Public consultation on five potential route corridor options for the new Athlone to Galway Cycleway remains open and the project team is encouraging the public and interested parties to view the proposals and make their submissions over the coming weeks.
There is still time to visit the virtual public consultation room where you can watch the project video, view maps, and read about the proposals.
Submissions can be made through the online consultation website, by email, post, or telephone. The project team has also published new Frequently Asked Questions that have arisen during this public consultation, mainly regarding land for the Greenway (see www.galwaytoathlonecycleway.com ).
“We have received a lot of interest in the project over recent weeks. There is strong support for this Greenway, and there are naturally also lots of questions, mostly about land for the Greenway. We want to reassure everybody that this is a new project with a completely new approach.
“We are committed to working closely with each individual landowner and engaging with them to inform the design of this new Greenway. The fact is that for this new project we are not necessarily looking for the shortest route and we will design the Greenway around lands and farming activities to reduce impact on landowners.
“We aim to achieve this by maximising the use of publicly owned land for this Greenway and then seek to link these areas by running along the boundaries between farms, rather than through farms. We will be actively engaging with landowners to achieve this. Our project team is always available to listen to landowners and answer their questions,” the Councils’ Project Co-Ordinator, Michael Kelly, remarked.
This second period of focused public consultation ends on March 1 2021, but the project team is always available to engage with interested stakeholders and to hear people’s feedback on the project.
To visit the virtual consultation room and view the new Frequently Asked Questions, visit the project website www.galwaytoathlonecycleway.com
The project team is available to engage directly with the public where they can organise a virtual meeting through the website, telephone (091 ) 509267 or email [email protected].
The Athlone to Galway Cycleway project will complete a 270km–300km car-free corridor connecting Galway and Dublin and will form an attractive amenity to be enjoyed by local communities and visitors all year round.
The new cycleway will deliver a memorable experience for cyclists and pedestrians with impactful scenery and points of interest along the way. In addition to public health benefits, it will support local businesses and stimulate new enterprises and jobs by creating the opportunity for cycling holidays.
The project is being delivered by the Galway, Roscommon, and Westmeath local authorities in partnership with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the Department of Transport.
“In the coming months, our Project Liaison Officers from Galway County Council, Roscommon County Council and RPS Consulting Engineers will be engaging with landowners to inform the project development.
“Feedback from this public consultation, along with engineering and environmental assessments, will all feed into the design process to identify a preferred route corridor. We expect to have identified a preferred route corridor later this year and will hold another public consultation at that stage,” Michael Kelly concluded.
