Objections could put a spoke in Galway bike rental scheme

The public bike rental scheme being rolled out for Galway City could be jeopardised because of objections to at least three of the docking stations.

Residents in Newcastle, Merchants Road and the Claddagh have raised concerns, if not serious objections, to the provision of docking stations for the scheme in their areas.

The docking station being provided on University Road has particularly irked local residents who claim it is taking away previous car parking spaces and last night a motion to stop work on that docking station was signed by a majority of city councillors at their meeting.

However, Chief Executive of the City Council, Brendan McGrath, warned councillors that asking the National Transport Authority (NTA) to take any of the docking stations out of the equation might put the whole scheme at risk.

Cllr Billy Cameron said that there had been no consultation whatsoever with local residents in the Newcastle area and the first people knew about the docking station was when work started on it on University Road.

Yesterday, work on laying electricity cables (the docking stations will be hooked up electronically to a pay system) continued.

Mr McGrath warned that to list three docking stations might be detrimental to the scheme, which was currently in phase one.

“If you defer this for two weeks to give me an opportunity to discuss the issues raised with the NTA … I have a number of other issues to discuss with them too including the maintainence of the scheme post-2016.

“I equally understand that we have to find something that will work for everyone. The placement of docking stations around the city is an integral part of the city bike scheme. Let me talk to our own staff here and to the NTA and I assure you that nothing will happen in the interim,” he promised.

Nineteen docking stations in all will be provided throughout the city to facilitate the bike scheme.

Read more in this week’s Connacht Sentinel