Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all know about the problem. For anyone who either works in Galway or has to try to get in and out of it, the simple fact of the matter is that most of us avoid travelling between 8 o'clock and 9.30 a. m. If I am in the office at 5 o'clock in the evening, I never bother leaving until 7 p.m. because all I will be doing is sitting in a car in a car park, so there are major problems. Before we come to the big changes, what are the impediments to making the small changes we need, or are there impediments? The witnesses have talked about lane changes, minor widenings, which are being done on the way to Parkmore, co-ordinating the traffic lights, getting rid of some of the roundabouts that should be long gone and so on. Are there planning or design impediments to just getting on and doing these things? They make quite a significant difference and they can be done quickly. I am very interested in Brian Coll's submission. It would be very handy if one could just check when to leave. We are playing a guessing game at present. We sit in our offices and do not know when it is safe to leave and be able to get out of town. Information can be of huge benefit to making things happen. The people who do not have to be there at a fixed time can put travelling back by half an hour. If that can make an 18% improvement, that kind of technological solution is absolutely vital, and technology can make a huge difference in the modern world. I would be interested to know whether city council and county council or the NTA has looked at traffic management.

I read this plan two years ago on my holidays.