POLITICS: A number of businesses are refusing to pay rates to the Donegal County Council due to a lack of an upgrade at a busy junction that they claim is seriously effecting their business.
The junction at McDonald’s on Larkins Lane/Pearse Road was designed to ensure efficient traffic flows and minimise traffic delays.
However, many businesses in that area have been campaigning for years for the junction to be upgraded as it has seriously harmed their business, as it wasn’t a safe junction for motorists to cross the road to get to their premises.
Councillor Michael McBride proposed a motion that a plan be put in place to sort out the junction at McDonalds at a recent sitting of the Municipal District of Letterkenny.
He said that it was also a serious safety issue with cars trying to merge into other lanes, and said that some businesses had stopped paying rates to this council in protest at the fact nothing had been done to resolve the issue.
Councillor McBride addressed the meeting by saying, “I had hoped that as part of the €4 million being spent on the recent development on the Joe Bonnar Link Road, that the issue at McDonalds could have been incorporated in that.
“Unfortunately it hasn’t, and it is now a stand alone issue.
“It’s something we need to prioritise, it’s a safety issue first and foremost, people are trying to merge into another lane, and there is oncoming traffic and it’s dangerous, as cars are almost trying to time when to pull in.
“A number of businesses adjacent to McDonalds have stopped paying rates to the council because it’s has seriously effected their business.
“They’ve been vocal on this issue for years, and it has so far fallen on deaf ears, so they’ve decided that they won’t pay rates until it’s resolved.
“They’ll happily pay their rates if they get an upgraded safer junction, but we’re not a providing a proper service for them, and it is having severe implications for their business.”
Councillor John O’Donnell seconded the motion, and also said that one business was forced to relocate to the Retail Park in which McDonald’s is in due to this issue.
O’Donnell said, “This is a serious issue, it’s having a big impact on the council that so many businesses aren’t paying their rates, and a number of business have relocated.
“I know one business that relocated to the Retail Park across the road, where the rent was much more than where he had been based, but he had to make the move, the junction was hurting his business that badly – he had no other option but to relocate.
“Take an articulated lorry for example – if you want to get your tyres changed at Pearse Road Tyres, you can’t get out on to the Pearse Road between the link road between that and Lower Main Street, instead they have to reverse out on to Lower Main Street to get out, there’s something badly wrong somewhere when that is happening.
“They’re not paying rates, and we need to rectify the issue for them, it’s hurting their business badly, and as I stated earlier it has already forced businesses to relocate.”
A representative of the Donegal County Council Roads Department said that the junction was designed to ensure efficient traffic flow, and that any change change to the junction could impact that.
“I accept it that it isn’t ideal, but we’ve had this assessed on previous occasions in the past, and it has always been concluded that the present junction layout had the most efficient traffic flows and minimum traffic delays.
“Any change to it, could effect this, but we’ve set-up a meeting with local business owners in the coming weeks to discuss their representations.”
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