Council to trial one-way system in Gorey town centre as Esmonde St works continue to cause traffic chaos for motorists
Wexford PeopleA one-way system in the centre of Gorey is to be trialled on a weekly basis as the local council seeks way to alleviate congestion caused by ongoing works on Esmonde Street.
The works to revamp Esmonde St finally commenced in June of this year but, following the return of the schools earlier this month, large volumes of traffic have been building up at the junction at the Coach House, impacting traffic flow along the Main Street.
Accepting that the current situation was not sustainable, district engineer Joanne Kehoe said she had been working with the Esmonde St contractor on ways to ease congestion.
“The contractor has submitted a traffic management plan for a one-way system, to bring traffic out of the town,” she said at the September meeting of the Gorey Kilmuckridge Municipal District (GKMD). “It would only allow traffic in (to the town) as far as Gorey Community School.
“The best solution would be to implement this one-way system on a trial basis. We can review it after the first week, and on an ongoing basis, to make sure it’s the best solution.”
Councillor Craig Doyle couldn’t mask his disdain for this proposal.
“A one-way system out of the town?” he asked. “Will that not cause absolute mayhem on the Coach Road?”
“If we reverse it the other way it will cause mayhem with traffic backing up through the town,” said Ms Kehoe. “We need to clear the town and bring traffic in from the Arklow Road.”
“I think it’s going to be a disaster,” replied Cllr Doyle.
Cllr Joe Sullivan has, in the past, conducted traffic surveys of his own, but even he was at a loss at how to rectify the current issues in Gorey town centre.
“The problem, as I see it, is the right turn onto the Rock Road,” he said. “That’s causing all the issues at the junction by the Coach Road. If we put a heavier weight of traffic on that road it’s going to cause further difficulties.
“But I don’t know what the solution is. You did four years in university Joanne, so I’ll leave it to you.”
After Cllr Nicky Boland raised concerns about the impact on residents in Garden City, Ms Kehoe confirmed that, if successful, this one-way system would remain in place until the Esmonde St works were complete next year.
“This could possibly be for the duration of the works. It will be on a trial basis and be reviewed constantly. It’s the only option we have at this stage.”
Although concerns remained about the viability of this plan, Leas-Cathaoirleach Darragh McDonald spelled out the reality for those unhappy with Ms Kehoe’s proposal.
“We’re digging up a major road, there’s no scenario where this isn’t going to impact someone,” he said.
That view was supported by director of services Liz Hore who said some “short-term pain” was required in order to get the “future gain” from what will see an entirely new layout on Esmonde St - that layout will include upgraded footpaths, cycle lanes and road surfaces, as well as new street furniture, and is expected to be in place by the summer of 2027.
“The engineer has assessed the situation and determined that this is the best way to deal with it, even though it will continue to cause disruption for some people,” said Ms Hore.
“Could we trial it both ways for a week?” he suggested.
“That would cause confusion,” replied Ms Kehoe. “If this is a complete disaster we’ll go back to the drawing board on it.”