Safety audit underway on city waterways

A safety audit of the city’s waterways is currently underway to pinpoint blackspots and identify measures that could thwart accidents or suicides.

The audit is being conducted by the national Galway-based body Irish Water Safety, which approached various organisations which have responsibility for the waterways in the city – the Harbour Board, Inland Waterways and the Corrib Navigation Trust.

Councillor Niall McNelis, who has pushed for the audit since last year, said he expected it would be completed and a report on it presented to councillors by November when negotiations will be held about next year’s budget.

“This is incredibly important. The Coroner for West Galway has said on a number of occasions that these blackspots must be addressed. Take, for example, the bottom of Nimmos Pier, it’s very dark and people can get lost and find themselves in the water before they know it,” he told the Galway City Tribune.

“In the short term we should be looking at removing the growth around lights, putting in extra lighting so that people who have had a few drinks can actually see the canals. We really have to be able to allocate money in the budget towards erecting barriers or lighting or cameras if the audit indicates it would help.”

Barriers erected at the Docks some years back have resulted in a spectacular drop-off in drownings in the area, he pointed out.

For more on this story, see this week’s Galway City Tribune