Town looks forward to change in wake of pedestrian fatalities and heavy congestion for Cork and Limerick commuters

A GROUP passionate about pedestrian safety in Charleville says that a bypass for the town is the “only” option.

An open call for submissions on the traffic plan for the town closed this week, as the town has seen a high rate of pedestrian fatalities. 

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An eastern bypass of the town, which would involve acquiring lands, widening some roads and creating a loop around the town to divert much of the HGV traffic, has been widely welcomed as the best option for the town. 

Charleville Community Forum chairperson Carmel Healy Hennigan said: “It is the only effective way to reduce collision risk, protect vulnerable road users, improve air quality and allow the town to function as a safe and liveable place.”

Submissions closed on Tuesday last, just nine days before Christmas. PRO for the forum, Claire Scanlan added: “The timing of the public consultation and submissions is no coincidence, knowing that people are extremely busy preparing for Christmas and all this will go with their preferred route.”

Ms Healy Hennigan said that people were “alarmed” by the suggestion of a one-way system, as the town sees more than 15,000 vehicles passing through each day. 

She added: “Incremental traffic measures cannot substitute for decisive infrastructure investment. Charleville does not need a traffic experiment. It needs a bypass.”

Fianna Fáil Councillor Ian Doyle said that pedestrians crossing the street, but not using the designated crossing points are putting themselves at risk and they need to be aware of truck blind spots, particularly with the high level of HGV’s going through the town.  

There are a number of options to choose from, but Cllr Doyle said that the Eastern bypass option seems to be the most favoured. 

Cllr Doyle said that it would mean widening the road on the approach between Kilmallock Road and the water treatment plant, but otherwise, it would take a significant volume of traffic off the main street. 

The traffic plan is being developed in order to address a number of concerns including consistent congestion, poor safety records and high collision rates. 

Fine Gael Councillor Aileen Browne said that people are “happy that a plan is progressing. One of the options was to do nothing and people are very much against doing nothing - we need to do something.” 

Now that submissions have closed, a route option is expected to be chosen by the middle of 2026 and the project will then move onto phase three for a design and environmental evaluation. The  project will then move through the statutory process and construction will start.