The Mountmellick Road in Portlaoise has long been the focus of Council meetings in Laois and it has raised its head once again.
Ever increasing traffic congestion has caused problems for motorists and residents who live along the road alike.
A proposal to build three roundabouts along the route, at Ballyfin Road, Dunnes Stores and Harpers Lane, was proposed in 2024 and a feasibility study was required in order to progress this.
But nearly 18 months on, nothing has actually happened and members of the Portlaoise Municipal District are not happy.
The issue was brought up by Catherine Fitzgerald who asked for an update on the proposed roundabouts.
Road Design told her that a Draft Feasibility and Options Report and drawings is now prepared for the road study area on the N80 from Fairgreen to Market Square to JFL Avenue to St Peter and Paul’s Church.
This response drew the ire of the Fianna Fail Councillor who fumed that it didn’t answer her question at all.
Cllr Fitzgerald said: “Like other councillors here, I’m blue in the face bringing up the Mountmellick Road.
“And any time you travel it, and you see the situation that the local residents are in, or people attending the local schools, it’s embarrassing as a councillor, and I’ve said that before.
“Queues and queues of people with no way and no access. Whether you put in roundabouts or traffic lights – something has to give.
“The only way you can get out on the Mountmellick Road is the goodwill of some other drivers. Because they genuinely know the area, and we’ve stopped and let people out.
“We have to get some answers for the residents and the people who are attending schools and everything in that area. And I think it’s disgraceful that we’ve waited this long, over the years.
“And it was embarrassing, the last election, the election before, and we’re still sitting here, with absolutely no progress.
“And it’s not good enough, and it’s not fair, and it’s not fair on people who have to use the roads on a regular basis.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do as Councillors. It’s not for the lack of bringing this to the attention of the road section and everything else that exists. It’s disgraceful what’s happening, that’s all I can say.”
Independent Councillor Caroline Dwane-Stanley lives along that road and supported Cllr Fitzgerald.
She said: “I’m very familiar with the traffic problems there and it’s actually getting worse.
“Every time we raise it, between the time we raise it, it comes back up on the agenda again. You can just actually see the traffic in that area absolutely getting worse.
“I drive down the Ballyfin Road in the morning, and you literally cannot get out or turn right unless somebody stops to let you out.
“Dunnes Stores as well, it’s a shopping centre that we use on a regular basis and it is next to impossible to get out – the same at the top of Harpur’s Lane as well.
“And look, as I said, time and time again, for me it’s the one road into town that has been completely forgotten.”
Cllr Tommy Mulligan said that he grew up on the Mountmellick Road and 46 years later, the road looks no different than it did when he was a child – except for the fact it is thronged with traffic.
Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Buggy suggested that placing traffic lights along the road might help the flow of traffic.
Director of Services Simon Walton brought the Council’s position to the meeting and said that he hoped to be able to present a plan in January.
He said: “As members have pointed out, this is a national road. So, anything we do on the Mountmellick Road and the rest of it has to be with the agreement and approval of TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland). That’s the way the state operates.
“In order to get it onto the TII agenda, the first thing the Council is required to do is to prepare a feasibility and options report, which is referenced in the reply.
“We have procured those services. We’ve paid for those services from our own resources.
“And we now have the report to hand only in the last seven to ten days. We need to review it ourselves.
“We’ve outlined the context of the various pedestrian measures, junction treatments, etc, referenced in this report.
“And once it’s agreed here locally and signed off, our intention is to submit it to TII. Then it becomes a funding issue. And what elements of it, if any, the TII will decide to fund.
“But the first thing we required is a feasibility and options report. And while I know that the original focus, and we did a previous report regarding specific junctions on the Mountmellick Road, when we were proposing the completion of the feasibility and options report, it was the TII who specifically requested that we do it from the bottom of JFL Avenue to the Fairgreen roundabout on the Mountmellick Road. And that’s what we’ve done.
“And once we’ve clarified it all internally, it will come in front of the members. But I do not think it will be the December meeting. It will be probably January.”
To conclude, Independent Cllr Caroline Dwane-Stanley says that she doesn’t want to see traffic lights installed.
She said: “As someone who uses the road on a daily basis, I certainly would not be in favour of traffic lights going on that road.
“We already have two sets of traffic lights. Now, I know you have to press the lights to get across there at the top of O’Moore Place and up at Hapurs Lane as well. But there’s been continuous problems, and it has made no difference whatsoever to the traffic.
“What you need there is traffic flowing, and flowing quickly, and roundabouts, in my opinion.”
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