Funding of over €17m for Galway for active and sustainable travel

Funding of over €17m from the National Transport Authority is to be made available for active and sustainable travel projects in County Galway this year.

This is part of a national fund of €290m for walking and cycling infrastructure announced by the Government.

“From a city perspective I think [in regard to] active travel over the course of the last number of years… there have been sizeable investments”, said Mayor of Galway, Eddie Hoare, who previously sat as chair of City Hall’s Transport Strategic Policy Committee for two years.

Allocations have been made to projects such as a major cycling scheme in Ballybane and Castlepark, the development of the Wolfe Tone Pedestrian Bridge and Oranmore’s ‘Safe Routes to School’ scheme.

Mayor Hoare detailed other initiatives included in the active and sustainable infrastructure proposals and the city’s plans of action moving forward.

Notable allocations

“The Miller’s Lane project is a really good example of how we can use permeability through residential areas to create safe off-street cycle paths and connect the main thoroughfares of our city,” he said.

He explained that, hopefully, it will continue right through Rahoon Road connecting to Rockfield, on through Claremont Park and onto Siobhan McKenna Road.

“That’ll connect to the Westside Park, and then in turn hopefully onto the university, connecting from the west of Galway City main archway, right through to the college and the city centre. That’s something that I think is very, very exciting.”

On the Salmon Weir Pedestrian & Cycle Bridge funding, he explained that, “All the streetscape is going to be updated there along University Road to encourage the footfall from the college at Earl’s Island to cross over to Gaol Road.”

“In time, with the new design you’ll be encouraged to walk across and then effectively you’ll go straight to the new bridge and onto Newtownsmith which in turn will be pedestrianised and safer for everyone using it,” he said.

“It’s the culture shift of getting people out of their cars, maybe onto public transport or being able to cycle safety. I think the only way we’ll be able to do that is through delivery of the GMATS.” GMATS is the Galway Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy.

Mayor Hoare also added, “Most areas that we requested funding for received funding.”

Underwhelming

But news of the investments has been underwhelming to cycling advocates such as Kevin Jennings, a spokesperson for the Galway Cycling Campaign. He has concerns about the implementation of the ideas, and that the funding is too little for the city.

Despite being the fourth largest city by population in Ireland, Galway received the ninth largest active travel investment grant, city and county combined. Looking at just the city – Galway City Council’s allocation was just under €9m while Dublin City Council received over €60m and Cork received over €31m.

“We would have loved to see County Galway get much more than €17m from all this funding. And that €17m by the way is inflated a lot by money for buses, which are very important, but the active travel spend … is quite low,” said Mr Jennings.

He said, “We’d love to see much more ambition, maybe, in the funding applications.”

“We’re particularly happy to see funding announced for the Ballybane and Castlepark schemes,” Mr Jennings said.

“However, these were first announced in 2016 as part of the Galway Transport Strategy … and we’re a little bit weary too, because other schemes, like a nearby scheme in Doughiska, the cycling aspect of that scheme has been modified at a junction. And junctions are where things are most dangerous”.

“Perhaps if people had spoken to cycling advocates, maybe we would have had better ideas for what to do with that,” he said. “But at the moment if it’s dangerous at the junction, you won’t get the change in behaviour that people want.”

Mr Jennings said that the Galway Cycling Campaign had no direct involvement in any of the funding that was given out. 

Making schemes inclusive

Mr Jennings also stressed the importance of making walking and cycling infrastructure inclusive to the entire community.

“If everybody can use these routes, if you plan for people with the most constraints in mind, then lots of other people will use them, too,” he said.

“The healthy, fit, brave cyclist can go out on the road and mix a bit of traffic, but most people don’t want to mix with trucks, buses or even cars. We want our own space to get around safely and in an attractive way,” he added.

Stamp of approval

One of the schemes which has a stamp of approval by both city officials and advocates is the Safe Routes to School Scheme in Oranmore.

Mayor Hoare said, “The idea is that the parking area is further away from the school … and the children can walk or scooter or cycle to school from that location safely. It reduces congestion around schools, with emissions and things … but it’s also much safer by way of less traffic around schools”.

“You effectively create a car-free zone outside schools.”

For the Galway Cycling Campaign, this is a victory. Mr Jennings said, “We’re delighted to see the safe routes to school scheme, especially in Oranmore being funded.”

But he added, “There are a lot of schools that couldn’t get onto that scheme. There’s a huge demand for it.”

“We’d like to see priority on routes for children around our neighbourhoods. And these routes would be accessible to everybody, so that blind people would feel comfortable using these routes, that disabled people would feel comfortable, that mobility-impaired people would feel comfortable,” said Mr Jennings.

“In an ideal world … we’d like to see these routes somewhat greened, so separate from motor vehicle traffic, with a green buffer, where there might be a little wildlife corridor with it too.

“It’s not too much to ask, Galway has all of this on its doorstep. It’s a matter of planning. Brave planning”.

A shared vision

“We think there’s an opportunity missed, I’m afraid, to some extent, but there’s still so much potential that we expect over the next few years, that things will change rapidly,” said Mr Jennings.

“… And we’re looking forward to now working with a much better and invigorated active travel team within the council, and hopefully some new, fresh councillors after the elections in June who will prioritise active travel”.

Mayor Hoare echoed some of Mr Jennings sentiments. “I’d be a lot happier if some of the projects were delivered quicker,” he said.

“We have a vision for transport in Galway … The vision of people leaving their cars at home”, said Mayor Hoare.