A TRALEE woman has decided to start a petition pushing for a bypass of Macroom which she hopes to present to the Minister for Transport.
Siobhan O’Brien, from Alderwood Road, has been making trips with an ill relative three times a week to Cork University Hospital for treatment. The journey has become arduous for her and concerning for the health of her ill passenger.
“If we don’t do something about it, no one will think there’s an issue,” said Siobhan O’Brien.
The stretch of road from Ballyvourney to Macroom, with its twists and turns, can be an ordeal for any driver, but when carrying a sick passenger the journey becomes acutely more difficult.
Siobhan, has spent up to 30 minutes stuck in Macroom, with traffic so bad she has been able to switch off the engine and even eat her lunch.
Two or three times a week, Siobhan travels down to CUH, where her relative will continue to need treatment into the future.
“I’m worried for my relative, she is frail and I really don’t want to be sitting in a car in Macroom. The more I’ve been travelling the more I’ve been dealing with this and knowing I will be dealing with this going forward, I wonder what’s happening with this town and why doesn’t Kerry and Cork have a proper link?”
“The two counties need to get together and need to put that in place with proper infrastructure. There is a lot of twists and turns in the road, you turn a corner and there could be a truck coming at you,” she said.
The petition is directed at Minister for Transport, Paschal Donohue, to move the bypass of Macroom up the list of works in the government’s plans.
“I don’t know where a bypass of Macroom is on Mr Donohue’s list of priorities, but it really should move up. I think the Kerry TDs and Cork TDs need to do more about it. I know they support it, but I think it’s time that the people of Kerry made their voice heard,” said Siobhan.
“They are expecting patients, who may not feeling great, to go on these winding roads and stay stuck in traffic jams. If that was happening in Dublin it wouldn’t be tolerated at all.”
“I’ve spent 30 minutes getting from one end of the town to the other, I’ve turned off the engine and sat and had lunch in my car. That’s fine when it’s just me, but when there is someone next to me who needs to get to the doctor and has a deadline for an appointment that could take hours…I’m fearful of what’s in front of me for the next year.”
“CUH is now the centre of excellence for the south-west. That’s all very well and I’m delighted we have the expertise and senior consultants down in Cork, but it’s getting to them that’s the issue. If this is how the Minister for Health wants to see the HSE grow, with all Kerry people seeking specialist care in Cork, that’s fine, but the roads need to be taken into consideration as well.”
“I’ve been on the Minister for Transport’s website and there is a lot of projects being on in Dublin which is his constituency. This is the problem, are we going to need a Minister for Transport to be a Kerry or Cork TD in order for something to be done?”
“I’ve heard about back roads that will bypass Macroom, but when you have an older person with you who is sick, the best option is still to take the best road. I’d love for other people to jump on board and say ‘yeah she’s right, lets do this,” she said.
You can sign the petition (HERE)
For more information Siobhan has set up a Facebook Page which you can like and spread the word (HERE)