Time for Ross to focus on traffic congestion in Cork
Labour Party Representative in Cork city, Peter Horgan has called on Minister Shane Ross to get his head out of justice and back into the Department of Transport and deal with traffic congestion crippling cities like Cork.
Mr Horgan said:
“We now know that 30 million cars travelled on the south Link road in Cork city last year. The city is on the brink of transport chaos but we are seeing no Government action in response.”
“Since Minister Ross entered office he has not visited Cork city to view traffic issues or solutions, nor has he met with the local authorities and engineers on the matter, with his focus instead of playing games with the Department of Justice, he needs to do his job in the Department of Transport.
“Cork need a massive, immediate and focused investment in public transport options and incentives for car-pooling at the very least to reduce the one-car log-jam that is clogging up our main road and arterial roadways.
“At what point does the Minister think is an acceptable waiting time in traffic before he intervenes?
“The more traffic on the road, the more potential for accidents and crashes and potential loss of life. He refused to direct Operation Freeflow to Cork.
“This is also a quality of life issue as commuters spend more and more time stuck on the road rather than with their families.
“Minister Ross refuses to engage with transport options outside his own constituency bus route and the net result is what we see today. More cars on the road, causing delays and impacting on the environment of Cork. Action is needed.
“For example I’ve repeatedly called for the expansion of the City bike scheme in Cork, but there has been no effort by the Department of Transport and the Minister to tackle this.
““The Minister today sounded tired when talking about traffic but simply energised beyond belief when the question of judges raised it head. The mind boggles.”