Mr. Brian Coll:

I am a lecturer in engineering in IT Sligo with 20 years in the industry. Like all commuters in Galway, we know a great deal about traffic. My experience and expertise is in systems optimisation and product and process flow. I wish to share with the committee a new perspective on how these tools and techniques can be used to improve traffic flow.

I will highlight some data and background. A recent INRIX global traffic congestion report placed Galway as the 70th worst city in the world, the tenth worst in Europe and the worst in Ireland for traffic congestion. This demonstrates that our current approach to reducing congestion is not working. We need to change. We need to start using data to make decisions, adopt new technologies such as Waze, which I will discuss later, use standardised and internationally accepted metrics such as journey time to track progress, and implement short-term - three-to-six months - process-driven initiatives to improve traffic flow. For example, a recent initiative in Boston showed an 18% reduction in traffic congestion using these new techniques. Coincidentally, this is estimated to be the same approximate reduction in overall travel time for the Galway transport network following the completion of the N6 outer bypass. The same principles can be implemented nationwide from Cork to Donegal and from Mayo to Maynooth.

As a general comment, the proposal I am presenting should be seen as complementary to the GTS, which has been already outlined. The GTS provides a framework for implementing transport proposals over the next 20 years. The planned improvements in public transport, pedestrian and cycling initiatives and the new N6 Galway city ring road are to be welcomed. However, we must implement shorter term 20-week plans in parallel.

To start the journey today, we are not looking for money - we are looking for data. Once we have the data, we can use them to make data-driven decisions. Research has shown that, when we do not have real-time accurate data, decisions are made using the HiPPO effect - the highest paid person's opinion.

Where will we get these data? How much will it cost? Other cities have partnered with a company called Waze and receive these data for free. Waze is the world's largest community-based traffic and navigation application, which can be downloaded to a phone. With it, drivers can share real-time traffic and road information, saving everyone time on their daily commute. Waze has 500 city partners around the world with about ten signing up each week. It works with them through its connected citizens programme. No Irish cities or towns are currently listed as being a member of this programme. We have been in contact with Waze through Senator Ó Céidigh's office. It responded to say that, based on our profile, it thinks we are a great fit for the Waze connected citizens programme.

Once we get these data from Waze, we can identify bottlenecks in the system that reduce the flow of traffic. In Galway, one could argue that we do not have a traffic problem but a traffic flow problem. Traffic management interventions require the removal of these traffic flow blockers on key city commuting routes. In my full submission to the committee, I listed ten, but I want to give one or two examples. We all know them. We should look at right turns which block traffic flow on these free-flow routes. We should optimise traffic light timing and sequencing between sets of traffic lights. Road works are major traffic blockers. Road openings, as they are called, which result in the closure of a traffic lane, are a major source of traffic congestion. The guidelines on road openings recently published by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport are to be welcomed. However, we should go a step further and implement lane rental charges on major commuting routes. For example, if one wants to open a lane in London, one has to pay the city between £300 and £2,500 per day. That focuses the mind. It has been an effective programme and has saved it approximately £30 million from congestion issues. It has been rolled out across London. It has a net profit compared to what it costs to run.

The Arthouse Cinema has had a lane closed on Dock Road in Galway for approximately five years now. There may be a reason for that but it should not happen. We need to test innovative solutions. There is a technique called a zipper merge which would work well for traffic merging or could at least be considered. Drone footage should be looked at. We have had a licensed operator take drone footage of some major junctions in Galway and many traffic flow blockers are evident. While there are individual examples of such interventions in Galway, we need to implement a structured process and approach to addressing traffic flow blockers on key routes. Only then will synergies be achieved across the traffic network. We see evidence of what can be achieved to reduce congestion with the traffic management plan implemented for the Galway races each year. Free flow routes are put in place for the week, designated blue, green and red. London has 580 km of permanent red routes to assist traffic flow on major bus and commuting routes.

To implement this plan in the short term, we need to trust the process. If we trust the process, outcomes will follow. When Irish rugby players are asked about their success, they credit it to the plan, performance and the Schmidt system. Passion is not enough. We need to implement a standardised metric, such as journey time, to set goals and track progress. As one leaves today to go home, one will be interested in the time it will take. There are other metrics in the plan - perhaps ten - which are important but the customer-focused metric is journey time, no matter what the mode of transport is. Except for certain parts of the motorway network, we do not report journey time in Ireland live. Our traffic reports on national and local radio use terms such as easing, moving slowly, very slow and moving well. In the USA and other countries, live journey times on key traffic routes are reported. I have a recording of such a report here, which I will play for members. They will hear a US traffic report, followed by an Irish traffic report.