Elderly residents trapped in their homes as fans flock to GAA finals in Wexford – ‘there were three lanes of traffic in a cul-de-sac
Residents in Pearse Road found their cars blocked in for over four hours while the matches were being played. Elderly residents in Enniscorthy were effectively trapped in their homes for an entire morning and afternoon last weekend as supporters flocked to two major GAA matches in the area. The residents, who live in Pearse Road, found their small cul-de-sac turned into a temporary car park as nearby St Patrick’s Park hosted finals at 10.30 a.m. and 1 p.m. And, given the age profile of those who live in the cul-de-sac, concerns have been raised about emergency services accessing the homes when matches are being held. “People could not get out of their homes, if there was an emergency you wouldn’t be able to get a fire engine or an ambulance in there,” said Councillor Jackser Owens at the October meeting of the Enniscorthy Municipal District (EMD). “You had three lanes of traffic in a cul-de-sac, and if you drove into it you wouldn’t be able to get out.“We need to meet with the GAA again and see what can be done to solve this problem.”He was supported by Cllr Pat Kehoe who suggested that the only way to respond to an emergency on the day would have been “via a helicopter”.“We should approach the showgrounds committee again and see if there is someway of facilitating the traffic when there’s big matches on, maybe let people back out on to the Ross Road,” he added.A previous meeting with the residents had resulted in bollards being proposed by a council engineer. However, when crews went to install those bollards they were met with opposition from residents.“We looked at putting them on the footpaths,” said roads engineer Neil Dempsey. “But the crews went out and were told by the residents they didn’t want the bollards. That would have prevented parking on one side of the road at least.”After director of services Carolyne Godkin recommended that those living in the area write to the GAA to express their concerns, Cllr John O’Rourke warned against shifting the problem to his place of residence. “If we’re going to move the problem to the Ross Road we have to be mindful that there are 68 houses there, if the traffic is rerouted it’s also going to cause issues,” he said. “Yes, the GAA brings positives to the area, brings people together, but it needs to get its house in order, need to stagger the times intermittently between finals and semi finals. "Also, I wish them the best of luck writing to the GAA, four years ago I wrote to the person who is now the chairman of Leinster and I’m still awaiting a response.”Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
