Plans for radical changes to Galway City’s traffic flow

Galway City Tribune – More details of planned changes to Galway’s streets – aimed at improving traffic flows and incentivising greater bus use, cycling and walking – have been unveiled by the local authority.

Galway City councillors were presented with a whole host of proposed changes to the city’s streetscape including the removal of on-street parking, more bus lanes and measures that would give buses priority over private cars, as well as more cycle lanes, new link roads, and changes to the flow of traffic on certain roads, from one-way to two-way and vice-versa.

Senior Executive Engineer with the Council, Uinsinn Finn, outlined there were three main elements to the plan, each of which could have significant impacts on residents, depending on the locality, but the ‘bigger picture’ is for improvements in traffic flows overall.

One is a city centre access network, to improve flows around the city; the other is a city centre access route, improving traffic flow between Lough Atalia and Headford Road; and the third plank of the plan is bus priority or bus-only measures aimed at reducing bus-journey times through the city. One main element of this is a bus corridor linking the Séamus Quirke Road in Westside with Eyre Square, via a bus corridor through University Hospital Galway and Salmon Weir Bridge.

Mr Finn explained that in the new plan, vehicles would not be allowed to enter at one end of College Road and exit the other – there would be no ‘through traffic’. It would be for local access only and priority would be given to buses on this road.

A new outbound bus lane along College Road leading into Moneenageisha Junction is proposed and will require road-widening opposite the Huntsman. New cycle lanes are proposed for College Road and Moneenageisha Road.

An ‘Inner City Access Route’ will be two-way, linking Lough Atalia to the N6, via Fairgreen Road, Bóthar Uí hEithir, Prospect Hill, Bóthar na mBan and Headford Road. Fairgreen Road is currently three lanes, including a bus lane, and is a one-way system. The bus lane will be removed and road changed to two-way.

The roundabout at Cemetery Cross is to be retained but will be switched to a four-arm junction with the existing Sandy Road arm of the roundabout to be closed-off. A new link road between Sandy Road and Seán Mulvoy Road will instead be built.
This is a preview only. To read extensive coverage of the transportation plans, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week’s paper here.