The narrow hill is constantly catching truck drivers outGardaí were called in to help out after a truck got stuck at Richmond Hill(Image: CorkBeo)

A truck got stuck this morning on a Cork city street that is notorious for lorries getting jammed on. A low loader truck travelling down Richmond Hill could not turn at the end of the street, getting stuck at the bottom of the hill and causing traffic issues during the morning rush.

Traffic, including many work commuters and school run drivers, was gridlocked around the busy Patrick’s Hill area, with Gardaí on the scene to direct traffic away from the incident. Officers were on duty to help try to manoeuvre the truck out of the predicament. The junction of Richmond Hill and Hardwicke Street is particularly tight for large trucks, and there have been numerous incidents of vehicles getting caught there.

One observer who lives on Hardwicke Street said: “It’s happened again. The driver said he was following Google Maps. When he got to the end of the street, he couldn’t turn, and he’s just jammed in now. The same story over again.” While a second man, who ended up delayed while bringing his son to school, said: “I’m no traffic expert, but maybe at this stage we should put a sign at the top of Richmond Hill saying: ‘Do not drive a truck down here’.

Residents say truck drivers should be warned to avoid the narrow street(Image: CorkBeo)

In September, a truck got jammed at the bottom of the hill for over an hour. Gardai had to cordon off the road and deal with jams that went back to the N20 in Blackpool. The driver was eventually able to manoeuvre his way out of the jam, taking over an hour to inch his vehicle up, down and around to make the turn by mere inches as Gardai helped direct him.

Last year, a truck trying to make its way down the hill ended up hitting a house. The vehicle went out of control trying to navigate the tight squeeze and became wedged, blocking the route and causing tailbacks in what is typically a very congested part of Cork city. Attempts to back up – or go forward – only resulted in the lorry becoming jammed in tight and clipping a wall.

The steep, narrow, and treacherous hill continues to catch truck drivers off guard, as Google Maps suggests it as a main route into the city. Lorry drivers who follow their map apps often end up going down the street, which starts at the bottom of Bell’s Field and narrows as it descends to Hardwicke Street, and getting into bother. Once large lorries get to the end of the hill, it becomes impossible for them to turn.

Currently, Google Maps and many other navigation applications don’t have a feature that allows drivers to specify the dimensions of their vehicle to avoid height- and weight-restricted routes. Cork locals have made multiple reports to Google Maps (which can be done by filling out this online form to report mistakes), but trucks are regularly seen attempting to navigate the steep hill and the extremely tight right turn at the end, much to the frustration of residents.