The schools are back, the weather is turning, and new housing estates keep appearing. Mallow’s traffic has settled once again into its familiar rhythm, slow, relentless, and a test of patience even for the calmest of drivers.
So, how do you survive it? First, consider the tactical detour. Leave the bridge behind and navigate your way around the N20. It won’t make the traffic vanish, but it will give you the illusion of control as you weave through back roads like a strategist planning a siege.
Leave home early, stay at work late, or ramp up the overtime, anything to avoid the worst of the crush.
If driving feels futile, walking becomes an option. Not just a stroll, but a full commute on foot: stretch your legs, embrace the drizzle, and rediscover the streets from a slower perspective. Bring a thermos, a good podcast, and turn it into a morning ritual rather than a frustrating necessity.
For the ambitious, the stationary commute offers unexpected opportunities. Use the time in your car to learn a new language, explore podcasts, or practise mindfulness. You may not move an inch, but at least you’ll gain fluency in exasperated sighs.
If you live on the Ballydaheen side of the bridge, think creatively about your routines. Registering with a different GAA club, Killavullen or Clyda Rovers perhaps? Adjusting work hours, or rethinking where you spend your evenings can shave minutes off the daily grind.
And for the truly bold, remote work, relocating, or reshaping your life to make traffic irrelevant are all options.
Ultimately, all strategies converge on one truth. Acceptance. The traffic is inevitable, the queue is endless, and sometimes surrender is the most sensible approach.
Until the next Relief Road, clever thinking, a sense of humour, and a willingness to experiment remain your best tools.
