In March 2020, a sudden halt to our daily routines encouraged us to explore and reexamine our local areas. Over the last year, our lives have been transformed, yet in many ways we are in the same position as we were one year ago. The public’s mental health and fortitude is waning, many businesses are struggling or have shut their doors, and there is a strong desire to reconnect with family and friends in a safe way. Recent figures showed that in 2021, only 0.1% of Covid-19 cases in Ireland were linked to outdoor transmission, underlining the importance of reconnecting with friends and family outdoors over the coming months.
In response to this, Better Galway is a group of local people who love the city and are calling for improvements to make it a more vibrant, liveable, community-focused place for residents and visitors. Our priority is protecting and enhancing the wellbeing of people in Galway and the city’s wonderful natural heritage. To do so, we are advocating for improved public space in the city. We acknowledge the complex and numerous challenges that this involves.
Last summer, Galway City Council’s Covid-19 Temporary City Mobility Framework Plan outlined some forward-thinking and achievable goals. There was a huge response to the council’s survey that asked people in Galway where they would appreciate more space to be active or relax outdoors. Over one thousand submissions focused on ways to better accommodate outdoor activity at Silverstrand, Salthill Promenade, and the city centre. This was a positive step, however the potential for change has not yet been realised.
The people of Galway’s behaviour has changed dramatically over the last year - with more people walking, going for swims, sitting and meeting outdoors. We have also experienced the benefits of putting people and pedestrians first on Cross Street and at Silverstrand.
This summer is an opportunity for us to make Galway City better for people, businesses, and nature. To do so, Better Galway makes the following recommendations:
Universality of access: A city should reflect the needs and abilities of all of its residents with welcoming, shared spaces which are comfortable for everyone. An open space is an inclusive space.
Improved seating in the city: Identify areas where additional public seating can accommodate safe, outdoor socialising, while also supporting local businesses, and consulting local residents. Public seating creates shared, communal spaces. Research has shown that shared urban spaces improve physical and mental health, enhance one’s sense of security, improve feelings of belonging, and reduce isolation. In addition, benches provide a resting spot, avoiding situations where people need to sit on objects like electrical boxes to rest.
Active travel: We urge the Council to support people in walking or cycling when possible, as these forms of travel will be key to reducing traffic in the city, improving both physical and mental wellbeing, and reducing air pollution. According to Healthy Ireland, physical inactivity contributes to risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and colon cancer. To address this, we need to create a city that encourages and supports active lifestyles.
Public toilets: As outdoor socialising is an integral part of Galway’s cultural identity, the reality of people spending time outdoors in the city centre is that more public toilet facilities are needed. Currently, there are seven coin-operated public toilets in Salthill and five in the city centre. We advocate strongly for additional facilities this summer to keep Galway a clean, pleasant place for residents and visitors. Moreover, free or contactless ‘pay on entry’ systems would make toilets more accessible to the public, at a time when fewer people carry cash.
Outdoor water fountains: Better Galway supports the commitment in the 2020 Programme for Government to provide drinking water fountains nationwide. Contactless bottle-filling stations, like those installed by Fingal County Council in summer 2020, will reduce plastic bottle waste and provide clean, safe drinking water. The contactless nature of these fountains is also important in reducing the spread of Covid-19.
Waste: It is vital to acknowledge and adapt to the reality of increased waste in the city centre as people avail of takeaway services and require bins to dispose of their rubbish. Overflowing bins have become a common sight in Galway, especially after nice weather. Although we encourage people to take their rubbish home if a bin is full, the reality is that this does not always happen. We ask the council to acknowledge that there is a need for increased waste facilities and to accommodate this need. We also support reinstatement of a litter warden in Galway City.
Air pollution: In 2020, research suggested that air pollution contributed to 150 Covid-19 deaths in Ireland. Better Galway urges improved air quality monitoring, on par with the rest of the country. Galway does not have a real-time EPA (Environmental Protection Agency ) air quality monitor in the city. Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and smaller towns like Letterkenny, Castlebar, and Dundalk have more advanced air quality monitoring than Galway City. We advocate for improved, ongoing air quality monitoring with publicly accessible data.
Many of the above suggestions were already outlined by Galway City Council in the 2020 Covid-19 Temporary City Mobility Framework Plan.
These improvements are realistic and achievable. Other towns and cities in Ireland have already implemented many of the above suggestions. Furthermore, we proved in 2020 that as a community we are capable of making significant changes overnight. We want Galway to be a more people-centred, healthier, and comfortable space for residents and visitors.
To keep up to date and/or get involved with Better Galway, email [email protected], or find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: @BetterGalway
