This argument is dubious at best, and simply not supported by the data in the GCRR submission, which is currently before An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála ).
The diagram to the right (from Plate 6.21 of the submission ) is used to show the potential changes in modes of transport. It is clear from this graph that adding the road makes less than a 1% change to any mode of travel – so we will have just as many cars and just as much traffic.
Both options in the graph assume that we implement the other measures advocated in the Galway Transport Strategy, such as the BusConnects projects, improved cycling infrastructure and reduced parking in the city centre. These other planned transport solutions for the city are capable of changing public transport share from 13.2% to 29.9%, and reduce car use from 52% to 30% – a huge improvement which can happen with or without the road. So the idea that the road will reduce car congestion in the city centre is a myth even by the figures presented in favour of the road. The other planned measures provide far better solutions to a car clogged city centre than any new road ever will.
It is interesting that this graph even appears in the submission. In many places the data combines the impact of the road with the impact of other measures to make the road look less harmful and in many cases it is impossible to measure the impact of the road in isolation. Hopefully An Coimisiún Pleanála will seek more clarity.
The other, more simplistic, way of looking at the future of Galway is to consider the fact that if we have more cars then we will have more traffic. And bigger roads will lead more car-dependent planning which will lead to more traffic. You can not reduce traffic while increasing car use.
Yes some of that traffic will be diverted to the ring road, but ultimately no one is just going to the ring road as a destination. If you are doing the school run then you drive to the school and we have not moved all the schools on to the ring road. Encouraging cycling, walking and public transport is the solution that solves traffic by reducing the amount of car use.
Even if we allow the GCRR to get permission to proceed based on combining the ring road with all the other transport measures planned for the city, we still need to fully acknowledge what a more car-dependent city looks like. Some roads, like the Western Distributor road will become less congested. But Cappagh Road and Ballymoneen Road will double the amount of traffic they carry. The idea that the GCRR will reduce congestion is a classic case of moving the bottlenecks.
Ultimately, if we did succeed in moving the traffic out of the city without providing good alternatives within the city, then we eventually reach the ‘doughnut’ model where we hollow out the centre and retail and hospitality in the city centre are eventually the losers.
