The draft County Development Plan espouses a transition from private car dependence to public transport alternatives, but the aspiration is not supported by the subsequent content in the plan. The proposed €600million Ring Road for Galway will increase, not decrease, car dependence. With plans to increase the population of Galway City and suburbs, it is vital that high-quality, safe, sustainable transport alternatives are implemented.  €600million would be better spent on sustainable non-polluting modes of transport.

We need a light rail system running to and through Galway City and out to each of the main metropolitan areas. These areas are all intended to have large-scale population increase over the next decade and consequently there needs to be a transport network which gives people genuine, safe, sustainable means to travel to work, college, and social activities. A light rail system similar to the Luas in Dublin would enable high-speed travel between commuter towns and the city, removing large volumes of commuter traffic, as well as providing the means for teenagers to travel safely into the city, or to Salthill, for social activities and to meet friends. It would, for example, enable people living in Oranmore, Bearna, Baile Chlair and Moycullen, to travel into Galway in the evenings for socialising and return home, without having to drive. The potential of a light rail system to move large volumes of people in consistent timeframes is one of the main reasons for its success. Buses cannot deliver the same consistency of travel time. Additionally, as we have seen very recently, bus routes can easily be cancelled. With a focus on increased high-rise development in both Galway City and County, there needs to be recognition of the fact that many of the new residents, as well as many existing residents in Galway city and county will not drive or own cars, and will need a dependable means of quickly and easily travelling into and around the city and suburbs. This will become even more critical as decreasing fossil fuel resources result in increased petrol/diesel and electricity costs for private car owners.

Galway also needs to embrace cycling as a sustainable and healthy mode of transport, by following what has been done in Dublin, Cork and across European cities, and implementing safe, protected cycle networks. Cycling is a non-polluting mode of independent transport. Bike users are not tied to timetables and can integrate with public transport networks to make connected journeys where necessary if safe, secure bike parking facilities are provided at appropriate Park & Ride locations. Cycling offers a means of low/zero cost means of independent transport for teenagers, college students, commuters and families. Commuters who cycle to work have statistically significant reductions in rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence, according to the findings of a 2017 study of over 260,000 people. Initiatives to encourage and support active commuting could reduce risk of death and the burden of important chronic conditions. This in turn means significantly less strain on our health services, and their associated budgets.

The main factor encouraging people to cycle is the provision of protected cycling infrastructure which keeps cyclists safe from motorists. A genuine commitment to challenging car dependence requires significant investment in a high-quality cycle network. This cycle network should enable cyclists of all ages and abilities to safely and easily access Galway City and surrounding suburbs and commuter towns. This must be accompanied by roads infrastructure which recognises the transport hierarchy of Pedestrian, Cyclist, Public Transport, Cars, by engineering safe travel routes with low traffic speeds and built infrastructure which prioritises pedestrians and cyclists. It must also be accompanied by the provision of safe, secure, covered bike parking in central well-lit locations. 

The Oranmore-Bearna cycleway was promised in the 2015-2021 Development Plan. Nothing has been done so far. This cycleway needs to be prioritised and built within the lifetime of this plan (i.e. before 2028) to a high standard so that it can be used by commuters to access Galway City, Salthill, and all relevant areas on the route safely.

Delivering Active Travel also requires providing safe, wide, level footpaths to enable pedestrians and disabled users to safely navigate streets. Currently footpaths are built with no minimum width, existing footpaths are in poor condition, dished and dimpled kerbs are frequently blocked by illegally parked cars, dimpled kerbstones are broken and damaged from cars parking on them, creating trip hazards for visually-impaired and other users. Those living in urban and suburban communities need to be able to safely travel across streets and roads, without encountering illegally parked vehicles blocking their routes, or forcing them into oncoming traffic. Strict enforcement of parking regulations by private clamping companies would eliminate illegal parking and ensure that pedestrians and disabled users could safely move around their built environment. Footpaths should be sufficiently wide to  allow pedestrians to pass buggies/wheelchairs safely without either party having to move out into the road to do so.

A default speed limit of 30km should apply in all urban areas – city, town, and village. At 60kmh, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will die if hit by a car. At 30kmh, 9 out of 10 pedestrians will survive.

The speed limit on the Oranmore Coast Road and Maree Roads should be reduced from 80kmh to 50kmh to protect pedestrians and cyclists. These are areas which have high volumes of housing, and which will continue to see increased housing development. The speed limits should be reduced to reflect this. This will also help reduce noise pollution for those living in these areas. It will also make it safer for children and teenagers to walk/cycle to school, which will in turn reduce traffic congestion in Oranmore.