Munster Express Online

The cost of a taxi journey from the Abbey Road area of Ferrybank to the city centre doubled in recent weeks, when pipe laying along the road necessitated the creation of a lengthy detour.

Residents in the area are ‘sick to the back teeth’ of disruption and difficulty along the road, according to City Councillor Davy Walsh, who has been campaigning for the upgrade of Abbey Road for many years. The current detour, diverting traffic past Ferrybank to the Milepost then via Ellickson’s Road and Rathculiheen, has increased a taxi ride from the area to the city centre from E8 to E15 and caused enormous upheaval, Cllr. Walsh told The Munster Express. The pipe-laying, part of essential sewage works in the area, is expected to take four weeks and was deliberately undertaken during the summer holiday period to minimise disruption to schools along the road.

“Abbey Road has, for many years, been one of the most dangerous roads under the control of Waterford City Council”, Cllr. Walsh noted. “People want something done about that road. There is no footpath for 100 feet on the road and it is not wide enough for buses and trucks. There is insufficient lighting in the area. There are also poles forcing people onto the road. It is putting the lives of people in danger and a huge amount of people use that road, including the Abbey Community College and the local girl’s school.”

An application for funding is currently in place with the Department of the Environment to carry out remedial works along Abbey Road, including road widening, the straightening of the bad bends and better access onto the dual carriageway in Ferrybank.