A vital review of an outdated solution to Galway’s traffic problems, or a short sighted move that will delay the progress of the city and the development of public transport infrastructure - the judicial review of the controversial N6 Galway City Ring Road is itself causing controversy.
A judicial review of An Bord Pleanála’s December 2021 decision to grant planning permission for the ring road was lodged this week by Friends of the Irish Environment.
ABP’s decision last year allowed for the project to advance to the next stages, including land and property purchase - which will involve the demolition of family homes - detailed design, enabling works, the procurement of a contractor, and the main construction phase. However, it was openly speculated at the time that legal challenges to the decision could arise.
Obligations
.
Green senator, Pauline O’Reilly [pictured above], welcomed the move by Friends of the Irish Environment, and she accused ABP of not taking into consideration the increased carbon emissions a new road will produce.
“The ring road is an old solution to traffic problems in Galway, it will only lead to more sprawl,” she said. “An Bord Pleanála did not take into consideration the effects on emissions when coming to its decision. It has obligations under the Climate Act and Climate Action Plan to do so, and I welcome a transparent judicial review.”
However, Independent Galway East councillor, Noel Larkin [pictured below], criticised this view, saying ABP “respects the principles of sustainable development, including the protection of the environment”, and would not have granted permission for the road otherwise.
.
“The Greens are part of the current Government, but acting like a party in opposition,” he said. “They fully support this judicial review application, continually failing to understand the concept that public transport is feasible and possible to run in conjunction with road infrastructure, not in opposition to it.
The ring road will free up road space in the city centre that can be used by other modes of transport and work in conjunction with safe cycle routes and walkways.”
Future development?
Sen O’Reilly appears to be a lone voice on this, as the political reception for Friends of the Irish Environment’s move has been decidedly frosty.
.
Fine Gael Senator, Seán Kyne, said the group were “not friends of the people of Galway city, who are stuck in traffic on a daily basis. They are not friends of the people of Connemara who find it more and more difficult to get to and from destinations beyond Galway city.”
Fianna Fáin senator, Ollie Crowe, echoed this view, saying: “These are not people who have to deal with the gridlock across Galway or being stuck in their car for ninety minutes as they seek to go home after a day’s work.”
Given the review will delay progressing the ring road, fears were expressed that this would stifle development in the city. Sen Kyne said it will put the “future of the city in extended limbo”.
.
“While I accept the group’s right to appeal, it goes against the wishes of the vast majority who recognise that if we are to grow and develop, the GCRR is a fundamental building block in that plan,” he said.
'Further frustration'
Cllr Larkin said it was a “typical example of those that constantly object to progress in our city”, adding that the only outcome of the review would be “further frustration for Galway City commuters”.
“Our industrial estates need to be accessed swiftly by commuters who do not need to go near Galway city centre,” he said. “If the statement that ‘building more roads will increase traffic’ is true, surely this should be clarified as ‘building more roads will lead to improving connectivity and economic growth of Galway and the west region’.”
Sen Ollie Crowe said he was “personally aware” of companies opting to establish in other cities rather than Galway, and that “traffic was a key factor in their decision to do so”.
“Every other major Irish city, even smaller cities such as Waterford, have developed their road network while Galway has not,” he said. “This has had a very negative impact, both in terms of the amount of traffic across the city causing people to lose hours of their lives while commuting from west of the city to the east, or vice versa, and the attractiveness of Galway to foreign direct investment.”
