Wading in to the debate on a proposed ring road for Galway while visiting the city last week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the health and environmental benefits of new roads are often overlooked.
Martin was visiting Mervue to officially open the 12-acre Crown Square office and housing development, where he described Galway’s traffic congestion as “extreme”. The Fianna Fáil leader, from Cork, said the proposed N6 Galway City Ringroad – currently being assessed by an Bord Pleanála for a second time - was a “priority” for his government.
“It's dragged on for far too long. In my view, there've been too many legal obstacles. Roads are also important for environment, that this doesn't get said often enough,” he said.
“I’ve met the people of Macroom and Ballyvourney, now bypassed. Their sense of public health improvements, environmental improvements, safety improvements and road safety improvements… It's been transformative, because the congestion that was there was very bad, public health-wise. It caused quite a number of fatal accidents, and overall, was very damaging to the environmental ambience of the areas.”
Speaking to the Advertiser about his experience of Galway city’s traffic en route to Crown Square in a State car in the middle of the day with a Garda escort, the Taoiseach said it was “too congested”.
Last week, the Department of Transport’s new Economic Cost of Congestion in the Regional Cities 2022-2040 Report said Galway city was an outlier, as unlike other regional cities, its traffic congestion was expected to continue during off-peak ‘Lunchtime’ periods, largely due to goods vehicles.
The report estimated that congestion impacts across the Galway Metropolitan Area will grow from €35.3 million in 2022, to €106.9 million in 2040.
Speaking later at the official opening of the 177-bed Radisson Red Hotel in Crown Square, Martin referenced a new government activation unit to prioritise housing and infrastructure projects, including roads.
Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Jack Chambers, will decide this month if management of the N6 Galway City Ringroad project should be overseen by this new taskforce, established to address infrastructure delays.
Chambers is expected to allocate resources to chosen projects within weeks. He is awaiting a report from Irish, IMF and OECD officials examining international best practice in removing blockages to infrastructure delivery, including planning, legal, administrative and EU regulatory issues.
Martin told attendees a ring road and improved public transport is crucial for Galway's development.
"I've spoken to the incoming minister. As soon as planning hopefully comes through, we want to press the green button as an outer ring road is vital for this city and its stream of congestion."
The Department of Transport’s new modelling estimates that a Galway bypass will create heavy private vehicle congestion at new junctions along the N6. It warns that although new road infrastructure may reduce congestion temporarily, demand will eventually overtake capacity.
The economic cost of congestion is expected to be €891 per Galwegian per year if “planned interventions are not sufficient”. This figure far outstrips the 2030-2040 predictions for other regional cities, Cork and Waterford, with per annum congestion costing their inhabitants €309 and €207 respectively.
