Connacht Tribune
Your guide to the Galway Races buses and traffic system
Gardai and the city’s traffic management centre will be monitoring the flow of traffic across Galway during the Races.
A colour-coded route system for traffic management – which includes temporary road closures – will be implemented by Gardaí from this (Monday) afternoon (scroll down for a high quality image of the map).
And the city’s Urban Traffic Management Centre will be watching for ‘pinch-points’ and will consult with Gardai on whether traffic lights need to be switched off.
The ‘blue’, ‘red’ and ‘green’ routes are designed to prevent any cross-flow of traffic making its way to and from Ballybrit, while also leaving the roads open for non-race traffic.
Signage has been erected on the approach roads to indicate the relevant entrances for each colour route. The blue entrance is at Racecourse Avenue, the red represents the tunnel entrance and green the Tuam Road entrance.
There is no access to the Avenue Entrance (Blue route) via the lights at the Briarhill junction (Western Motors/Clayton Hotel), and no access to the Monivea Road eastbound by the lights at the Briarhill junction during road closure times (Monday and Tuesday 3.30pm to 5.40pm; Wednesday 3.30pm to 5.30pm; Thursday 11.30am to 2.30pm and Friday 3.30pm to 5.30pm).
Traffic for Monivea will be directed onto the M6 and can exit at Exit 19 (Glenascaul) and proceed to Carnmore Cross.
All traffic from city reaching the Briarhill junction will be directed towards the Coolough roundabout (entrance to M6).
Traffic reaching the Briarhill junction from all other routes will be directed towards the city.
Click to enlarge map
BLUE ROUTE (Avenue Entrance):
From the Carrowmoneash roundabout (Maldron Hotel) in Oranmore. Take third exit and travel via Carnmore Cross to the Avenue Entrance.
Motorway traffic should take Exit 19 and follow the signage through Carnmore Cross, where traffic from the Monivea Road will join the route. There will be Garda controls in place at the Briarhill junction and at the Avenue Entrance.
Traffic on the N83 (formerly called the N17) should turn up the hill at Killeen Cross (Garda control). No access to the Avenue from the N6 eastbound during road closed times.
RED ROUTE (Tunnel Entrance):
From the Carrowmoneash Roundabout, take the second exit along the N67 (the old N6) to the Martin (Galway Clinic) roundabout. Then take the first exit at the Coolough M6 roundabout (end of the motorway).
At the Briarhill junction (Clayton Hotel/Western Motors), there is no right turn to the Monivea Road or Avenue Entrance. All traffic will be directed to Tunnel entrance and Galway City direction. Race traffic should remain in the right lane, city traffic in the left lane.
From the motorway, race traffic should stay in the right lane and city traffic in the left lane. Gardai will be in place so Race traffic can cross the N6 (dual carriageway) to the course.
There is no access to the Tunnel Entrance from the N83 (the old N17).
GREEN ROUTE (Tuam Road):
Access to the course via the hill at Twomileditch (near Kenny Motors). There is no access from the N6, M6, M18 N67 or R339 roads.
Traffic from the Headford Road can join the Blue Route at the hill at Twomileditch or use the Green Route Entrance there.
Galway City and West:
Traffic from these areas can access any of the entrances. For the Tunnel Entrance, stay in the left lane along Bothar na dTreabh. For the Avenue, there is no access from Bothar na dTreabh during the road closed times. Access will be from the Tuam Road only.
The Green Entrance can be access from the Tuam Road only by turning right at Twomileditch.
Bus services:
Special Bus Éireann Races services will operate every 15 minutes from Eyre Square to the Racecourse from Eyre Square West (The Skeff) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday starting at 2pm, up until 7pm. Buses will depart from the Raceouse on demand up until 11pm.
On Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, shuttles will depart Eyre Square West from 11am until 4.45pm every 15 minutes or as required, and will return immediately after the Races, up until 9pm. All buses will be directed through the tunnel entrance, dropping customers off within 50 yards of the course.
Tickets are €6/€3 for adults and children one-way and €9/€5 return.
Taxis:
The designated taxi entrance is along the Green Route. A taxi-only lane is located at the top of the Hill allowing taxis to proceed to the ‘B’ entrance. Taxis then exit back along the designated taxi route to the Tuam Road at Kenny Motors.
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Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
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Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
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