City Ocean Race team in ‘full event mode’

Date Published: 15-May-2009

CITY Hall is planning a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to illegally parked cars in the city centre over the next three weeks in order to facilitate free-flowing traffic for the Volvo Ocean Race which is predicted to bring up to 200,000 visitors to the city.

The organisers of the Galway Race Stopover also say they have ratcheted up the preparations this week and are now in ‘full event mode’ as the city awaits the arrival of seven yachts which are expected to sail into Galway Bay in just eight days.

And as the city prepares for its arrival, the Council’s clampers are planning a major crackdown on illegally parked cars – it is one of a number of measures in the City Council’s traffic management plan aimed at avoiding traffic gridlock during the event.

The yachts depart Boston tomorrow for the seventh leg of the around-the-world race and are due into Galway City on Saturday, May 23. The seven teams’ containers loaded with pontoons, port equipment and marquees started arriving in Galway Harbour this week and the teams’ shore crews – engineers, boat builders, dieticians, managers and so on – will arrive in the city early next week, along with international journalists.

They will be the first of…