Cllr Donal Lyons says that public engagement surrounding the proposed Salthill temporary cycleway is ‘unprecedented’ as 7,500 submissions have been filed to the Galway City Council.
The deeply divisive matter will be discussed at the next council meeting on February 14 with Cllr Lyons acknowledging that people are hugely interested in the issue.
“At Monday's meeting of the Galway City Council we were given a presentation on the digital strategy and at the end of the presentation, the chief executive, Brendan McGrath made a comment that in the recent non public consultation process that was undertaken on the Salthill temporary cycleway that 7,500 submissions were received,” Cllr Lyons told the Galway Advertiser.
“He also stated that it was four to one online so that would mean 6,000 approximately were online with 1,500 in physical form. To my mind this is unprecedented with regard to people being engaged in the public consultation process.
“Not before the outer ring road and since have as many submissions been forwarded in from the public on an issue like the Salthill temporary cycleway.”
It remains a source of conversation and debate in the west of Ireland. “You have passionate people from the cycling fraternity, who want the cycleway in,” Cllr Lyons adds.
“Residents and business owners they are in favour of a cycleway, but they are against the numbers of cars being removed for parking. Also, more importantly, they are against the fact that part of the carriageway westward is going to be prohibited to outbound traffic.
“That outbound traffic will now have to traverse Threadneedle Road, up to an already over capacitated Kingston lights on to the Kingston Road and Barna Road to go west.”
The emergency services have also raised concerns according to Cllr Lyons. “We heard on Tuesday morning at a subcommittee meeting of the joint policing board, which was organised by Cllr Niall Mc Nelis, chair of the policing board, where five of the West Ward councillors were present where it was clearly indicated that the gardai in Salthill are against both options one and two,” Cllr Lyons says.
“He also alluded to the fact that the other blue light services, the ambulance and the fire brigade, are also opposed to options one and two because serious time will be held on both Threadneedle Road and the over capacitated junction at Kingston Cross.”
He concluded: “They are worried that the response times are going to be curtailed as a result of the outward bound carriageway being prohibited from Pollnarooma to the Barna Road junction.”
