'Enough is enough': Residents of Blarney Street want action on traffic congestion after waiting more than a quarter of a century

Residents of Blarney St have said they have had enough of waiting for action on traffic congestion on Ireland’s longest street after more than a quarter of a century.

Members of the Blarney Street and Surrounding Areas Community Association told The Echo they have been calling for the council to address the issue “for 25, 30 years now”.

While a consultation process was announced earlier this year, Tom Coleman, chairman of the residents’ group, said they had heard nothing since, adding: “Enough is enough”.

In January the council appointed a consultant to assess options to reduce or discourage through vehicular traffic on Blarney St, with a public consultation of residents envisaged as part of that process.

However, that consultation has yet to commence.

“This issue is going on far too long, it’s a health and safety issue at this stage, we appreciate that there’s a survey being done, but that survey should have been done many years ago,” Mr Coleman said.

“It’s high time now that the local authority took this seriously.”

“We’re the longest street in Ireland and we’re being treated so shabbily, we’re being ignored, very much so.

“We’re voluntary people, we’re amateurs doing professional work, and in order that we keep an active community going, we have to be sure that we’re taken seriously in what we’re doing for them so that they can have a better quality of life with a better health and safety element to all of that,” he said.

Mr Coleman said residents had been calling on the council to address traffic problems on Blarney St since the 1990s, and it had been agreed at a public meeting in 2019 to appeal to the council to trial new traffic flow arrangements for Blarney St.

Following a further public meeting in November 2021, the community association made another appeal for a one-way system to be tested.

It was announced in February 2023 that the council had secured National Transport Authority funding for a feasibility study of possible traffic plans. Mr Coleman said whatever recommendations came from the feasibility study, they would have to be displayed at The Rock community centre for the residents of the area to approve them.

Former lord mayor, Fianna Fáil councillor Tony Fitzgerald, said residents had welcomed progress at St Kevin’s and housing developments in the area, but these had added to traffic congestion.

“The traffic survey, which has been funded, needs to be commenced, immediately, with the residents, the community association, and other voluntary associations all consulted, which I reckon would mean at least 2,000 people will be consulted,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“The key is consultation, listen to the people, have your result, and then action.”

Cork City Council was asked for a comment.

Last year, when NTA funding for the feasibility study was announced, a council spokesperson said: “The study will include a feasibility study on Blarney St to look at localised traffic, through-traffic, and parking issues.” They added that any works would be “subject to feasibility and design consultants’ recommendations as well as further grants from the NTA to undertake the proposed works”.