"Traffic has always been bad in Drogheda but I have never seen it as bad"
If Louth County Council want people in Meath to go and shop anywhere but Drogheda, they are going about it the right way, that’s according to Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan who was describing the current “nightmare” traffic scenario in the town at December’s Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District meeting.
The Bettystown local rep highlighted how it took over an hour to get from her home in Bettystown to Drogheda yesterday afternoon and called on Louth County Council to address the traffic management situation.
"Drogheda traffic is absolutely disgraceful at the moment,” she said. What is going on in Drogheda? It took me an hour to get from Bettystown yesterday. I left my home at 3.30pm to attend a meeting at 4.30pm and I got there at 4.35pm.
"An hour and five minutes it took me to get from Bettystown to Drogheda Institute of Further Education. The traffic lights there at South Quay, one car gets out from the junction. The sequence of lights is completely out of kilter.
"Traffic has always been bad in Drogheda but I have never seen it as bad as it is at the moment and for residents out in south Drogheda and East Meath it has become a nightmare.”
Tolan said she is being inundated with messages from people who were struggling to navigate the traffic chaos.
"I have had messages from people saying their kids are late for school, they are late for hospital appointments, exams, NCTS.
"It’s impossible to get in and out,” she said.
"One woman it took her 45 minutes to get from Southgate to the Black Bull, it’s an absolutely nightmare. I know we have been working on a traffic study in relation to our joint urban area plan but something needs to be done.”
Cllr Tolan suggested Meath Co Co write a letter to Louth County Council asking to make traffic calming a priority.
“If not we need to speak to An Garda Siochana,” she said. " People are getting angry about this. The gards would be able to get the traffic flowing if Louth County Council can’t.”
The Laytown/Bettystown cllr pointed out that at the busiest time of year for businesses, we are replying on local trade.
"It’s a disgrace this time of year when our businesses are crying out for people to come to them and spend time around the town and it;s absolutely impossible to get in and out of Drogheda.” she said.
"At this time of the year businesses trying to keep their head above water and I just think it’s just outrageous that they can’t even get the light sequencing right for traffic lights,” she added.