A public meeting discussing Letterkenny’s traffic woes has heard calls for a “critical review” of the town’s active travel plans.
Key business stakeholders across the town expressed their frustrations with the town’s often-gridlocked roads, which they believe are costing them dearly.
A new committee was also formed to represent Letterkenny’s retail sector, and three local Councillors were also in attendance to voice their concerns with the town’s active travel works.
Several shop owners stated that despite it being the peak Summer season, parts of the town were attracting little to no footfall – with a video taken at 6pm in one part of the town showing empty streets.
Another business owner said that their store only saw a single customer in total on Saturday.
Representatives from the transport sector also expressed serious concerns regarding the town’s road designs, and the impact that traffic is having on their operations.
Traffic on Letterkenny’s Four Lane – 11th July 2026. Photo: Donegal Daily
One local bus operator said that their drivers faced challenges simply getting around the new road layouts in parts of the town.
Letterkenny Cabs’ Managing Director Shaun Gallagher also said that he believes Donegal County Council was ignoring the stress and pressure being put on taxi drivers.
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He read out a formal letter of complaint which has been sent to the local authority, stating that “the continued inadequacy of road infrastructure in the Letterkenny area” is affecting the welfare of his drivers.
“I am writing as the owner of a local taxi business to express my serious concerns regarding the continued inadequacy of road infrastructure in the Letterkenny area and the impact it is having on the safety and wellbeing of my employees,” part of that letter read.
“As an employer, I have a duty to provide, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe place and safe system of work for my employees. I am becoming increasingly concerned that the current road infrastructure, together with persistent congestion and delays, is creating working conditions that place unacceptable levels of stress on drivers,” Shaun stated.
“Daily traffic congestion, lengthy delays, and inadequate road capacity create constant pressure on drivers to meet customer expectations while operating safely. These conditions contribute to mental fatigue, increased stress, reduced concentration, and a greater risk of road traffic incidents.”
“Despite repeated recognition of congestion problems in the area over many years, the pace of infrastructure delivery has not matched the needs of the growing population, businesses, and transport services that rely on the road network.”
“I am now concerned that I may no longer be able to state with confidence that I can continue to provide a safe working environment for my employees if these conditions persist. This is not a statement made lightly, but one based on my legal responsibilities as an employer and my obligation to protect the health, safety, and welfare of my staff.”
“I urge Donegal County Council and the relevant public authorities to treat this matter as an issue of public and workplace safety rather than simply one of traffic management. I ask that urgent action be taken to accelerate the delivery of the necessary infrastructure improvements and to engage with affected businesses whose employees face these risks every day.”
“I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these concerns further and to provide examples of how the current infrastructure is affecting the safe operation of my business,” his statement concluded.
Local Councillors Ciaran Brogan, Donal “Mandy” Kelly and Michael McClafferty also voiced their concerns about the active travel plans currently in place.
A committee was also formed by retail owners to represent them in transport discussions, consisting of Brian Crawford, Roisin Kelly, Sheila O’Donnell and Frank Sweeney intitially.
Others are expected to join those ranks in the coming days, to push for changes to Letterkenny’s traffic infrastructure.