Residents vow to resist closure of N20 junction
Residents affected by the temporary closure of the Waterloo junction on the N20 have vowed to resist any plans to close it permanently.
Cork County Council had warned it could close off access to the junction after a number of serious incidents including the deaths of two American tourists in a tragic crash there last September.
More than 250 people attended a public meeting, with local politicians being asked to liaise with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and County Hall to solve the problem.
One resident from near the Kiln Hill said a barrier constructed to block access to the Mallow road had delayed a fire engine from reaching the scene of an accident near Rathduff on Tuesday, while others highlighted the risk of moving higher volumes of traffic onto minor roads, such as the Glen, Waterloo, and Station roads.
The meeting also heard a message from Diana Baker, whose father died in a traffic accident at the Waterloo junction last year, who said closure is “heavy-handed”.
Residents fear a decision to close the junction would dramatically increase local journey times and have expressed frustration at the lack of public consultation on the closure.
One of the organisers of the meeting, Anthony Horgan, said: “The attendance alone spoke volumes. Our community fears that this decision is already permanent, even though we have yet to start any form of a public consultation process. The community deserves to be treated better than this. We are reasonable people, and are ready to discuss the dual issues of safety and access at any time.
Cllr Kevin Conway (Ind) said he believed there are a number of solutions which could be explored to avoid a permanent closure: “We have been given the instruction here tonight as public representatives that we are to settle for nothing less than a full opening and other measures to control the safety aspect. Everybody recognises the safety aspect of the junction but there are at least six other ways around it rather than a closure.”
