Fears have been expressed that the Smarter Travel programme, which Co Galway has put in a major bid to be part of, has been scrapped.
Labour’s Galway West candidate Derek Nolan has claimed that the plan, which aimed to reduce traffic congestion by diverting commuters from cars to walking, cycling, and public transport, looks as if it has been pulled.
He said city officials expected the Department of Transport to make a decision on the various bids received from local authorities around the State by June.
“The deadline was deferred on several occasions and it is now believed the scheme has been scrapped altogether,” said Cllr Nolan this week. He has called on the Government to “come clean on the issue and state once and for all whether the project is still alive”.
Cllr Nolan said the Galway city and county councils had spent several months in 2009/10 preparing a joint bid to secure up to €25 million from the Government as part of the Smarter Travel programme.
Galway’s joint bid was shortlisted for funding in March of 2010. The package included new bus corridors, developing the Oranmore transport hub and establishing new walking and cycling networks across the city and county.
“This could be very bad news for Galway,” said Cllr Nolan. “If Fianna Fáil pulls the plug on funding, then we really have been lead up the garden path.
“The Galway Transportation Unit at City Hall worked tirelessly at this for months and up to €60,000 was spent on outside consultants. It would be shocking if it were to amount to nothing.”
