Cllr Declan McDonnell has proposed an extension of the one-way traffic system on roads leading into the city centre — which would enable the expansion of bus lanes on routes that are often choke points for traffic.
The Independent member of Galway City Council said that making the four main roads leading into and out of the city centre one-way only could transform the picture for public transport.
“What I am suggesting is that traffic heading into the city from the east would travel in by Lough Atalia and the return journey would be out by College Road.
“On the other side of the city centre, you would have traffic coming in along Bohermore and back out through Woodquay and the Headford Road.
“On each of these roads, the now ‘unused’ second lane would be transformed into a bus lane, providing a rapid access and exit to and from the city centre for buses and taxis.”
Cllr McDonnell said that currently buses were able to avail of dedicated bus lanes on certain routes, or parts of routes, on the fringes of the city centre, such as the Dublin Road and Seamus Quirke Road.
“But once they get anywhere near the centre, they are back into normal traffic, going bumper to bumper with thousands of cars and trucks and getting nowhere fast.
“If we want to make public transport a really attractive option for people to take going to and from work, college, shopping or whatever, we must make sure that the buses are also a much faster and more comfortable experience for passengers.
“And the more people who use public transport, the fewer cars you will have on our roads, there will be less traffic delay, and everyone wins. My proposal is a radical one, but I strongly feel it makes sense and would work very well.”
Cllr McDonnell said that people were being put off shopping in Galway City because of the traffic hold-ups, and something needed to be done to counter that.
“Good knows when the proposed outer ring road will ever be built and we can’t just wait for that to happen to ease our problems. At the very least, my proposal should be introduced for a trial period, maybe for two or three years,” he added.
