Meelick road speed limit || Insets: Cllr Patrick O’Gorman (FF) and Cllr Rachel Hartigan (FF)
CONCERNS have been raised over the impact of Limerick-Shannon commuter traffic on Clare roads, with councillors warning that some routes are carrying volumes they were not designed to accommodate.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Shannon Municipal District Cllr Rachel Hartigan (FF) said residents had repeatedly raised concerns about traffic levels on roads around Meelick, Parteen and Ardnacrusha.
Her comments come as Clare County Council considers proposed speed limit changes, including a reduction from 100km/h to 80km/h on the R445 between the Radisson Hotel and the Limerick border, as part of the wider review of speed limits across the county.
Cllr Hartigan said she could identify “dozens of roads” where residents had previously requested speed limit changes, with Meelick among the areas where traffic concerns had been raised.
She said Meelick had experienced particular pressure during peak commuting times, with some local roads being used as alternative routes by motorists travelling between Limerick and Shannon.
“Meelick village is used a lot of the time at peak traffic as a rat race to bypass a lot of the heavy Limerick traffic, in particular by people who are working in Shannon but living in Limerick,” she said.
She said motorists travelling between Limerick and Shannon used local roads through Meelick during morning and evening commuting times, creating additional pressure on routes not designed for the level of traffic they now experience.
“Obviously there would be a lot of the roads that weren’t really designed for that level of traffic,” she said.
Similar concerns have been raised in other parts of the Shannon Municipal District, with Cllr Patrick O’Gorman (FF) highlighting the pressures placed on Cratloe as a key route between East Clare and Limerick.
Cllr O’Gorman said the volume of traffic through Cratloe was placing additional pressure on local roads.
“Cratloe is a thoroughfare that is connecting all of East Clare with Limerick city,” he said.
“You have Tulla, Kilkishen, Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge, all coming through Cratloe every morning and every evening coming into Limerick city to work or to shop.”
“We are so near Limerick city, we are so near Shannon and every car coming from East Clare into Limerick has to come through Cratloe every morning and home every evening the same way,” he said.
Cllr O’Gorman said Cratloe was an example of the type of area where local concerns should be considered as part of the ongoing review.
He said the situation was further compounded when incidents on the M18/N18 motorway resulted in traffic being diverted through local routes.
“Anything that will happen between Shannon and Limerick, all the traffic is diverted on through Bunratty, Sixmilebridge and into Cratloe again, and then again you have the bottlenecks,” he said.
The Draft Special Speed Limit Bye-Laws 2026 are open for public consultation until August 31, with submissions invited through Clare County Council’s consultation portal, by email or by post.
