Disagreement as councillor blames active travel for Letterkenny's traffic

A “balanced approach” was called for after a meeting was requested with the Minister for Transport to discuss the need for major road projects in Letterkenny to be expedited

Published 15th Jul 2026, 12:34 BST Cycle lanes, widened footpaths, new walking and cycling bridges, and new pedestrian crossings are all underway as part of the project | Donegal County Council A “balanced approach” was called for after a meeting was requested with the Minister for Transport to discuss the need for major road projects in Letterkenny to be expedited Sign up to our Donegal Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Donegal Live within your account.

Claims that active travel is to blame for Letterkenny ’s traffic problems was branded “a red herring”.

A disagreement arose after Sinn Féin Councillor Gerry McMonagle tabled a motion to renew calls for a meeting with the Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD, to discuss funding for major road projects and alleviating traffic congestion in the town.

“The minister was meant to come in January and we are still waiting,” Cllr McMonagle said at the July Letterkenny/ Milford Municipal District meeting.

“His input is very important here; we have a number of road projects such as the Northern and Southern relief roads as well as the Ten-T. The traffic is not getting any better; we need a ring road around the town.

“The minister has to come and see it himself, or else we take videos and go down to Dublin to show the extent of the traffic. We have tried to implement various policies to ease traffic, but I think he needs to come in, inject some capital, and move these roads along. We need to write again and put the pressure on.”

Letter to be sent to TII regarding traffic calming in Kilmacrennan Plans progress for homeless accommodation in west Donegal However, Fianna Fáil Councillor Ciarán Brogan said the request needs to be “balanced” and ultimately attributed the traffic issues to active travel, a project which seeks to establish foot and cycleway routes linking residential areas to the town.

“There has been a fair level of engagement recently,” Cllr Brogan said. “The flight from Carrickfinn to Dublin was restored and the Ten-T project is within the Department of Transport.

“The government can deliver capital investment but not deal with small local issues. We need to acknowledge the good work and have a balanced approach. Active travel is the main problem and I’m glad we didn’t support it.”

Councillor McMonagle countered Councillor Brogan’s claim, saying “The approach was balanced and I could have said a lot more. To lay blame on active travel is nonsense; we had a chronic traffic problem in 2009. We need a means of getting about the town so that people can walk or cycle in a safe way.

“It is a bit of a red herring to lay blame on government (Fianna Fáil) policy. We need to adapt; this town is growing. Let’s start planning properly.”

Fine Gael Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh seconded Cllr McMonagle’s motion. Senior Executive Engineer, David McIlwaine, confirmed that a letter will be sent to the Department of Transport.

Related topics: Sinn Fein Fianna Fáil Letterkenny Milford Traffic Department for Transport Sign up to our Donegal Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Donegal Live within your account.