Proposal to make street one-way in this Tipperary town

“Huge issues with safety” near the Gaelscoil in Clonmel have prompted proposals for traffic changes in the Irishtown area, which include the introduction of a one-way traffic system in Cantwell Street.

Gillian Flynn, Senior Executive Engineer with Tipperary County Council, has said it’s proposed to make Cantwell Street one-way in a north-south direction, from Western Road through to Irishtown.

Ms Flynn told The Nationalist that it was also proposed to instal traffic lights at the junction of Western Road and Connolly Park.

She said that the road surface will be raised at the junction of Cantwell Street, Albert Street and Western Park, and pedestrian crossings will be installed at both sides of that junction.

The existing road crossing at Irishtown, near the Gaelscoil, will be upgraded, with flashing lights provided.

Ms Flynn told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that six of the ten submissions received from the public in relation to the proposals concerned parking near the Your Stop foodstore (formerly the Late Late Foodstore).

She said that most of the parking spaces will be retained and just one space moved.

The next step would be to develop a detailed design and try to secure funding for the project in 2024.

There is still an opportunity for the public to have their say on these proposals.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said that these safety measures would also support safety at the nearby St Mary’s Boys National School.

Extensive work had been carried out on these proposals and Gillian Flynn had engaged with residents in the area, said Cllr Ambrose.

District Mayor Richie Molloy thanked Gillian Flynn for her work on this and for consulting with the businesses and local residents.

Cllr Pat English said that as someone who drops a grandchild to the Gaelscoil, he was well aware of the safety issues in that area.

Something needed to be done with the large amount of traffic at both schools at drop-off and pick-up times.

There had been “a lot of to-ing and fro-ing” about this for a long time and he also thanked Gillian Flynn.