Although not designed to reduce traffic congestion within Galway city, a bypass or orbital road route at the edge of the city has become a rallying cry of commuters stuck in Galway city’s seemingly endless traffic jams. It will go from Coolagh to out past Furbo on the Coast Road via a new bridge near Menlo.
‘Just build the road!’ is a common comment beneath any online news story referencing transport or traffic issues in Galway.
Many local and national politicians in Galway continually and persistently tell journalists that the lack of a ring road is a major issue on the doorsteps of Galway city voters, and on those in the city’s suburbs, semi-rural ribbon developments, satellite towns and further afield. Many claim frustrated drivers cry out for a ring road when stuck in city or regional route traffic snarls, fewer claim it is bus, train, tram or cycling infrastructure that us, the people, desire to reduce traffic.
Rightly or wrongly, the issue has been framed as a contest between two opposing viewpoints, when the reality is – as ever – probably more complex.
To save you, our readers, from figuring out what the man or woman wearing a rosette standing at your door in the November gloom thinks about a cuar bhóthar around Galway city, we’ve asked them for you. We made them say it in 150 words or less, which is not fair, but the kettle’s on, so... tough.
Some of the 17 candidates vying for Galway West’s five seats did not respond to our enquiries, and one we couldn’t find. So do ask them yourselves if you see them dropping leaflets, climbing poles, finding lost dogs or whatever else they are too busy with.
In 2021, an Bord Pleanála approved the €600m N6 Galway City Ring Road, with conditions. In 2023, separate legal actions from the Galway Race Committee, Brooks Building Supplies and Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE ) culminated in the decision going back to the planning board, which is soon to consider new and specific environmental information only, provided by Galway's County and City officials.
The two local authorities have finished collecting that data, and are currently translating it into Irish before sending it back to ABP soon.
When will the board decide? It is under no obligation to say, and a second oral hearing is unlikely. We won’t be holding the front page.
Ebhlín Seoighthe (Social Democrats )
The SocDems are not convinced that the current design of the Galway City Bypass is appropriate. With a likely price tag in excess of €1bn, and the final decision likely to be decided by a European Court, we must be prepared for all options. The motorway design, with its wide, splayed junctions will sever communities, destroy homes, upset delicate ecosystems causing environmental damage, and lead to a rise in carbon emissions. It must be redesigned.
A smaller, less impactful project that includes a single carriageway road, bus lanes, walking and cycling paths, and with provision for light rail, to create a true multi-modal circular route around our city, and bound by a green belt on its perimeter to stop unsustainable urban sprawl, is a more appropriate option for our city.
Ultimately, I think this the likely option to be considered if the road is rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
Dr Pádraig Lenihan (Aontú )
Galway is choking. Commuters spend the equivalent of three days every year sitting in traffic. Homeowners in the path of the ring road are stranded in planning limbo. This is mostly because the final decision on the proposed bypass was put on the long finger. Even if Bord Pleanála gave the green light tomorrow, it would be years before the bypass could be completed. Meanwhile, we must do other things.
The bus service is improving. In the short-term, we need more buses and more shelters (it rains in Galway from time to time ) and dedicated buses from the suburbs to and from city centre schools. In the medium-term, what about a ‘GLUAS’ light rail system in Galway from Knocknacarra to Roscam, with Park & Ride at each terminus, linked to BusConnects corridors? And Park & Ride open summer and winter in other places too: Moycullen for example?
Helen Ogbu (Labour )
My attitude to the Ring Road: we simply cannot wait for it to happen. Candidates who promise to deliver it are being dishonest as the proposal is still under planning review.
If approved, it will take many years to complete. Meanwhile, we must focus on practical solutions to address Galway’s transport challenges and take immediate action to alleviate daily commuting pressures, while ensuring long-term, inclusive solutions for all who live and work here. This means improving bus services and routes, adopting measures such as the Labour Party’s €9 monthly bus fare, and improve cycling infrastructure and pedestrian access - particularly for shorter urban journeys.
These changes will free-up road capacity for those who must rely on cars, such as residents in rural areas where public transport options remain limited, and active travel is less practical. The ring road will never be a stand-alone solution, it must be complemented with additional, sustainable measures.
Noel Grealish (Independent )
People in Galway are sick to the teeth of sitting in traffic: losing valuable family time; missing medical appointments; turning up late for work, school or college, or collecting children from crèche.
We’ve spent €50m over 25 years planning a Galway bypass, while major transportation projects elsewhere were planned and built in the meantime. It’s going to take more time now for it to be cleared by Bord Pleanála.
The next government must commit to (a ) resourcing Bord Pleanála to fast-track consideration, and (b ) funding the road once it’s okayed.
Traffic is costing jobs and investment. Galway is losing business too: people are shopping in Athlone, Ennis, Limerick and elsewhere instead.
And while we fume in our cars, spare a thought for the families and older people, living in 54 homes scheduled to be bought or demolished for the ringroad; they have been living in an awful limbo for years.
Maisie McMaster (People Before Profit )
People Before Profit Galway believe the ring road would be ineffective, expensive and environmentally disastrous.
In its hopes to reduce congestion, it would only encourage more dependence on cars, leading to more traffic and pollution. I believe the effort and money that would go towards the ring road would be better spent on improving public transport, safe active travel infrastructure, as well as the potential development of a light rail service in Galway.
Seán Kyne (Fine Gael )
I strongly support the City Ring Road. It has to be built, and if we receive planning permission, we will build it.
A Fine Gael-led government approved the funding for the Ring Road in 2018. This is about saving our city businesses, young couples stressed trying to get to the crèche in the evenings, and workers crossing the city. It’s about removing traffic that doesn’t need to be in the city, including HGVs.
People are avoiding heading into our city. Galway is left behind because of planning delays on this project.
The lack of a Ring Road means the city’s public transport infrastructure can never reach its full potential. We need the Ring Road, BusConnects and safer cycling and pedestrian connectivity. I want to connect Connemara to the rest of the country to encourage business and investment.
Galway’s future without a Ring Road is grim. We must deliver it.
Mike Cubbard (Independent )
The city is at a standstill, so we need to progress with solutions rather than lip service. The outer city ring road is with An Bord Pleanála currently which is now out of the hands of the politicians, but hopefully it moves forward once and for all.
Of course, it will alleviate traffic congestion if and when delivered, but this is not a short-term measure. People want action now, not in another decade.
People want to see tangible changes which will take traffic off the roads. We have seen no investment in Park & Ride, despite several promises. We need this on the East and West of Galway, and to provide a reliable and affordable service for people wishing to access Galway city. We also need to progress with free school transport for children, and invest in our road network to ensure the bus lanes are adequate for both measures.
Gráinne Seoige (Fianna Fáil )
The Galway city ring road must be delivered. The traffic congestion in the city is dire and it is completely unacceptable that the bypass, which was first mooted more than 20 years ago, has still not even started. It’s complete madness.
As someone who is stuck in Galway traffic on a daily basis, I know, first-hand, how frustrating the congestion is for local people.
The completion of the bypass in the next government’s term is crucial for the people of Galway. The ring road is essential for reducing congestion, supporting economic growth, and improving the quality of life for residents.
I understand that many of you have lost faith that this bypass will ever happen, but I’m committed to making sure that it does. If elected, I will fight hard to overcome all the hurdles at a national level to make its delivery a priority in the next government.
Catherine Connolly (Independent )
The decision on an outer ring-road is currently before an Bord Pleanála and we have no choice but to respectfully await the decision.
In the meantime, I have watched with utter dismay as our beautiful city has become choked with traffic to the detriment of sustainable development, directly impacting on family life.
I have diligently put forward immediate and longer-term practical solutions to what has become a chronic traffic problem.
These solutions include the roll out of Park & Ride, east and west of the city, an integrated public transport system including school transport, increased rail frequency, and the development of safe cycling infrastructure.
In addition, directly as a result of a twenty year campaign, including the collection of 24,000 signatures, the feasibility study for light rail in Galway was finally published, setting out that Light Rail is a real possibility.
If re-elected, transport infrastructure will be a major priority for me.
Pauline O’Reilly (Green Party )
We’ve been talking about a ring road for Galway for over three decades now, and there’s a reason no politician has ever been able to progress it: it’s an old-fashioned solution that simply doesn’t work.
Ninety-seven per cent of traffic is going into the city and therefore cannot be solved with a ring road. If we want Galway to be a truly modern, thriving city that is easy to get around, we have to invest much more heavily in public transport, and we need to do this quickly, and at scale, in the next government.
Better and more frequent public transport will get people where they need to go faster and more cheaply, and with more people using public transport, those who do need to use their cars will also be able to get where they need to without facing the level of congestion we see today.
Vote for politicians prepared to step up.
Mairéad Farrell (Sinn Féin )
I am in favour of the ring road; we need to see it built.
At the same time, it has to be done in conjunction with the betterment of public transport in Galway. We need more frequent buses, and a fully functioning night bus, as well as a double-tracking of the railway from Athenry to Galway to create a commuter-style train with a plan for stops in Roscam and Renmore.
John Connolly (Fianna Fáil )
I have sought commitment from Tánaiste Micheál Martin that if Fianna Fáil forms the next government, the Galway Ring Road is in the Programme for Government.
If elected, I will insist on a realistic timescale for the N6 project to be approved, funded and constructed.
Remember, the road was previously granted planning by Bord Pleanála. I expect the current assessment to grant a further permission.
Political opposition to the project has propelled legal challenges to the planning permission.
I struggle to comprehend how there are politicians who claim we don’t need the new road. It is a key requirement in facilitating and enhancing public transport. This road is crucial to ease city congestion, and ease access to the west of the county.
Galway is the only city in Ireland without a Ring Road. If elected, I will seek a timeline for road planning, funding and construction, which a Fianna Fáil government must prioritise.
Hildegarde Naughton (Fine Gael )
I am now, and have always been, completely in favour of the ring road, and Fine Gael in Government will fund it. While I also am in favour of increased bus services - the BusConnects project will start next year - commuter rail, park and ride and increased cycling/walking infrastructure, we must enable vehicles that do not need to come into the city centre to orbit it.
While the Gluas project sounds somewhat promising, it is clear from the study that it probably won’t be viable for many years yet. We cannot just sit back and wait.
The ring road itself is not a magic bullet. We need all the projects mentioned above, but suggesting to the people of Galway that we can reduce traffic in the city without the ring road is misleading in the extreme.
Noel Thomas (Independent Ireland )
All traffic funnelled into a couple of junctions close to the city centre is chaos. It’s counterproductive, bad for people’s health, and anti-business. We need to prioritise the public good by building the outer ring road, and a new R336 [from Leenaun to Galway City via Indreabhán and Spiddal].
Industrial development authorities hear from companies looking to invest in Ireland that Galway is off their radars due to traffic situation. They don’t want staff sitting in traffic for hours, and they can’t guarantee supply chains due to uncertainty.
Galway’s loss is other cities’ gain: these companies relocate where there is easier access to their facilities. Several companies have told me: they will not consider Galway and Connemara as investment locations because of the traffic situation in the city, and along the R336.
Both Galway and Connemara are being damaged by the lack of progress on infrastructure like the Galway Outer Ring Road, and the upgraded R336.
