‘Leave the lights off’ say local retailers

Two sets of traffic lights affected by a lightning strike in Ballincollig three weeks ago are still out of commission.

However, instead of adding to traffic woes, the turn-off has aided the flow of cars in the town, according to Ballincollig Business Association (BBA).

The group stated that out of the 17 traffic lights along the 4.6km stretch of road through Ballincollig, the signals at the entrance to Harrington Street, the East Gate and the Link Road junction were a “fundamental cause” of the gridlock often experienced in Ballincollig.

However, two of these three sets of lights were de-activated in last month’s storm, and have been flashing amber ever since.

Commenting on the recent switch off, Ballincollig Shopping Centre manager, Jim O’Leary said that traffic congestion had been a “constant nuisance to business owners, customers and road users” for several months.

“Tailbacks up past the Station Road junction and delays of 10 to 20 minutes were not uncommon. However, the positive effects of the recent switch off have been instantaneous, with free-flowing traffic throughout the day, even during peak times with higher volumes of traffic,” he said.

The BBA has already highlighted the issue with the Cork County Council, with a review of the system due to take place in the near future.

The BBA added that it hoped the Council would “take inspiration from Mother Nature’s intervention and leave the lights off”.