Ballinamore street needs a one-way system says Ellis

There are two people in Church Street, Ballinamore with mobility issues, said Cllr Caillian Ellis who recently asked Ballinamore Municipal District are there any results from a survey in relation to the proposed one-way system at Church Street in the town.

"Now is the time I think we should try it. I've spoken to some of the people who live on Church Street and nobody seems to have an issue with it and it would be great to see the footpath brought around to the canal," noted Cllr Ellis. 

A report to the meeting by the Roads office said that the district office did not carry out a house-to-house survey as "we are hoping that there will be
Active Travel funding for the widening of the existing footpath. This will allow us to create a one-way system on Church Street heading towards Oughteragh, while providing one side of the existing carriageway for parking only. Thus, increasing the legal car parking spaces throughout. Currently cars are illegally parked on the footpath on both sides of Church Street."

Cllr Ellis said that some of the footpaths on the street are "very, very narrow" and said many elderly people love along the road. 

Cllr Ita Reynolds-Flynn noted that some of the businesspeople "aren't in favour of the one-way system with regard to deliveries, etc. Is there a time you could allow deliveries to go ahead; a loading bay could be installed maybe?"

Darragh O'Boyle, district engineer, responded that a number of years ago the junction was "tidied up on the shop side and we now need to do it on this side as well because we have a lot of dangerous parking so we are going to tidy that up."

He continued that on the Aughnasheelin road link back to the Church road, there is "no footpath there so that's also part of next year's development for Ballinamore and to tie into that, the one-way system, which I'm completely in agreement with, on Church Street heading towards Oughteragh."

Mr O'Boyle said if a one-way system is created, the footpath can be widened and be developed under Active Travel and provide "proper parking on one side and use the other side of the road for the one-way system" saying this will lead to an increase in parking. 

He said that currently people are parking on footpaths which "destroys the footpath and stops people with mobility issues using it."

He added that a loading bay can be provided at a location on Main Street.