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Newly elected members of the Killarney Municipal District met for the first time since May’s election and if there is one topic, above all others. that going to dominate chamber business for the next five years it is going to be traffic and road safety.

Granted, the elected members have plenty of other things to keep them on their toes like social housing, litter and recycling and business rates but the town’s (and it its environs) traffic problems and road safety seems to be top of the pile, judging by motions discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.

 Bypass

Plans for the bypass road and provisional plans for the outer relief road were discussed at a special meeting of the council the previous week and reported in last week’s Killarney Advertiser.

However with that project high on the agenda there will be need for other road works in the area too.

“Now that the TII have confirmed that the constructing a new roundabout on the bypass will improve traffic safety, I propose the construction of a new roundabout at the Madam's Hill junction with the N22 for traffic safety,” said Councillor Brendan Cronin.

Rat Runs

Cronin also said there was a growing concern that drivers are using  the narrow lanes around O’Sullivan’s Place as a rat run to avoid traffic on Lewis Road at very busy times.

A recent traffic survey found that 3,700 cars went through this narrow residential roadway mainly as a shortcut.

Mill Road

Councillors expressed concerns that pedestrians entering and leaving the INEC complex at the Gleneagle Hotel and walking towards the adjacent car park are in danger of being hit by cars travelling on the Mill Road.

There is a perception, especially with visitors that the car park and the INEC are on the same grounds but are actually divided by the busy Mill Road.