Multinationals warn: no more jobs until you solve traffic

The bosses of some of Galway’s biggest multinational companies have said there will be no new investment in their operations here – until the chronic traffic situation on the east side of the city is resolved.

Up to 7,000 workers in Parkmore Business Park face daily delays each morning and evening, with 4.30pm to 6.30pm worst affected.

And now a number of multinationals there have warned there’ll be no new spend in Galway until the logjam is sorted.

They have made their views clear to both the Galway County Council Chief Executive Kevin Kelly and his city counterpart Brendan McGrath, who in turn have acknowledged that the daily jams are contributing to “major reputational damage” for the IDA in attracting Foreign Direct Investment to the West.

They have written to the Secretary General at the Department of Transport and the CEOs of IDA Ireland, the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the National Roads Authority) to expedite a solution to the traffic chaos.

“Company boards have informed some companies that no new investment will be permitted until the traffic situation is resolved.

“Furthermore, some of the companies are now precluded from bidding internally to win new business within the group of companies for their Galway plants,” their letter reads.

The letter – released to the Connacht Tribune as part of a Freedom of Information request – said that last year, the average wait to exit the park was 45 minutes, but it “is now lasting more than one hour and is stretching to 1.5 hours”.

The problem was underlined when the board of one multi-national flew in from the US for a meeting in Galway, and was delayed in a bus for an hour-and-a-half trying to leave Parkmore.

Companies based in the business park include Creganna, Medtronic, Genband, Celestica, BSM, Lake Region Medical, Merit Medical, SAP and Fidelity.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.