Tailbacks, congestion, and delays await Galway motorists and commuters as new data from the Galway City Council shows traffic is returning to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels.
One welcome aspect of the Covid re strictions was the dramatic reduction in cars on the road resulting in the near-absence of the traffic congestion which has plagued the city for years, and the consequent environmental benefits.
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However, starting with the easing of restrictions in April and the partial re-opening of society in May, the numbers of cars on the roads has risen sharply and noticeably. This has been officially confirmed by the Galway City ‘Mobility Dashboard’, an online resource showing travel pattern trends in the city, including real-time journey times; the number of cars moving through the city on a given day, and travel alerts.
Comparison of traffic movements on the N6 Bothar na dTreabh show that the current daily totals are approaching 23,000 vehicles. This compares to daily totals of c11,000 vehicles for the same period last year when strict Covid restrictions were in place, and to 25,000 vehicles per day pre-Covid.
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A spokesperson for City Hall said the mobility dashboard “shows daily traffic movements are increasing to pre-Covid levels as society reopens”.
The dashboard can be accessed through https://mytrafficcounts.com/public-login. Public feedback on the dashboard can be made via [email protected].
