Galway traffic disruption expected as Extinction Rebellion stage protest
By Oisin McGovern
Anti N6 ring-road protestors are set to bring Galway to a standstill this evening as Extinction Rebellion protest with brightly dressed skateboarders.
The group are planning to stage a demonstration at the Quincentenary Bridge from 5.30 pm.
The official Extinction Rebellion Galway Facebook page stated:
“We want to let people know how the bypass won’t solve any of the traffic problems. Only 3% of Galway’s traffic actually need the bypass. +700 million to be spent on the bypass when 250 million would get us a light rail system and free public transport for 40 years! We want people to walk on the footpath with information posters so drivers, when stuck in traffic can see what the other options are besides a bypass.”
Seamus Diskin from Extinction Rebellion Galway suggested public transport needs to be the priority in Galway.
Mr Diskin said: “The first drawback is the cost, and especially the carbon emission cost. The second problem that we have with it is the lack of benefit – and that is the failure of bypasses to reduce traffic congestion in so many cases.”
He cited the example of the daily congestion of Dublin’s M50, saying: “We have the case of the M50 in Dublin: originally built two lanes wide, and then widened to three and four lanes.”
Extinction Rebellion staged a number of similar demonstrations across Ireland last year to protest man-made climate change.
