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Clarinbridge traffic calming scheme goes back to the drawing board
Galway Bay fm newsroom – A county councillor says members have been ‘talking in a vacuum’ about traffic calming projects for Clarinbridge and Claregalway, after it was revealed that there is no available funding.
The matter has been raised at Athenry Oranmore Municipal District level with Fine Gael councillor Peter Feeney saying both projects now appear to be in grave doubt.
The Clarinbridge scheme had been put on hold amid local concerns, and has been the subject of special meetings of Athenry/Oranmore area councillors, and a number of public gatherings.
Councillor Feeney’s comments followed a long sought private meeting with Transport Infrastructure Ireland earlier this month concerning the controversial traffic calming plan for Clarinbridge.
He said the TII told those in attendance that the fund to provide such works has been exhausted.
It’s understood the works had a tentative cost of between 300 and 400 thousand euro.
Independent councillor Jim Cuddy said it was a very disappointing outcome and queried if the matter could be taken up with the Department of Transport.
Fianna Fail councillor Martina Kinnane described the meeting with the TII as very productive.
However she described the Clarinbridge traffic calming plan as ‘like using a hammer to crack an egg’.
She argued it would have affected the viability of all the busineses in the area and the future development of Scoil Mhuire, adding that the plan would not have improved the safety of the people living in Stradbally North.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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