“Rat run” linking Avenue Road and the Ramparts is cut off

The ‘rat run’ route linking the Avenue Road, the Iron Road and the Ramparts Road has been cut off in recent days.

Since the opening of the new Tesco Extra superstore in August, motorists have been able to travel from the Ramparts directly onto the Avenue Road via the car parks of Lidl and the Avenue Road Centre, passing the likes of Tony Kieran’s, The Veterinary Centre, The Gym and Country Fresh.

A number of measures have been made to discourage motorists using this route but now the link between the Avenue Road Centre and Lidl has been completely cut off with bollards blocking it to vehicles. Cyclists and pedestrians will still have access though.

Meanwhile, in a somewhat related issue, Louth County Council’s road engineers have been asked to look at the new road layout at the Tesco Extra store following complaints that buses, lorries and HGVs can’t negotiate the new roundabout there.

Councillors have also complained that motorists travelling onto Dublin Street are continuing to turn right from the Ramparts Road, even though it is now signposted as an illegal manouevre.

Vehicles hoping to turn right are supposed to go past the turn and go around the roundabout at the back of Tesco before turning left onto Dublin Street, similar to the system that is in place on the St Alphonsus Road in front of Aura Leisure Centre.

Then and now on Church Street

Mark Quigley has been busy working on his Then/Now project for the past few weeks and months and here’s another stunning shot from Church Street.

In it he encapsulates some of the well knwon premises on the street such as Tony Kieran’s, Conlon’s Delicatessan and Youngs Restaurant and contrasts them with the cars and bikes of yesteryear.

Check out more of Mark’s work here.