Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. What he said with regard to the symposium to be held next Tuesday is very welcome. He also had positive news on the bike sharing scheme which would be of great benefit in Galway. As the Minister of State probably knows, Galway has good potential for these public transport models and modes. However, we have lost some of our air services from Galway Airport and we cannot afford to lose other forms of transport. Galway railway station is in the centre of the city in Eyre Square, and any development of our rail services would be important because of the great access the location of the station allows.

I hope the Minister of State will keep an eye on the work being done on getting rid of roundabouts. The traffic signals, traffic lights and information generally must be computerised and working so people know exactly the location of traffic blockages in Galway. It is a lovely city but the amount of traffic in the city, particularly in the summer, can create difficulties. There was a particular problem last summer because of roadworks. It would be of great benefit to the tourism industry if we had better traffic signal and traffic light systems in the city.

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