Multiple roundabouts in Kilkenny 'at capacity'

Many of the roundabouts on the ring road in Kilkenny City are 'at capacity for traffic volume', a recent meeting of the Joint Policing Committee was informed.

Kilkenny County Council Director of Services, Tim Butler, provided the update during a presentation on the much-anticipated Active Travel Scheme.

He informed committee members that the busiest roundabouts are located on the stretch of ring road between the Callan Road Roundabout and the Hebron Road Roundabout.

The busiest roundabout is the Dublin Road Roundabout, catering for approximately 30,000 vehicles per week, a recent road survey revealed.

"Lots of additional people are now traversing the ring road and we have to make it safer," Butler said.

Contained within the overall Active Travel Scheme is the 'Ring Road Improvement Scheme' and a big priority of this scheme is making the ring road easier to traverse for pedestrians and cyclists.

"People are mentioning flyovers and tunnels but we have to be practical around a solution that provides protection for cyclists and walkers," Butler said.

"Many flyovers require a certain amount of clearance on either side of the road and at areas such as at the Bohernatounish Roundabout, the infrastructure on both sides of the road would impact such proposals."

He confirmed one of the measures currently being looked at is reducing the maximum speed limit on the ring road.