An Active Travel scheme for Shantalla is essential to curbing speeding motorists and to create an environment “less hostile to pedestrians”, says Fianna Fáil Galway West TD, John Connolly.
Dep Connolly is calling on the Galway City Council to create such a scheme following representations from Shantalla residents who highlighted “significant concerns” to the TD regarding speeding cars passing through the area, as well as the number of vehicles parking there to access local public facilities and the city centre.
Active Travel schemes promote walking and cycling, while also focusing on improving infrastructure and accessibility through safety improvement works.
Dep Connolly wrote to the Active Travel and Sustainable Transport department of Galway City Council calling for such a scheme for Shantalla. He also highlighted that the local school, Scoil Bríde, had not yet been included in the Safe Routes to School Scheme, and called for this to be rectified.
City Hall replied to Dep Connolly on Tuesday [5th August] informing him that the Active Travel Section is currently progressing priority projects - as per the Galway Transport Strategy (GTS ), and in line with National Transport Authority (NTA ) guidance - on the Western Distributor Road, Bóthar Stiofáin, the Salmon Weir Pedestrian Crossing, and the Ballybane Road/Castlepark Road Cycle Network.
However, the Council “has taken note of the concerns regarding traffic speed and other issues along Shantalla Road” and that funding has been received “for the early development of safety improvement works” in the area.
The Council said it will be meeting with residents, additional key stakeholders, and representatives of Scoil Bhríde, and that this engagement “will inform the future development of any possible scheme”.
“An Active Travel scheme for Shantalla is sorely required to make motorists more conscious of the needs of people within the community. I am pleased that the work will commence with consultation with the community,” said Dep Connolly. “I am pleased that funding is available and that the Council is aware of the issues there, but I would call on the Council to also treat this issue as a priority, especially as Shantalla Road has essentially become one of the main routes into the city centre and so is already prone to experiencing high traffic.”
