Gardaí have seized 55 scramblers and 49 e-scooters in Cork city since 2023, but on Monday Cork city councillors expressed concern that the figures do not represent the full scale of the problem.

The measures aim to reduce vehicle speeds and improve road safety for all road users in Cloughduv. Details of the plans were discussed at the January Macroom municipal district council meeting.

Once completed, the scheme will deliver new footpaths, safe pedestrian crossings, safer roads for motorists with improved junctions and sightlines, new public transport and cycle facilities, and improved public lighting and traffic calming measures.

Each commuter lost the equivalent of four days and 11 hours due to the city’s choked streets and arteries, which was an increase of seven hours and 40 minutes on the figure for 2024.

Why are we not following the evidence and introducing a congestion charge in Cork city?, asks DR CATHERINE CONLON, a public health doctor with the HSE

The Christmas period is one of the busiest on Irish roads, and one of the periods during which road users are at the highest risk of being involved in a fatal or serious road traffic collision.

One incident was on the N40 near Mahon, with the other on the N22 near Ballincollig

There are no parking charges for parking on street on Sundays – but drivers are required to comply with parking regulations.

The incident, involving a single vehicle and two pedestrians, occurred along the R617 between Blarney and Tower at approximately 4.30pm on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for The Cork Cycling Campaign said that as Cork faces pressing climate, congestion, and public health challenges, immediate action is required.

Labour’s Peter Horgan, chair of Cork City Council’s transport committee, said increased confidence in our public transport options was drastically needed

A council spokesperson confirmed that the signage had been removed by its litter warden, but said it is working on road safety solutions.

Seán Canney, minister of state at the Department of Transport, told Pádraig Rice, in response to a parliamentary question: “Traffic management in Cork city is a matter for Cork City Council, in the first instance.

Regular passenger services to Youghal station were withdrawn in 1963, with goods traffic continuing in the 1960s and early 1970s before also ceasing.

Road closures and local diversions are in place, and traffic is reported to be extremely heavy, following the fatal incident.

A total of €1.9m in fines was issued from January 1, 2020 to July 21 this year, data provided by Cork County Council has shown, with the amount of the fines increasing year-on-year.

Elsewhere, a man in his 40s was hospitalised as a precaution yesterday following a two-vehicle collision in Crookstown, near the Cork to Killarney road.

Sinn Féin councillor Kenneth Collins said that a heavy goods vehicle got stuck on Blarney St on the northside of Cork city this week, and that it is not the first time this has happened.

A garda spokesperson said that a number of people received medical treatment at the scene, for injuries “believed to be non-life-threatening at this time”.

Labour councillor and chairman of the council’s strategic policy committee on transport, Peter Horgan, who has been advocating for CCTV enforcement, including the introduction of traffic cameras with automatic number-plate recognition, said that the strategy was welcome.

One councillor said that in reality what is needed in Clonakilty is a bypass, but that's at least 25 years away.

TII traffic are warning motorists to expect delays.

The road currently remains closed to traffic to allow for a technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators,  and local road diversions are currently in place.

The call comes as new figures show that 2,396 unaccompanied learner drivers in Cork have been penalised by gardaí since 2023.

The road was temporarily closed to facilitate an examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators and has since reopened.

Overall, 412 schools are in the programme. Almost 15% are located on “higher-speed rural roads”, where speed limits of 80km/h or 100km/h were in place.

Fine Gael TD for Cork North West John Paul O’Shea asked the Tánaiste for an update on the progress of the N20-M20 project, saying that its swift delivery was of critical importance to Munster.

The value of the parking fines issued this year amounts to €1,061,500, a rise of more than €95,000 on the value of fines issued during the same time period in 2024.

Traffic Watch is a partnership approach between gardaí and the public to improve driver behaviour, reducing the number of road collisions and fatalities.

The Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú is pleading with drivers to put down their mobile phone while they are driving.

"The commitment to further rollout the tap-to-pay functionality is very welcome and I look forward to tracking it," said Cllr Horgan.

The incident, involving two vehicles, occurred on the R600 outside Belgooly near Keith Floyd’s Old House, at approximately 11am.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has appealed to motorists to slow down and expect delays. 

Live traffic video streams at Dunkettle were previously available on a dedicated traffic website and app in order to inform motorists of traffic conditions during the construction of the Dunkettle interchange.

Emergency services are at the scene of both incidents.

In the letter, Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú raised the issue of traffic chaos in the city and asked for consideration to be given to the commissioning of a report to identify possible measures to alleviate traffic gridlock.

Cork city councillors made the decision to terminate the council’s clamping and towing operation around 15 years ago.

West Cork Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington called for a reconsideration of the proposal to reduce the speed limit on national secondary roads from 100kmh to 80kmh.

Bus Éireann in Cork has not confirmed that its driver numbers have increased since five routes were cut at the end of last year due to issues with recruiting and retaining staff, with the bus operator then short 35 drivers.

Labour Party councillor Peter Horgan told The Echo that urgent intervention is needed, adding: “More crashes will lead to more congestion or worse, another fatality.”

Crews from Uisce Éireann have been dealing with flooding which impacted workers entering and leaving their business premises on the Monahan and Centre Park Roads in the Atlantic Pond area of Cork city during Tuesday afternoon and evening.

The local authority has been urged to commission an expert report by Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, who said she has written to the council to voice support for the implementation of a new city-wide traffic management plan.

Gardaí are at the scene of a collision westbound on the N40 South Link Road between Bloomfield and Douglas, with motorists advised to exercise caution when approaching the area.

Survey finds Cork tradespeople spend an average of five hours and 57 minutes a week in traffic - costing them an estimated €157.

Gardaí attended the scene of an eight car collision on the N40 South Ring Road earlier today. 

Such cameras use automatic number plate recognition technology to record the time a vehicle passes through entry and exit points, with drivers receiving fines and penalty points if they travel from point A to point B too quickly.

In 2023, the tunnel had 44 closures, while in 2022 it had 40, and in 2021 it had 64.

Dublin City Council have stated that traffic cameras to catch drivers breaking red lights will be introduced early in 2025. 

According to Transport Infrastructure Ireland that figures is set to rise to 75 by the end of the year - at 70% increase on 2023. 

Diversions will be in place and communicated locally.