Environmental Impact Study - Traffic

If the proposed Limerick Southern Ring Road Phase II scheme had not gone ahead, the “donothing scenario” would be the current road network and the Limerick Southern Ring Road Phase I from Rossbrien to Annacotty. This would mean that all traffic wishing to either enter or exit Limerick via the N18 Ennis Road would still have to travel through the city to cross the River Shannon by means of one of the existing three main bridges (Shannon, Sarsfield and Thomond Bridges).

In this scenario, the scale and the extent of the existing traffic problems in this area would increase significantly due to increased car ownership and growing economic prosperity leading to space requirements on the road system which is already congested. The result would be even greater congestion over longer periods leading to reduced safety for road users and reduced environmental quality for those living and working in the area.

The accident numbers recorded in the area are an indication of the safety problem involved. Just over half the accidents with fatalities involved pedestrians. In 2010, the LSRR Phase II scheme will result in a significant reduction in the volume of traffic, including heavy goods vehicles, on the existing three bridges in the city centre (approximately 33%). Consequently the city centre roads and streets will become safer for both pedestrians and cyclists and it will become possible to implement city centre strategies in relation to bus lanes and pedestrianisation, cycle lanes etc. which will be more difficult without this project. With the provision of the new road it can also be expected that delays and transport costs will be reduced and accessibility will be enhanced both at a local and regional level.

Improvements in journey time to both national and local traffic are expected as a result of the predicted reduction in the volume of traffic on the local road network and the improvement to the national route network arising from the proposed LSRR Phase II. In 2028, for national traffic travelling between Cratloe and Annacotty, a time saving of 13 minutes is predicted (52%). Similarly the trip from Cratloe to Patrickswell in 2028 shows a 17 minute saving or 59%. In terms of local traffic, a time saving of 8 minutes (50%) is expected in 2008 and 4 minutes (25%) in 2028 on the journey time from Ivan's Cross to Raheen. From Ivan's Cross to Annacotty the saving is predicted to be 4 minutes in 2008 (24%) rising to 7 minutes (44%) by 2028.