The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
AN ENNIS newsagent has voiced his concern over recently-introduced pedestrianisation measures, which have blocked access for deliveries to his premises.
Gerry Connellan of Abbey Newsagents said that the erection of bollards close to his shop will make handling deliveries extremely difficult. The businessman, who has run the newsagents for decades, said he is able to manage currently – albeit with considerable inconvenience, but fears the impact of a spike in congestion from next Monday. The busy shop is located at the junction of Abbey Street and the Abbey Street car park, and relies on being able to receive deliveries seven-days-a-week.
“First of all, there are bollards outside the shop, so I have to drive up onto a kerb which is two or three inches high,” he outlined. “Access to the shop is essential for me, as it is for all of the traders on the street.” Mr Connellan also hit out at the lack of consultation on the process. “As far as I know, there was no consultation with anyone,” he said. “I only found out two or three days in advance by asking the council crews what was going on. And, on top of that, nobody from the council has asked me since how the new measures are working.”
Mr Connellan said he favours the idea of pedestrianisation in Ennis, in principle, and understands its importance in promoting social distancing. He said, however, he remains very concerned about the situation once Phase 2 of the re-opening of the economy begins, subject to government approval: “As far as I can see, it just won’t be workable from next Monday. It’s one thing to access the shop when there’s very little traffic. Once we return to more normal traffic volumes, things are going to be a lot more difficult.”
On May 20, to coincide with the first phase of the road map for re-opening the economy, Clare County Council introduced pedestrianisation and traffic re-routing. The Ennis Town Centre Mobility Plan is designed to facilitate social and physical distancing, and the local authority said it is continuing to work with stakeholders on the refinement of the plan over the coming weeks and months. The council has published details of the plan on its website and has advised members of the public to email customerservice@clarecoco.ie with any queries.
