Concerns raised that some Letterkenny traffic lights may be adding to congestion

Concerns have been raised that some sets of traffic lights in Letterkenny may be doing more harm than good to the town’s traffic situation.

Cllr Tomás Seán Devine raised his concerns about the lights at McGinley Motors and the roundabout at the new Dunnes Stores. He blamed the lights for traffic congestion before Christmas and said that he was contacted by shoppers who spent up to two hours trying to get out of the new Dunnes car park.

At the January meeting of Letterkenny-Milford MD, Cllr Devine asked the council to support his motion “revisiting the traffic lights situation in Letterkenny”.

“I believe that those at McGinley Motors and those at the new Dunnes Roundabout are causing more traffic congestion than they are helping,” he said. “I firmly believe, as do others, that the lights at the new Dunnes should be replaced with speed tables and pedestrian crossings. 

“If we are serious about helping traffic move in Letterkenny these things need to be looked at."

Cllr Devine expressed concerns that the roundabout at the new Dunnes Stores is “not serving its purpose” due to congestion build-up and said he had been “inundated with calls” from frustrated motorists.

“It’s bad when Main Street is quickest way to get through town,” he said.

Cllr Devine added that a meeting held with gardaí before Christmas highlighted the one way system on the Pearse Road and at the bottom of Rosemount Lane going towards the new Dunnes as a problem area. He proposed a new entrance from the Oatfield roundabout into Letterkenny Shopping Centre to help traffic flow there.

Cllr Michael McBride seconded the motion and proposed a new exit from the new Dunnes car park onto the Neil T Blaney Road to help ease congestion in the area.

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“The traffic signals at the Pearse Road/ Justice Walsh Road were constructed to improve the safety of traffic accessing and exiting the Justice Walsh Road,” said David McIlwaine from the council’s Roads and Transportation team in a written response. “This is beneficial to the traffic travelling to and from the Main Street area, adjacent car parks and Health Centre at Scally Place.

“The current pedestrian crossings at the new Dunnes Stores roundabout provide linkage between the different sections of the car park. This location would not be  suitable for zebra crossings due to the restricted sight lines for traffic off the roundabout and would cause a hazard for pedestrian crossing.”