Road restrictions blamed for gridlock in north Mayo town to be removed next week
The partial filter lane closure on Kevin Barry Street in Ballina is set to be removed next week.
The update was given to councillors at the April meeting of Ballina Municipal District Council, following weeks of calls from representatives for the lane to be fully reopened. Councillors also said they have been receiving regular complaints from constituents who believe the change has added to already significant traffic congestion in the town.
The measure was introduced as a temporary trial aimed at improving safety for vehicles accessing Ballina Medical Centre and Atlantic Medical Centre.
However, all members of the municipal district have voiced their dissatisfaction with the arrangement and have called for an alternative solution that would maintain safety for vehicles accessing the medical centres without reducing the filter lane.
Cllr Michael Loftus said installing the barriers “in the first place was wrong” and argued that alternative solutions should have been considered first.
He described the partial closure as the “easy option”, saying it is not achieving its intended aim of slowing traffic near the entrances to the healthcare centres, but instead is “just backing it up”.
In correspondence to the Ballina Municipal District, senior engineer Orla Bourke said the council had met with the Ballina Chamber of Commerce and the local business community to hear their concerns.
She said some traffic data has been retrieved, but further information is still required from the traffic signals, with delays in data collection attributed to the Easter holiday period.
She added that available data, including before-and-after traffic counts, will be included in a final report expected before the next meeting.
She also noted that TII data shows a 9.5pc increase in traffic volumes on the N26, rising from an average daily traffic figure of 8,038 in 2022 to 8,806 in 2025, which she said has implications for both safety and traffic flow.
Ms Bourke said the council has engaged with the Director of Services for Roads to explore alternative solutions that would meet safety requirements while improving traffic flow and reducing delays at the junction.
Cllr Loftus expressed his frustration that councillors have been waiting for data for the “past two months”, and he felt that the Easter Holidays were “being used as an excuse” for the delay.
“This is being rolled down the road”, he said, and added he felt councillors were being “fobbed off” in relation to finding a solution.
He said he does not support removing safety measures entirely, but argued that alternative traffic-calming options have not been properly considered.
“Any suggestions I have given about running strips, pedestrian crossing or table-top pedestrian crossings, there are no suggestions coming back,
“People don't want to come into Ballina because of the traffic, and that is the problem,” he said.
“This thing of data is going on and on, and it’s a red herring. Put in something to slow the traffic on the filter lane and take away those [barriers],” he added.
Cllr John O’Hara said that “traffic is killing Ballina”, and warned that the shortening of the filter lane is “causing havoc in the town”.
He said that while safety at the medical centre entrances must be addressed, a quicker and more effective solution is needed.
Cllr Joe Faughan said he has been contacted by local businesses who told him that traffic is the biggest issue affecting trade at the moment.
“If you come in from the Foxford road any time after 3pm, it can take 45 minutes to get through the town,” he said.
Director of Services Catherine McConnell explained that the partial closure of the filter lane is “a very small part of the wider traffic problem in the town”.
“Even if the barriers are removed in the morning, traffic is still a huge issue,” she said.
Cllr O’Hara said action is urgently needed to address ongoing congestion, pointing to the Western Bypass still being at the planning stage and warning that no major infrastructure development is expected in the short term.
He warned that without a solution, “this town will be closed”.
Following discussion on the possibility of removing the barriers immediately, and concerns raised around safety and the impact on data collection, councillors agreed the barriers will be removed on Wednesday, April 22.
Ms Bourke said a two-week monitoring period will happen once the barriers are removed in order to compare traffic conditions and safety measures.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.