Pressure mounts on Council over traffic chaos

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

Councillors are set to come under severe pressure to abandon plans for the removal of two further city roundabouts in a key vote next month, following traffic chaos on a main artery into Galway this week.

Motorists are bracing themselves for several months of traffic gridlock in the city, after work started on a scheme to remove all six roundabouts on the N6 route.

Businesses have already complained of losing valuable working days throughout this week, as the city ground to a halt.

Meanwhile, Galway City Council has come under fire for allowing three sets of road works – within hundreds of metres of each other – to take place at the same time.

But they have said that while the works are obviously a contributory factor to the heavy traffic, the sheer volumes of vehicles is the main problem.

Six roundabouts are to be replaced with intelligent traffic light systems – which will be linked to a central traffic command centre where they will be monitored – before next Easter.

Earlier this week, journey times of up to two hours from Ballybrit to Knocknacarra were reported.

“It was absolutely chaotic,” said Michael Coyle of Galway Chamber.

A spokesperson for the City Council said work on the N6 route will continue for the next seven weeks. “We had to do this work sometime. During the summer, we have the Races and festivals. Now, we have NUIG and schools reopening, then it’s Christmas. There’s never a good time to be doing work within a mile of Eyre Square, 52 weeks of the year,” he said.  

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