Cork councillors approve disallowing car access between Wellington Road and Summerhill North

Through vehicular access between Wellington Road and Summerhill North is to be removed under new plans approved by councillors at this week's Cork City Council meeting.

Vehicular access will be maintained to residential properties on York Terrace accessed via Summerhill North, and two-way pedestrian and cycle through access will be retained.

There is currently no right-turn permitted from York Hill onto Summerhill North, yet a report by Paul Moynihan, director of the local area development and operations directorate, states: “Vehicles are regularly known to illegally perform this manoeuvre on a continuous basis causing disruption to traffic and buses on Summerhill North.” 

Following the changes, traffic wishing to access Summerhill North to travel west will need to travel east to St. Luke’s Cross and make a right turn onto Summerhill North.

As part of the future BusConnects proposals, similar measures on York Hill are provided for, with no through traffic except for pedestrians and bicycles along with other bus priority measures in the wider area.

Bollards will be installed both at the intersection of York Hill and Wellington Road, and at the junction of York Hill and York Terrace, and road markings will be changed.

A public consultation process was carried out from Friday 7 March to Tuesday 8 April, and consultation was carried out with An Garda Síochána and Bus Éireann, with letters given to residential and commercial premises in the immediate vicinity of the proposal also.

86 submissions were received by the submission, 68 of which were objections, with several saying that the plans will push traffic to other already congested locations.

Other objections included that exit routes from the Wellington road area already very limited, that there would be issues around access for emergency vehicles, and that there is a lack of enforcement for existing traffic regulations.

Mr Moynihan said: “While the majority of submissions expressed an objection to the scheme, when complete, this scheme will provide for a safer pedestrian and cyclist environment on York Hill and will eliminate the unsafe illegal right turning movement from York Hill to Summerhill North.

“The reduction in turning movements onto Summerhill North and Wellington Road from York Hill will improve traffic flows on Summerhill North. The measures will provide less opportunities for vehicular access, therefore creating a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.” 

Fine Gael councillor Joe Kavanagh and Labour councillor John Maher welcomed the changes, but stated that there are issues currently with school traffic at peak times, that there is currently lots of illegal parking in the area, and that greater enforcement is needed.

The scheme was approved unanimously.