Over €6m allocated for cycling and walking projects in Galway

Over €6m has been allocated for cycling and walking projects across Galway.

The money will be primarily divided between Ballinasloe (€770,000), Tuam (€500,000), Parkmore (€200,000) and Connemara (€365,000).

The projects will include cycling lanes, cycling parking, widened footpaths and pedestrian crossings. Everything will be overseen by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in order to guarantee high quality mobility, and it has been assured that they will be accessible to anyone and age-friendly.

The allocation is part of a five-year plan for investment in rural mobility across both the county and the entire nation, and more is expected for the next four years.

“This week’s announcement was for the first year of a five-year plan for investment in walking and cycling projects in Galway and nationwide. There will be further rounds of investment announced from next year which will aim to fund additional projects and enhance existing infrastructure,” said an NTA statement.

Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, said this year’s funding will permit more investments in this sector than any other year.

“Today’s allocation provides more funding to rural areas than ever before for active travel. The sum today is larger than the entire walking and cycling budget for 2019, which shows a clear need for this type of infrastructure across the country.

It also represents a very significant opportunity for our partner local authorities to develop high-quality, safe walking and cycling infrastructure in rural towns and villages. As with our announcement on the 11th of February much of the funding announced today represents new projects for authorities. We look forward to working with them through the next stages of development of these key projects,” she said.

One of the aims of the funding is that the initiative across the county will encourage Irish people to go green.

“The allocation for Galway marks another significant step forward in providing green sustainable transport options to those outside of the large urban centres. Developing high quality walking and cycling facilities will encourage more people to switch to active travel and will contribute to tackling climate change,” said an NTA statement.

The funding is part of the €72.8m allocation nationwide for the New Rural Active Mobility Fund.

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