Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I honestly fully agree with the Minister but we are beyond all of that. We did this in our time as councillors. We asked for an integrated traffic solution. All of the eggs were put in the basket of the outer bypass and nothing was done. Reading the response, I see that we are still talking about some distant time in the future while the west of the city has gone off the record altogether. Of course, park-and-ride facilities are only one feature. Cycling, light rail, using Oranmore and Athenry and increasing the frequency of trains are all also features. The most frustrating thing is that Galway is a city destined to grow. We cannot destroy its natural beauty. Thanks be to God, we have a beautiful city. However, we have certainly messed up the planning and we continue to do so. We do not have a city architect or an overall master plan for the city that is a plan for the common good. We have no recognition of the urgency of lifting traffic off the road and providing sustainable alternatives. You cannot complain about motorists without providing sustainable alternatives. There is no recognition of how urgent this is in view of the climate change emergency.

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