Extra exits sought to ease ‘diabolical’ Letterkenny retail traffic
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A fresh call has been made for extra exits to ease shopping traffic tailbacks in the Letterkenny Retail Park area, which saw more than 3.6 million vehicle entries last year.
The three main car parks span across three phases - 'New Dunnes', TK Maxx and McDonald's.
Following discussions with retail park management, local councillor Tómas Seán Devine has called on the local authority to examine whether the entrance beside McDonald’s on Pearse Road could become two-way, allowing vehicles to exit as well as enter.
There has been an 11.5% increase in the number of cars passing through the McDonald's phase since 2022, which averaged at 83,342 per month last year.
Phase 2, around TK Maxx, averaged 99,949 vehicles a month, while the new Dunnes Stores area averaged 118,409.
Cllr Devine described the roundabout and traffic lights at new Dunnes as “diabolical in holding back traffic”.
“Last Christmas we had a motion on the new Dunnes . We are now in July and we haven't seen any improvements done,” said the 100% Redress party representative.
“Even if it's not the entrance at McDonald's, if there was a way of looking at another entrance at the bottom of the car park, it needs to be looked at.”
Retail park management has also suggested a new exit from Phase 3, at the rear of Callaghan’s Euronics, as a potential way of easing pressure on the roundabout at the new Dunnes Stores.
Independent Cllr Michael McBride backed Cllr Devine's call and renewed his previous proposal for a road from the rear of the New Dunnes development towards the Neil T Blaney Road.
“In peak shopping time in the run-up to Christmas, people were telling me it took almost two hours to get out of the car park,” Cllr McBride said.
“When people can't get out, people can't get in, and it affected the turnover of the shops there too.”
The local authority said the McDonald’s entrance needs to remain entrance-only under the current road layout due to safety concerns and the risk that exiting traffic could block the entrance and hold up vehicles on Pearse Road.
Senior Roads Engineer David McIlwaine said the council would be keen to meet retail park management.
“The junction at McDonald's is a safety issue. It was seen as unsafe for cars to come out there,” he said.
“Certainly, we will meet to discuss it and look at how it can be made more efficient.”
This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.