Galway City planners must revisit ‘disconnected’ roadworks
Independent Ireland Councillor, Noel Thomas, a candidate in May’s Galway West bye-election, has called for an urgent review of ongoing roadworks across Galway City that are being carried out under DMURS (Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets).
He warned that residents were being left to deal with designs that were not working – while key public transport improvements such as dedicated bus lanes,were still missing.
Raising the issue following concerns from residents along Ballybane Road, Councillor Thomas said that while road safety and sustainable transport were often cited as the objective, the current rollout felt disconnected from the reality of how people actually lived, travelled and accessed their estates.
“Galway cannot become a live experiment where communities are expected to just adapt to designs that clearly aren’t working. What’s happening on Ballybane Road shows how projects are being pushed through without enough practical thinking – and without delivering the bus priority measures people were told would come with these changes.”
He said residents had highlighted narrowed exits from estates, tighter junctions and traffic layouts that were making everyday movements more difficult – particularly at busy times of day. He also pointed to newly completed junctions already showing tyre-mark damage as evidence that turning space and traffic flow had not been properly accounted for.
The Galway West representative said many residents felt their concerns were only being heard after works were completed, rather than at design stage.
“Nobody wants safer streets to become a source of daily frustration. Families need to be able to safely get in and out of their estates, delivery vehicles need space to operate, and emergency access cannot be compromised because of rigid design choices.”
Cllr Thomas has called on Galway City Council to immediately review Ballybane Road and similar schemes across the city, engage directly with affected communities and introduce practical adjustments where layouts have been proving unworkable.
“Good planning listens to people. Right now, residents feel like they are being told to live with mistakes instead of seeing them fixed – and without even receiving the public transport benefits that were promised.”
Councillor Thomas confirmed he would be raising the matter formally with Council officials and seeking clarity on the approval process behind recent designs, the absence of dedicated bus lanes in certain schemes, and whether post-construction safety audits were being carried out.
Pictured: Ballybane Road, where the lay-bys used by buses when picking up and dropping off passengers have been removed, leading to traffic delays.