I do however think that this project will get the go ahead with the current government in charge. A few roads to please the independants. "The people want tar" and all that.
My only real hope is that it is a conditional approval where it leads to areas in the city being pedestrianised. Bridges in the city centre being changed to bus gates. Lanes being reallocated to cycling infrastructure.
This is what supporters say the ring road will allow. But I won't believe it until I see it as a strict obligation for the ring road to get the go ahead.
There are other options. Options that require bravery from our elected officials.
The Galway Luas feasability report indicated it would reduce traffic by 10%. Sure it would be expensive but it would be truly transformative for Galway as a city. And be a lot more equitable.
And why do I care about this? I live in Limerick now and usually post about there. But I'm a Galway native, I lived in the city for 8 years. I grew up in Connemara and travel back there sometimes so you might think I'd be all for this.
But I just don't see the neccesity. The numbers just don't stack up. The % of traffic bypassing the city at peak times is tiny, and even assuming the amount travelling into/out of the city and crossing the river it just doesn't make sense.
This is the key point. There's nothing committed in writing, or in the records of agencies and most local politicians, to suggest that they'll be prepared to remove any space that's currently allocated to drivers for other modes of transport even with a new road.
Comments
The Galway Luas feasability report indicated it would reduce traffic by 10%. Sure it would be expensive but it would be truly transformative for Galway as a city. And be a lot more equitable.