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.