Plan needed to prevent traffic chaos in a Kilkenny town

Calls for an emergency traffic plan for the town of Callan have been made following ‘traffic chaos’ when the town’s bypass was closed, recently.

A ‘safer flow of traffic’ has been suggested.

A portion of the N76 bypass had to close for several hours, over two days, following a serious traffic accident.

During the closure, to allow for the garda forensic investigation, traffic from the busy bypass was redirected into the town. This resulted in the one-way Bridge Street having to deal with two-way traffic from a Friday evening until the middle of Saturday.

Local residents, and those travelling through the town, were faced with congestion on the usually quiet street.

Now they are calling for a traffic management plan to be prepared for the town in cases of emergency closures of the bypass.

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‘There was no traffic management system in the town when the N76 was still closed for a few hours, causing a lot of congestion on Bridge Street. A plan needs to be put in place so this chaos is not repeated the next time an incident like this happens for the town,’ one local resident expressed their frustration.

Chairperson of Callan Thomastown Municipal District, Cllr Deirdre Cullen, agreed steps should taken to maintain traffic safety in the event of a future diversion.

“In the event of a significant road closure on the bypass I believe that traffic management be put in place,” she said.
Cllr Cullen recommended a stop-go system for Bridge Street that would allow for a safer flow of traffic along that route. At all times gardaí will be consulted, she added.