The Galway City Council is to apply to the Department of Transport for funding to establish and operate an urban traffic control system which will allow a freer flowing of traffic in the city.
Fianna Fáil councillor and chairperson of the Transport Committee in Galway City Michael J Crowe announced this week that the funding for the new system was being sought.
At the moment all traffic signals around the city operate independently and the times they change are fixed. The urban traffic control system however is designed to react to real time traffic as opposed to the traditional fixed time traffic.
The new system would prioritise one road over another taking into account traffic flows in particular areas at any given time. The traffic lights would be inter-linked in a co-ordinated fashion so that if you are given the green on the first one, by the time you approach the next set will also have turned green. The entire system will be directly linked to a traffic control centre in City Hall.
The scheme will be implemented on a two-phase basis beginning from about spring next year. The plan is to have the full system up and running before the Volvo Ocean Race in May 2009.
Cllr Crowe said the addition of new traffic lights at the junction of Joyce’s Road on to the Tuam road and upgrading of the Thermo King junction will also help out the flow situation.
“What will also be done at a later stage is to put bus priority measures into the system so the various traffic lights give these priority over all other road users,” he said. “The scheme will be of enormous benefit to traffic flow.”
