Tipperary community maintains opposition to traffic lights and one-way system at bridge

An  outraged Ardfinnan community has come out united in a bid to block Tippeary County Council from proceeding with a plan for a permanent  traffic lights/one way system over  the bridge in the village.

The deadline for objections to the planning application submitted by the authority for the development  to Bord Pleanala expires this Friday, February 9th.

"The whole  community is opposed to the one way system and the traffic lights. Tipperary County Council just refuses to listen to the people who want two way traffic restored" says Deputy Mattie McGrath.

Deputy McGrath said the County Council one way/lights system was "totally against the wishes of the people".

"Nobody in the village wants this. Tipperary County Council are putting lives in danger by going ahead with this. It  has been in place on a temporary basis for a few years and it is an accident waiting to happen" insisted Deputy McGrath.

Community Council member Aidan McNamara  pleaded with the County Council not to implement  the one way/traffic lights plan.

"Every group, every organisation  in the village   are against this. We want two way traffic  back again. You could ring every person in the village and they would tell you the same thing. People were very angry  about the one way system and lights since it started a few years ago and they are just as angry  today. People are breaking the lights every day, it is very dangerous," said Mr. McNamara.

He said the community wanted the County Council to proceed to do repair work on the structure of the bridge and to support a case to be made to government regarding funding for a pedestrian bridge. He said the community council  did not want the council to go ahead with making the traffic lights/one way system permanent.

"We are not going to give up on this. Lights and one way traffic is not the solution, they are just going to create more problems   by going ahed with it," added Mr McNamara.