People urged to make submissions to ease traffic for Limerick commuters

PEOPLE are being urged to have their say on the future traffic plans to make Charleville safer for pedestrians, before submissions close on Tuesday next (December 16). 

Over the course of six years between 2018 and 2024, there were five fatalities and a further 16 injuries on the main street of Charleville. 

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Fianna Fáil Councillor Ian Doyle said that pedestrians crossing the street, but not using the designated crossing points are putting themselves at risk and they need to be aware of truck blind spots, particularly with the high level of HGV’s going through the town.  

There are a number of options to choose from, but Cllr Doyle said that the Eastern bypass option seems to be the most favoured. 

“The land on that route is available to buy and to my mind it’s the only alternative really,” he said. 

Cllr Doyle added that it would mean widening the road on the approach between Kilmallock Road and the water treatment plant, but otherwise, it would take a significant volume of traffic off the main street. 

“This would target all of the traffic using Charleville as a through-road, it would all be diverted down this Eastern bypass,” he said. 

The traffic plan is being developed in order to address a number of concerns including consistent congestion, poor safety records and high collision rates. 

According to the team leading the project: “The existing road infrastructure struggles to accommodate current traffic demands, resulting in frequent bottlenecks and hazardous conditions for drivers and pedestrians alike.”

Fine Gael Councillor Aileen Browne said that people are “happy that a plan is progressing.” 

Cllr Browne said: “One of the options was to do nothing and people are very much against doing nothing - we need to do something.” 

She added that making the town one-way does not seem practical. 

Both councillors said that people need to make submissions to have their voices heard. 

All options can be viewed including maps at Charleville Library and also at the council offices in Charleville, in Annabella in Mallow and in Richmond, Glanmire. 

After submissions close, a route option is expected to be chosen by the middle of 2026 and the project will then move onto phase three for a design and environmental evaluation. 

Once designs have been completed, the project will move through the statutory process and construction will begin. 

Submissions can be made via email to charlevilletp@corkrdo.ie or by post to Charleville Transport Project, Cork National Roads Office, Richmond, Glanmire, Cork, T45 WA44. 

The Charleville Transport Project is being carried out by Cork County Council with the support of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Sweco were appointed in June of last year to carry out phases one and two of the project management.