There was widespread welcome on Monday for the decision by Galway City Council to vote in favour of installing a temporary cycle lane in Salthill.
Mayor Colette Connolly proposed the motion “that Galway City Council shall urgently seek to create a two-way segregated cycle track on a temporary basis along the coastal side of Salthill promenade, specifically the R336 from the junction with Grattan Road up to the junction of the Prom/Blackrock Tower and a one-way cycle track from the latter junction up to where the R336 meets with the R337, and shall immediately apply for Covid-19 funding or any available alternative source of funding to facilitate this,” which was carried by a 17-1 majority.
At Monday’s meeting of the Galway City Council, Mayor Connolly explained that she had amended her motion after taking into account ‘the concerns of the executive and to avoid possible delays in CPOs’.
Some councillors asked for further details to be supplied with an amendment from Cllr Donal Lyons defeated.
The vote was welcomed by the Galway Cycling Campaign.
“The Salthill Cycleway will form the blue jewel in Galway’s greenways crown of connected urban greenways,” said its chair, Kevin Jennings.
“This temporary 3-km coastal cycleway will provide a safe route to schools, sports, and work for tens of thousands of people between Knocknacarra and the city centre via Salthill, as well as making the city’s seafront a safer and more pleasant destination for people walking and cycling.
“The 17 to 1 vote in favour of the Salthill Cycleway is a huge endorsement from the children, residents, and businesses of Galway city, as expressed through our elected representatives. It is a smart and cheap investment in developing permanent plans for an urban network of greenway, for climate action, and for safe mobility routes for people of all ages and all abilities,” said Mr Jennings.
This week’s community cycle organised by Galway Urban Greenway Alliance in advance of the vote, supported by East of the Corrib Cycle-Bus and Galway Cycle-Bus, showed the depth of support for greenways and cycle routes in Galway city. It was the biggest community cycle ever held in the city, and hundreds of people of all ages and abilities showed up in the atrocious weather.
“Rain doesn’t stop ordinary people and families from choosing to cycle. Non-existent or poor quality cycling infrastructure does. So let’s immediately access the funding promised by the Minister for Transport, build this coastal mobility route, and get Galway moving,” said Martina Callanan, deputy chair of Galway Cycling Campaign
