Athlone 'losing business' due to traffic congestion

Traffic congestion in the centre of Athlone is causing shoppers to travel to the neighbouring towns of Ballinasloe and Roscommon to do their shopping, according to local election candidate Ray Lennon.

Lennon, who is running for Labour in the Athlone electoral area of Westmeath County Council said: "If elected I want to urgently seek a better traffic management plan to be put in place to relieve the traffic congestion.

"There are large tailbacks on the Ballymahon Road, Northgate Street, and also on the Dublin Road entering our town.

"We have two shopping centres and a large retailer relatively close to each other, and all traffic is heading in that one direction."

He added: "It’s also causing our local bus service to take longer to service routes, and people travelling to and from work are experiencing major delays."