Council in Westmeath calls on public to report traffic light issues

Westmeath County Council is encouraging members of the public to report traffic light faults, in the wake of problems dogging the traffic lights at the Athlone town bridge/Northgate Street/ Custume Place junction over recent months.

The Westmeath Independent had highlighted prolonged outtages at the lights since the latter part of May, with the lights working properly again from Monday, July 14 after a period of almost two months.

Although many locals remarked on improved traffic flow during the outtages, pedestrians also reported extreme difficulty in crossing the roads.

When contacted about these issues, Westmeath County Council said the area experienced “two separate outages during June and July 2025”.

“The first outage was reported to the council on June 4, and the issue was resolved the following day after immediate contact with our supplier,” district manager Annie Blessington outlined.

The council statement said a second fault was reported in late June/early July, and promptly addressed by the supplier.

The council said it relies on both public reports and routine monitoring to identify faults and encouraged members of the public to report any traffic light issues they observe.

“When traffic light issues are reported, Westmeath County Council promptly contacts our supplier to ensure swift resolution.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused to road users during these periods and continue to monitor the junction's traffic management systems for any further issues,” the council said.