Talks on short-term improvements for Parkmore traffic
Consultations have begun on short-term and medium-term solutions to the ongoing problem of traffic congestion in the vicinity of Parkmore Business and Technology Park.
An inter-agency group comprised of Galway City Council, Galway County Council, and the IDA will work with engineering firm, Aecom, with a view to putting in place measures to alleviate congestion which, earlier this week, again saw workers leaving the area at peak times take up to an hour to travel a couple of hundred metres .
Fine Gael TD for Galway West Hildegarde Naughton, who has secured funding of €100,000 towards road-improvement works in the area, said the initial focus of the consultation should be on immediate measures.
“The inadequacy of the road network to cater for the volume of traffic in the Parkmore area is a matter of urgency, which is having an ongoing adverse impact on the quality of lives of thousands of workers in Galway,” she said.
“It isn’t good enough to set in motion a protracted planning process around proposed road changes that will take years to have any effect on the current problem. We need to look at measures that will make a difference in the immediate term.”
Deputy Naughton said that the inter-agency group will first consider improvements to increase road capacity and reduce delays, which will not require planning permissions and can therefore be effected immediately.
“These should include new road markings to create additional lanes exiting Parkmore onto the Monivea Road, and onto the Briarhill Junction towards the motorway,” said the Galway West TD.
“Signal-control changes at Briarhill Junction also need to be examined with a view to reducing delays at peak times. These are achievable and can have a relatively immediate impact on commuters’ journeys.”
Longer-term measures requiring planning permissions will be examined and progressed simultaneous to the short-term solutions. These may include road widening to accommodate additional lanes.
“This is a crucial issue in several respects,” said Deputy Naughton. “Primarily, it is having an impact on the daily lives of thousands of commuters; but it also has the potential to impact on Foreign Direct Investment in Galway.
“Prospective investors and multinational companies seeking to locate in Ireland consider the efficacy of the road network, as well as issues that affect the lifestyle of their employees, such as traffic congestion.
“Galway could lose out on jobs and investment unless we step up to the mark and address this problem quickly and comprehensively,” she added.
Meanwhile, Cllr Terry O’Flaherty has written to Superintendent Noel Kelly urging the use of the Traffic Corps to help alleviate the situation at Parkmore.
She wrote: “As you are aware Galway City Council are currently preparing a plan to deal with the situation and, when adapted, hopefully it will resolve the problem as we know it. As Councillors we are all inundated with calls and emails from motorists and employees of the various industries in Parkmore whose daily lives are grossly inconvenienced by the long delays in the area.
“I would therefore ask you to arrange for the Galway Garda Traffic Corps to assist in keeping traffic flowing in the area at peak times until such time as the traffic plan comes to fruition. Race week traffic control is a fine example of how expedient the Traffic Corps are in such matters.”