motorway junctions need to be unblocked
New lanes and roundabouts are needed along the motorway routes passing through Kildare to ease congestion within the county.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland - which is responsible for Ireland’s motorway system - monitors the national road network, including the motorway junctions in Kildare.
Local councillor Noel Connolly said additional lanes are required and entrances and exits as well as roundabouts where the motorways meet national and local roads.
He told a Kildare County Council meeting that traffic queues regularly back up on the motorways and he highlighted problems at junction 12 Newbridge/Curragh , the junction leading to Kildare Village and junction 14 (Monasterevin) where a roundabout is required.
He said that delays are experienced most frequently in the mornings and at weekends.
However he was opposed by independent Clane-based councillor Padraig McEvoy who said lanes should be developed for public transport rather than increasing car capacity.
KCC official Celina Barrett said that while TII is monitoring traffic movement, there is no opportunity at the moment for new infrastructure.
The meeting also heard that TII has over 387 traffic monitoring unit sites around the country which are used to monitor traffic volumes and to plan “future interventions.”
However any plans that will lead to additional capacity must be provided in accordance with national policy documents.