Parking situation 'bedlam' at Laois Slieve Bloom visitor attraction

Local people are describing as "bedlam" the parking situation in the Slieve Bloom mountains all this week.

Cars have blocked the road for emergency services, on the approach to the popular visitor destination, Glenbarrow Waterfalls.

Laois Civil Defence is supporting locals and urging drivers to be "mindful".

The falls have a small carpark and are set to get a Laois County Council overflow carpark in 2022 to cope with increased usage, but the situation this Christmas for residents remains serious.

The Glenbarrow Residents Group shared these photographs of cars parked along their road, reporting "chaos" every day since St Stephen's Day as walkers get outdoors.

"Bedlam in Glenbarrow! Overtaking bays used as carparking spots causing access problems no access for emergency services," they reported.

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They say that a bin lorry had to drive in reverse back out to the crossroads.

"Bin lorry stuck yesterday had to reverse to crossroads causing a dangerous situation for cars and pedestrians all because somebody didn't care.

"Day 2 of Chaos in Glenbarrow caused by careless parking. Please don't park in the overtaking bays and please don't block gateways and don't obstruct access for other road users, and everyone can enjoy there day.

"Day 3 Carpark full! Lane is chaotic, no access for emergency services again," the group reported on Tuesday. 

Laois Civil Defence say that they frequently are called to the area for mountain rescues.

"Laois Civil Defence crews along with other emergency response agencies frequently get calls to the Glenbarrow area. We would ask anyone visiting the area to be mindful where they park as obstructions can hinder teams responding to an emergency."

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