Active Travel works leave residents trapped in cars

From the Galway City Tribune –  Motorists trying to leave residential estates in the Roscam area are now facing into traffic delays each morning of between 40 and 50 minutes.

The cause of the traffic snarl-ups – between 8am to 9am on working mornings – is ‘Active Travel’ works being carried out in the area, according to local councillor Alan Cheevers.

The Fianna Fáil councillor told the Galway City Tribune that there was a very simple and practical short-term solution to the problem by putting the start-time for the Active Travel work back to 9am.

“That hour before nine o’clock is always a very busy one in terms of getting kids to school – and delays of nearly 50 minutes to leave these estates is simply not acceptable,” said Cllr Cheevers.

He said that residents had been late for work while children were also missing their school start times because of the traffic delays.

“While I understand that works have to proceed, residents must be considered in all of this. I want to see a solution put in place by early next week,” he said.

Cllr Cheevers said that there was also a long-term issue tied in with the traffic problem in that there was only one access point in and out of the estates.

“What we need to see happening here is the provision of a second access point at the back of the estates which would take the pressure off in terms of all the traffic having to exit from the same place.

“I got that provision included in the Development Plan last October and the aim now must be to secure funding to put this in place,” said Cllr Cheevers.