City urged to stage Ocean Race 'dry run'

Galway City and County Councils have been urged to purchase land for Park and Ride sites immediately, so that the city can have a 'dry run’ in how it will cope with the traffic congestion generated by the Volvo Ocean Race.The Galway Stopover of the race is due in the city in May 2009, and Galway West TD Frank Fahey believes that if the Councils act quickly, a Park and Ride (P&R) pilot scheme could be put in place this May.Deputy Fahey, who is Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, said the Department of Transport is willing to provide funding for P&R in Galway and this week he wrote to the Councils urging them to proceed with land acquisition without delay.He said that land is available in Castlegar and Loughgeorge that could be acquired immediately for temporary P&R sites.“We need to start making progress on the acquisition of land for P&R facilities. The Council should buy land immediately so that sites could be in place this May when we could have a 'dry run’ for the Volvo Ocean Race which is going to generate huge volumes of traffic. “There is €51million available in the Department of Transport and no local authority has...................