Emergency services trial new route for crash victims on busy Cobh road

 Emergency services have successfully trialled a route which they intend to use to aid crash victims injured on the only road connecting Great Island and the town of Cobh to the N25.

There have been an increasing number of serious accidents on the twisting R624 road leading off the N25 at Carrigtwohill over Slatty Bridge, past Fota Resort & Spa Hotel and the wildlife park and onto the approaches to Belvelly Bridge.

Ger O’Hora, the council senior executive engineer for the area, said that a recent trial was undertaken by fire brigade and ambulance crews, along with gardaí, council officials and representatives from the hotel and the adjoining Fota House and wildlife park which had proved very successful.

The route which will used in the future by emergency services will go through the hotel lands and then Fota House gardens.

Mr O’Hora said the trial had gone very well and all involved were happy with it and it is intended to active it now in case of future emergencies.

Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen said it’s a “long overdue” development, as he’d asked for this to be enacted more than two years ago.

Fianna Fail councillor Dominic Finn asked could car owners use it as well if there are tailbacks in the area, which frequently happens when crashes occur and he was told by Mr O’Hora that won’t be possible.

Mr Rasmussen said he’s still concerned about access to Cobh if there’s a serious accident on Belvelly Bridge, which makes it impassable as the emergency plan only provides access to the northern side of it, so then it’s of no value.

He said there would be chaos if it’s closed for any period of time. He acknowledged that people might be able to take the train or the cross-river ferry to and from work but the latter has only capacity for around 34 cars at a time and big HGVs can’t use it.

“There’s anything between 12,000 and 14,000 vehicles a day using the Fota Road. The army's previously stated it's capable of laying down a Bailey Bridge-type structure if Belvelly Bridge's out of action. I understand council officials and members of the Defence Forces had discussions about this, and I'll be asking what the upshot of them is,” Mr Rasmussen added.

Meanwhile, councillors have asked in future that the organisers of any major events in Fota House be obliged to adopt, with the cooperation of local gardaí, a traffic plan to oversee them.

Mr Rasmussen said a recent event there, while welcome, produced serious gridlock, as did Fine Gael councillor Anthony Barry who said the traffic jam to get into it stretched as far as the Carrigtwohill turn-off the N25.