Rocky Bay residents can ‘put up their own one-way signs'

A ONE-way system at the popular Rocky Bay beach near Minane Bridge should be encouraged by Council officials due to traffic congestion there, according to a local councillor.

Speaking at a recent meeting of Bandon Kinsale Municipal District, Cllr Aidan Lombard (FG) said there was an online suggestion of the traffic going in one way and coming out the other way.

‘It’s after getting about 10,000 views and hundreds of shares and it’s working to a large extent in the few days that it has been operating  with traffic coming in from the Nohoval side, and coming out on the Robert’s Cove side,’ said Cllr Lombard.

‘However, there are 10% to 15% who still aren’t using it  and that’s messing up the whole thing. Is there a process that we need to through? Or can we put up a temporary sign suggesting that people go in one way and out the other?’

Senior executive engineer Charlie McCarthy said that if they were going to go through the statutory process on something like that, the summer would be over before that it could happen. 

Mr McCarthy also pointed out that the Council doesn’t have the authority to make a road one way without going through a procedure and that they aren’t a traffic authority either.

‘It might be cleaner if a voluntary group put up a sign up and we wouldn’t have a problem with that. It’s just that if we do, it becomes very official. Anything that involves traffic routes is also a garda matter,’ said Mr McCarthy.

Cllr Lombard asked if gardaí and residents were both happy would the Council also be happy with the suggestion of one-way signs?

Mr McCarthy replied that they would then look at the situation and co-operate if it’s something that works.

The subject of a one-way system at Castlepark Beach near The Dock in Kinsale was also mentioned  by Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG), who said the situation there is improving. However, he pointed out that several other beaches including Sandycove, Summercove and Scilly are all ‘bottlenecks’ because people are parking anywhere they want and were posing a serious safety issue, especially if emergency vehicles need to get through.