—Continued from front
The report, following the views of the public, also calls for the encouragement and incentivisation of carpooling.
“The advisory group can play a role here in facilitating those who want to avail of carpooling through its website,” the report read. “This could also link with the sustainable transport initiatives of many of the large employers in the city.”
The report also recommends more vigourous policing of yellow boxes, illegal parking and taxis overflowing their taxi ranks; increased signage at major junctions and roundabouts; and more yellow boxes on roundabouts and other junctions.
The report calls for the extensive use of internet, iPhone, and social networking technology so drivers have instant access to traffic information.
It recommends establishing a single portal for all transport and traffic information in Galway city and the development of apps for iPhones and Android smartphones to provide Real Time Information, Route Planning, Timetables and Service News for bus services.
Linked to this are calls for using eParticipation, to give the public the opportunity to design routes that best suit their needs and the introduction of electronic signage on approaches to city centre to provide information on traffic and parking.
The report seeks changes, additions, and re-orientations to be made to the current road network. The public wants to see an additional lane at the Martin Roundabout (Galway Clinic ) for inbound traffic heading towards Merlin Park and Renmore as well as the introduction of an additional lane at the main roundabout in Parkmore to ease congestion.
Respondents to the survey also called for the reinstatement of the left turn at House Hotel “at least until the hoarding at the Art Cinema is removed”.
The report also recommends linking the traffic lights at the Upper Newcastle Road/Quincentennial Bridge junction and Distillery Road and Seamus Quirke Road junctions with Newcastle Road Lower to allow a free flow of traffic. Linking the lights at Liosbán Business Park and Riverside Estate is also recommended.
The ITCG also wants to see greater co-ordination of traffic lights from the Town Hall Theatre along the Headford Road with different priorities at different times to take account of variations in traffic flow over the day. This includes a possible re-organisation of the lights between the Town Hall and Woodquay.
It also calls for outbound bus lanes on Bohermore/Tuam Road as far as Bóthar na dTreabh and inbound bus lanes on the Dublin Road with appropriate link bus routes.
The report also calls for a ban on on-street parking in the city centre on a 24-hour basis on Francis Street, Eglinton Street, Eyre Street (lower ), Eyre Square, Prospect Hill, Forster Street, Cross Street, Flood Street, and Market Street.
Although the ITCG acknowledges that its role is advisory and that it does not have a direct role in implementing its recommendations it has said to City Hall that “the ideas and suggestions in the survey represent the voice of the people”.
Mayor Naughton added: “We have an excellent opportunity now to implement the short term cost effective measures in this report that will have an immediate and positive effect on traffic flow in the city.”
The full report can be downloaded from www.galwaytf.com while hard copies are available from Engineers Ireland West Region at the College of Engineering and Informatics, NUI Galway.
