Burgess voices its opposition to current one-way traffic system

A major Athlone department store has lent its voice for calls for the controversial one-way traffic system to be scrapped. Rosie Boles, managing director of Burgess of Athlone, this week wrote to Town Mayor Cllr Egbert Moran outlining her that she was now strongly opposed to the one-way system as it currently operated. 'To date I have met no-one - no member of the public or business community either here in Athlone or elsewhere in the country - who sees this system as working.' And she predicted the council itself would suffer financially from a loss of rates revenues if local businesses closed. 'The reduction in revenue to businesses and the likelihood of some business closures will see a lowering of revenue being paid to the council,' she said in the letter. And, although supportive of the proposed streetscape plan, Rosie Boles said she would prefer, in the current economic climate, to have the funding spent on promoting Athlone. 'In a more stable economic climate Burgess of Athlone would be favourably disposed towards an upgrade, where the traffic design can be made to work but we oppose the spending of the €6million outlined for this design at this time. The one-way system as it is currently has created difficulties with traffic flow, access and has educated local consumers to spend in other towns.  'We, and the other traders in town do appreciate the efforts of the Athlone Town Council regarding the proposed streetscape plan, but we feel it needs more consideration to make it work, perhaps when you are in control of the CIE field this would help. 'We see this funding for the streetscape would be better spent on advertising Athlone to show the nation that Athlone is once again open to do business and stop the drain of consumers to other surrounding towns,' she continued. Ms Boles argued that a footfall survey commissioned by Church Street traders found that although the town centre was busier than in a similar survey in March, there was clear evidence of a haemorrhaging of business to other neighbouring towns. The survey by Retail Excellence Ireland found an increase in footfall in Irishtown in Athlone on September 27 compared to a previous survey on March 29. In Longford"s Ballymahon Street there was a larger increase in footfall between the same survey dates, while in Tullamore"s Bridge Street there was a massive rise in footfall. Both surveys were carried out at the same time of day (11am to 12noon and 3pm to 4pm). However, there were vastly varying climactic conditions between the two survey dates. In Athlone on March 29, there were heavy showers, while on the second survey date, which showed the increased footfall, a dry day was experienced. Ms Boles argued that the weather was a key factor in the rise in footfall between the two survey dates. She said what she took from the research was the higher footfall increases experienced in Tullamore and Longford. 'It is clear from this report that when seasonally adjusted, Longford and Tullamore are gaining footfall at Athlone"s loss, which has resulted in lower footfall for businesses and therefore less revenue,' she said. 'Small tweaks to the one way system, over the period since August 13, have not reduced the jams at peak time and lulls at all other times in Athlone. We see the traffic free flow during the day is due to the lack of the public using the town rather than any gain from the one-way system.