Bray traffic tailback plan angers councillors

CHRONIC, FIVE-KILOMETRE traffic tailbacks at the M50/M11 motorway junction in south Dublin could be eased by restricting traffic emerging from Bray, Co Wicklow, according to the National Roads Authority (NRA).

However, the proposed solution has “annoyed and frustrated” councillors in Bray.

The problem centres on the southbound carriageways of the M11 and M50 motorways, which merge in the vicinity of Shankill, south Dublin. Within a few kilometres of the motorway junction, four access roads for Bray are encountered at Wilford, Fassaroe, Herbert Road and Killarney Road.

The long-term solution is to add parallel service roads for local traffic, according to the roads authority. But in the meantime it believes the priority is to maintain traffic flows on the “mainline” M11/N11 carriageway, and this means holding back local traffic in the Bray area.

At a recent briefing for councillors in Bray the authority proposed traffic lights and lengthened slip roads at Wilford, Fassaroe and Killarney Road junctions. It also proposed queue detection sensors that would prevent traffic queuing to leave the motorway at Killarney Road. The timescale for the project is for work to begin later this year.

However according to the cathaoirleach of Bray Town Council John Ryan the solution would be “a disaster” for Bray.

He said the town wanted the authority to add an extra lane in each direction to the motorway and upgrade the interchanges to ensure freeflowing traffic movements. But he said the NRA had come up with a plan that would see traffic from Bray held back from the N11 by traffic lights until there was a suitable break to allow it flow into a gap on the N11.

“This would cause massive tail backs in the town.”

A spokesman for the roads authority said rezoning close to motorways was always problematic as local traffic interacting with national traffic invariably led to problems of congestion.