The director of the Dublin Transportation Office John Henry, will make a presentation to the major transport stakeholders in Galway next week.
Mr Henry will speak to the Galway city and county managers, directors of services, Bus Éireann, private bus companies, Galway University hospital, NUI, Galway, business representatives, and An Garda Síochána.
The session will be chaired by Fine Gael Galway East TD Paul Connaughton, vice chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, in the Hotel Meyrick, Eyre Square, on Tuesday.
“Mr Henry has been invited to present his experiences and knowledge of transportation issues and highlight the initiatives and best practice models which have been adopted by the DTO in creating a transport strategy for Dublin,” said Fianna Fáil Galway West TD Frank Fahey, chairman of the Transport Committee. “We expect that the meeting will be of value to those in the Galway region who are working to address transportation issues such as the peak time congestion to and from Galway city.”
The committee has asked Mr Henry to address the issue of commuter traffic from the region into Galway city with particular reference to the N17 Tuam to Galway route.
“With the development of a new bus lane at Claregalway, I believe we can bring about a switch to bus transport from Tuam to Galway if we put in place a high frequency reliable bus service at peak times,” said Dep Fahey. “Good travel planning will ensure the city centre, university, hospital, and industrial estates can be served directly from Tuam.
“I have asked Burke Buses and Bus Éireann to cooperate in providing high frequency services with integrated ticketing direct to those locations, to give commuters maximum flexibility. Park and ride facilities on a temporary basis can be established in the Tuam area.”
The Transport Committee has asked management at GUH and NUIG in particular, to examine the Workplace Planning Travel Programme in view of the car parking problems at the hospital and university.
“The traffic congestion at peak times in Claregalway can be considerably improved if we can change mindsets, convince motorists that workplace travel planning can enhance the quality of life for all motorists using the N17,” said Dep Fahey. “It only takes a switch from car to bus one day per week to make a significant impact on congestion and it’s cheaper, it’s more comfortable, less stressful, and it has a major impact on carbon emissions.”
Mr Henry will also outline progress on the modal switch to public transport in the Dublin region, particularly in relation to the One Small Step and Green Schools projects.
Following the presentation Mr Henry will address the Galway Traffic and Transportation Forum at 4.30pm to which the public is invited to attend.
