The “intolerable and unacceptable” levels of traffic congestion in Galway are leading to fears that “adequate plans” to cope with the large numbers of visitors expected for the Volvo Ocean Race do not exist.
This is the view of Fianna Fáil Galway City East councillor Mary Leahy ,who has written to the Garda Regional Assistant Commissioner William Keane and senior Galway gardaí, calling for an Operation Free Flow for the city to be immediately put in place.
Cllr Leahy has alleged that there has only been a “low level of liaison, if any” between the Galway City Council’s Transportation Department and the Gardaí with regard to traffic management within Galway during the current road works and with regard to plans for the Volvo Ocean Race.
“The Volvo Ocean Race is less than a month away,” she said. “Traffic management plans for events such as the Ryder Cup were far more advanced so close to the events despite their smaller scale.”
Cllr Leahy said the “recent intolerable congestion” arising from various roadwork projects has raised “serious doubts in my mind that we have adequate plans in place to cope with the large numbers of visitors expected” for the Volvo Ocean Race.
She said one park and ride site on the east of the city will “not keep our roads congestion free”.
Cllr Leahy is calling on the Galway City Council to “engage immediately” with the gardaí and Lets Do It Galway and put together an Operation Free Flow for the lead up to, and during the Volvo Ocean Race.
