‘It’s a nightmare’: Meeting hears calls for fast-tracking of Limerick border town’s ring road
Ten pedestrian deaths have occurred on Charleville’s main street in 10 years
A LARGE crowd attended a public meeting on Wednesday night which called for a ring road of Charleville to be fast-tracked as traffic congestion in the town continues “to put lives at risk and impact business activity”.
Over 14,000 vehicles travel through the Limerick border town per day. The human cost is stark with 10 pedestrian deaths on Charleville’s main street between 2013 and 2023.
As the N/M20 Cork–Limerick motorway remains at the planning stages, Charleville Community Forum is requesting the proposed traffic management / ring road / relief road Project be fast-tracked, and a firm commitment for the provision of Government funding is sought.
Plans for a bypass date back to 1979, yet the latest timeline pushes a public consultation on a preferred route to early 2027, with construction still years away.
The public event in the Charleville Park Hotel was attended by residents, business owners, public representatives, schools, community organisations, transport representatives and other stakeholders. They were asked to join organisers Charleville Community Forum (CCF) in an “urgent call for action”.
The local forum argue that the volume of traffic, particularly HGVs, travelling through the town centre is unacceptable and negatively impacts road and pedestrian safety and economic and business activity.
“These impacts include, but are not limited to: congestion, noise and poor air quality , impacting quality of life for people living, working, visiting and doing business in the town.
“While the N/M20 Cork–Limerick project is considered a priority and has the full support of CCF, the patience of the community has been exhausted. The situation demands urgent attention, not a long-term plan,” said a CCF spokesperson.
The group is calling for the Charleville ring road / relief road to be fast-tracked; adequate and sustained Government funding to progress the project without excessive delays between phases and urgent interim road-safety and traffic-management measures within the town.
Action on HGV traffic and congestion is also sought, as well as a public report on investigation and monitoring of air quality and traffic-related noise; improved pedestrian and public transport infrastructure, while continued progression of the N/M20 is the essential long-term strategic solution.
CCF are also seeking clear, unambiguous information from Government, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), Cork County Council and the relevant project teams regarding funding, dates and delivery.
A CCF spokesperson said: Charleville has waited long enough. Charleville cannot wait. The call to the Government is simple: Fund it. Fast-track it. Deliver it.”
A report on the meeting featured on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this Thursday.
One local resident described the traffic levels as “a nightmare”.
CCF chairperson Carmel Hennigan asked “how many lives have to be lost before someone takes action?”
Claire Scanlon, secretary, said the loss of life on Charleville's Main Street should make policymakers take notice.
“To those in Government, I do believe they don't know what's going on, and I do believe that they're actually not concerned with what's going on. Are they not concerned about pedestrian fatalities?
“Condolences and all that is no good. We want delivery. We want the ring road delivered for Charleville. We want the funding, and we know it can be done. It's done for other projects. Why not do it for Charleville?” concluded Mr Scanlan.
For more on the meeting and photos of attendees, see next week’s Limerick Leader