Changes to traffic flow in St Luke's resulted in problems for ambulance and fire services

Controversial changes to a busy road network in Cork city that cost €200,000 were later altered as emergency services could not access the area.

Mahony’s Avenue, a hill linking the Kent rail station area on Lower Glanmire Road with St Luke’s and the wider north side of the city, was changed from a two-way street to a one way system in the summer.

Freedom of Information records show that people contacting Cork City Council were concerned that the new system, then running one way uphill from south to north, would block ambulance and fire brigade access.

Records also show that Cork City Fire Brigade and bin collection services told the council that the new system did not allow access to the area by their vehicles.

A “dangerous design flaw” was raised by email with the council as early as June 9, when someone contacted them concerned that the new one-way road layout would not allow ambulances to fit through.

On June 16, email correspondence shows that a bin collection company could no longer fit up Mahony’s Avenue.

“Now even our small truck will not fit up here to collect the bins,” the email said.

On June 26, it was noted in correspondence from Cork City Council that Cork City Fire Brigade had also raised concerns about the new layout and said it would have to be changed.

The “one-way system has been swapped to a north to south arrangement,” the email added.

Switching the one-way system on Mahony’s Avenue to run downhill was changed on July, 8.

Changes were made to road markings, to build-outs on the road, and to road signs.

Cork City Council said that the cost of this redesign was “a small fraction” of the overall €200,000 cost of the road redevelopment in the area, but no exact cost was given in information received on foot of the request from this newspaper.

Although the re-routing of the road now allows emergency services access, residents said that significant problems remain, primarily that the one exit from the area by vehicle – onto the busy and sometimes fast-moving Lower Glanmire Road - can be extremely dangerous.

Cork City Council has listened to concerns and spoken about building a traffic island to prevent parking near the exit onto Lower Glanmire Road as vehicles left there block visibility from the exit.

But although some changes have been made to road markings near the junction, there is still no structure to stop people from parking at the exit.

A primary school is situated on Mahony’s Avenue and the changes to roads in the area were recommended as part of the national Safe Routes to School Project.

The revised layout aims to improve overall road safety in the area, particularly around the school.

Locals had called on Cork City Council to compulsorily purchase a small strip from a large plot of privately-owned, greenfield land, that runs along one side of Mahony's Avenue to make the area safer for school children and local residents. But this was not possible, Cork City Council said.