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There were remarkable scenes in Killarney on Wednesday morning as roadworks caused huge traffic backlogs all over town. The works on the Port Road meant there was a stop/go system in place which caused major delays as students, parents and teachers from the five schools in the immediate vicinity struggled to negotiate the heavy traffic.

The New Road, Hans Liebherr Road, Rock Road and even the bypass also all suffered significant tailbacks.

With the works scheduled to take 8-10 weeks there were fears of an extended period of chaos but the council acted quickly to put a solution in place.

Mayor Niall Kelleher explained that the Ballydowney roundabout was a major source of the congestion so on Friday traffic was allowed to flow at that particular spot, which in turn alleviated the pressure on the Hans Liebherr Road and out towards Fossa.

The contrast on Thursday morning couldn’t have been starker. In fact, many observers noted that if anything, traffic in the area seemed to be lighter than a normal school day

Whether or not the solution will continue to work as the works move along the Port Road remains to be seen. There are fears that upcoming weddings and confirmations at the adjoining St Mary’s Cathedral could pose further difficulties.

There were also concerns from local school officials about the lack of communication from the council.

“We’re aware that the works being carried out are important and really there is no good time for road works in Killarney as it’s busy all year round,” said Colm O’Súilleabháin, Principal of the Presentation Monastery National School.

“However, if we had been forewarned about the works we would have been able to notify the parents and the teachers and people would not have gotten such a shock on Wednesday.”

Ursula Coffey, Principal of the Holy Cross Mercy School, said it was a pity that a more appropriate time wasn’t chosen.

“I appreciate that Killarney, as tourist town, doesn't allow much scope for the timetabling of roadworks,” she added. “Traffic congestion is already an issue in this area of town where there are five large schools and a one-way traffic system in operation morning and evening. The current road works exacerbates an existing traffic problem.”

It’s often a case of Catch 22 for the council when attempting to choose the right time to improve local infrastructure. Should they carry out work in the busy summer months and potentially harm the tourist industry, or should they do it in the off-season when the schools are in session, and inconvenience locals in the process?

With regards to the ongoing school traffic issue, a couple of suggestions have been floated. One potential solution is to stagger start times of schools and businesses, which would decrease traffic in and around the 9am mark.

Another idea is putting in place a ‘park and ride’ system whereby students would be dropped off at a point further away from the New Road area and brought to school on buses.

What are your thoughts on the issue? Are the council right to do roadworks at this time of year? Is there any way of solving Killarney’s traffic problem? Let us know:

newsdesk@killarneyadvertiser.ie

064 66 32215