Businesses step up battle against new traffic policy

By Dara Bradley

An intensive lobbying campaign by the city’s business community is underway against Galway City Council’s controversial plans to remove two more of the city’s roundabouts.

Galway Chamber of Commerce and Galway City Business Association have united this week against divisive proposals for installing signalised ‘intelligent’ traffic lights in place of roundabouts.

Members of the two organisations, representing hundreds of businesses in the city, will ‘blitz’ City Councillors this weekend with emails and telephone calls, to put pressure on elected members to abandon the scheme to remove roundabouts.

In a last ditch attempt to scupper the roundabouts removal plans, their members have even been circulated with a list of Councillors phone numbers ahead of next week’s key vote on the removal of two more roundabouts from the N6.

A majority of ten Councillors have already voted in favour of removing one city roundabout, but at last Monday’s emergency meeting on traffic, some of them appeared to be ‘wavering’ in their support for scrapping more roundabouts.

Businesses have issued a stark warning that the scheme, known as the Bóthar Na dTreabh (N6) Multi-Modal Corridor, will drive day-shoppers, visitors and tourists away from the city; and will negatively impact on trade, which in turn will lead to job losses. Ten Councillors in June voted to remove the Lynch roundabout (Briarhill) and John Madden & Co contractors are due to begin work Monday fortnight, September 26.

This coming Monday night’s Council meeting, Councillors will vote on whether to remove two more roundabouts – Font (Tuam Road) and Morris (Ballybane Road).

Paul Faller Chairman of GCBA, which has 100 members employing 1,000 in the heart of the city, said: “We are not convinced that the removal of roundabouts will improve traffic flow. We are fearful that it will make the situation worse.”

Chamber CEO Michael Coyle said: “Shoppers and visitors are avoiding Galway City as they believe that delays at Moneenageisha and across the city will have a negative impact on their visit.”

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.