AARON KENT
A senior official has said that it is “becoming increasingly clear” a third bridge for vehicle traffic needs to be progressed in order to tackle the continuing traffic chaos in the city.
While traffic numbers are increasing across the County, the Council is working hard to prioritise other forms of transport.
A National Transport Authority report in 2023 found that of the 99,386 people travelling through Waterford City over a 12 hour period, 85,706 came via car.
These numbers could only have increased in past two years, and, Michael Murphy, Senior Architect on the Active Travel plan said at November’s meeting for the Metropolitan area, “most of our signal lights junctions at peak times are at saturation”.
“Physically you can’t get more traffic through those junctions given the amount of traffic and the layout of those junctions,” Mr. Murphy said.
The Active Travel plan adopted by the Council prioritises alternatives forms of transport. It received €17,000,000 in funding in 2025 alone. This means extensive roadworks are required to install cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings, while junctions are being deliberately narrowed to slow motorists down.
With the Waterford Council management and traffic numbers seemingly moving in opposite directions, numerous Councillors have expressed their frustration at the traffic situation in Waterford and the surrounding region.
Active Travel prioritises vulnerable road users, and makes roads more usable for alternative forms of transport. Some councillors have questioned if Ireland has the weather conditions and topography to make self-propelled transport a viable alternative to cars.
Independent Councillor Blaise Hannigan, expressed frustration at November’s meeting of the Metropolitan District, explaining that the information he is providing the Active Travel scheme is going unheeded in favour of the original drawing.
“The biggest issue I have had over the last four months is the ongoing traffic situation on the Tramore Ring Road … you’ve narrowed all the entrances and the residents have no idea why that was done,” Cllr. Hannigan said.
“A footpath was put in, which the residents totally opposed and when I queried it with Active Travel, I was told it’s on the drawing so it’s going in, that was it.
“Unless it’s on the drawings, what I gather from you, you will not be making any changes.
“Rather than me sending information to you on a regular basis just make it clear to all the councillors here that if it’s not on the drawing you won’t be making any changes,” he added.
Michael Murphy senior architect for Active Travel confirmed that the construction must proceed according to the drawings, and commented that this scheme was originally accepted by all of the councillors, although this was before the last election.
Cost of delays
Last week, there were severe delays at the Carroll’s Cross area of the N25 which followed major works on the same road in Slieverue just weeks before.
Speaking at the November Comeragh District meeting of Waterford Council, Fianna Fáil’s John O’Leary questioned the economic impact that these works have, and asked if they would not be better completed at night.
“In general I welcome stop and go signs around my own area, Kilmeaden, because it’s a sign of improvements,” he said.
“Has the time come where we will have to take it on the jaw that this kind of work will have to be done at night time? Surely it must be costing the country money at this stage.
“[From] What I saw this morning, there was a backlog from Carroll’s Cross, almost nearly beyond Ballyduff nearly into Kilmacthomas. There heavy duty vehicles there, there could be company directors, nurses, doctors, essential employees,” Cllr. O’Leary said.
“These are all people who have a lot of work to do. And here they are jammed in traffic for at least 45 minutes this morning.
“Can it be arranged, or is it a reality, that this work could be done at night?” he asked.
This comes after Ferrybank Dock Road was resurfaced overnight from October 6 to 10.
However, in a comprehensive response, Waterford Council’s director of Services for Roads, Water & Environment, Gabriel Hynes, said that night work often poses more problems than it solves.
“There’s a number of difficulties with night work. Obviously from a cost point of view, the work will cost us twice as much. The reason being the contractor will have to have men on during the night,” he said.
“The difficulty the contractor will have is having quarries or concrete plants open at night. The contractor has to ensure that he can get the tarmac or concrete during the night. There’s also an issue from a safety point of view, you are working under lights, and depending on where the location is, if you have nearby residents, you get complaints.
“While it sounds very good for the inconvenience from a road users’ point of view, you have all those disadvantages,” Mr. Hynes said.
Solutions
Ultimately, Senior Architect for Waterford Council, Michael Murphy, said a third bridge may be necessary to address the traffic problem in Waterford. “One thing that is becoming increasingly clear is that we need to progress the third river crossing, or crossings,” he said.
“We need to start looking at options in regard to that and we may bring it to the council separately, but that will be part of the WMATS programme and we need to accelerate that Mayor, if our city is to continue to thrive,” Mr. Murphy added.
Walkway for schoolchildren
While, Cllr. Jim D’Arcy, speaking to The Munster Express suggested that to help take more traffic off the roads at peak times coming into Waterford, a walkway could be provided that would give children a safe route to school from the Ardkeen area all the way into the city, linking to the schools in the Dunmore Road / Passage Road / Newtown area of the city.
“Children could walk or cycle to school using an off-road walkway which would be safe. This is something we should consider because it would be a safe way for children to get to the six schools in the area,” Cllr. D’Arcy said. “We should be commencing that safe walkway before we consider any one-way system.”
Cllr. D’Arcy drew attention to an initiative in Limerick where a school ‘cycle bus’ has been set up, enabling school children to cycle safely to school as a group, using a dedicated laneway and marshalled by their parents.
Cllr. D’Arcy noted that this has been a ‘game-changer’ in Limerick, making the journey to school a lot less hazardous and suggested it could be an initiative that could be started in Waterford City.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme
