Cathal Ó Conchúir, Sinn Fein's candidate for Galway City West, has this week highlighted the lack of public transport in certain sections of Galway.
“Despite the fact that Galway City Council pays much lip service to the use of public transport, some bus services have been reduced in recent years,” said Ó Conchúir. “The people of SlÍ Gheal and other out lying estates on the Western Distributor Road, for example, have had their bus services reduced in recent years.”
Ó Conchúir drew a comparison between this and the absence of a bus service for the Claddagh, an area where the population has an increasingly elderly profile. According to the Local Election candidate, this is further evidence that the transport policy within the city must be reviewed to accommodate the ever-fluctuating demographics of its various communities.
“Many people who live in estates on the Western Distributor Road cater for the significant number of foreign students who visit our city. They are a vital cog in our local economy and we need to provide an infrastructure network that is both safe and economically sound,” he said.
“The review of bus routes and a grounded analysis of the need for them in various areas across the city would contribute to addressing the long-standing traffic problems faced daily by Galweigans.”
Ó Conchúir has also highlighted the need for footpath extensions in the Knocknacarra area and the installation of a pedestrian crossing on the Western Distributor Road.
Speaking this week, he said that several residents in the Knocknacarra area have highlighted the need for an extension of the footpath on the Clybaun Road. At present the footpath comes to an abrupt stop at the entrance to Na Blatha Créige, and Ó Conchúir says: “This is an issue that has come up time and again on doorsteps in the area — and not just those in Ard na Gaóithe — with residents pointing out that there is presently a serious danger to pedestrians because they are forced to walk on the road once they pass Na Blatha Créige.”
He continued: “This seems to be yet another instance where the city council has sanctioned developments without making provision for essential infrastructure to accompany those developments. This should be addressed before an accident occurs.”
Likewise, the Sinn Fein City West candidate has called for the installation of a pedestrian crossing on the Western Distributor Road to facilitate parents walking their children to Knocknacarra National School. “We regularly hear pious statements from politicians about the need to tackle childhood obesity and how we should encourage children to walk to school. Yet these same politicians have done nothing to make it easy for parents to make that choice,” he said.
“Trying to cross the Distributor Road at school time in the morning is next to impossible and is highly dangerous at present. A single pedestrian crossing near the national school — perhaps, somewhere near Bóthar Stiofan — would solve this problem with minimum impact on traffic flow.”
