The “ball is now firmly in the court” of Galway City Council officials to provide solutions to solve the city’s traffic problems as waiting for long term infrastructural developments is not good enough.
This is the view of the Mayor of Galway Hildegarde Naughton who, at Monday’s city council meeting, put forward a motion calling on the officials and the Gardaí to carry out such co-ordination “with immediate effect”. The motion was carried by a majority vote of 12/3.
Speaking after the meeting, Mayor Naughton told the Galway Advertiser:
“The councillors represent the people of Galway city and by supporting my motion they are giving a clear signal to officials to implement this decision,” she said. “It is crucial that the officials, in their consideration of this motion, understand that it was supported by a strong majority of city councillors.”
She also defended Monday’s controversial meeting, which was widely perceived to have been long on rhetoric and aspiration, but short on realistic solutions, by saying: “Monday’s special meeting was an opportunity to hear the views of my council colleagues on how to alleviate congestion.”
The Mayor is now calling on City Hall officials and the Gardaí to act upon her motion.
“The city cannot afford to continue with the current traffic chaos while waiting for longer term infrastructural measures to be put in place,” she said.
“It is critical that officials address the immediate traffic congestion at peak times. This would help to restore some public confidence that serious efforts are being made to deal with the ongoing gridlock in the city.”
