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. 

The project is likely to go to construction tender in early 2025 subject to necessary project progression consents, the NTA said. 

Mr Ryan met with councillors yesterday to discuss concerns, with one public representative saying there was a feeling of 'frustration' at the meeting. 

“We always say one tip would shut down the city, but five or six incidents have happened, and have absolutely shut down the city."

Gardaí confirmed Carr's Hill remains closed to traffic with diversions in place.

Gardaí are currently assisting with traffic management.

Services will not run between the stations on Saturday and Sunday to allow essential works to take place 

Motorists are being advised to be aware of surface water on some routes this morning. 

A collision was reported on approach to the Jack Lynch Tunnel earlier this afternoon. 

The appointment timeframe has yet to be confirmed.

The company is “facing significant short-term challenges” in the recruitment of drivers, it said in response to a parliamentary question. 

Motorists are advised to take care on approach

Iarnród Éireann has announced reduced timetables to facilitate the works, which have the potential to treble existing service frequency.

It follows a number of recent public meetings on the issue. 

The 24-hour national speed enforcement operation, supported by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), will be conducted by An Garda Síochána from 7am today until 7am tomorrow morning.

The incident, which involved two cars, occurred shortly before 3pm on the R612 at Kilnagleary, near Carrigaline