Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In October 1999, plans were first drawn up for a ring road around Galway. Here we are, more than 24 years later, with more than €40 million spent and we still do not even have planning, never mind a ring road. Traffic has more than doubled in those 24 years, and there is increasing anger in Galway about the traffic situation and the lack of progress on finding a solution. More than 100,000 traffic journeys are made on the city's road network every day, on roads that are just not able to cope with the traffic volume. Galway city is slowly becoming a car park, if it is not one already.

The commuters who are stuck in traffic every morning and every evening trying to get to and from work are getting extremely frustrated at the lack of progress on a proposed ring road for Galway. People are late for work, students are late for college and patients are missing hospital appointments. I am getting calls every day from frustrated drivers, as I am sure my Oireachtas colleagues in Galway are too. One commuter has told me that in the past ten years, it has taken him double the time to travel to work. One local developer in Annaghdown, east of the city, who is doing a major development in Bearna, west of the city, told me it is taking him up to three hours to get to the site each morning with traffic. A person can commute from Galway to Dublin in less than two hours, and it takes nearly three hours to cross Galway city. The carbon footprint, with all the cars and HGVs stuck in traffic morning, noon and night, is huge.

In the Gallery today is Councillor Donal Lyons, who was twice elected mayor of Galway city and is currently the deputy mayor. Councillor Lyons is a very strong advocate for the ring road, along with his colleagues, and he is very frustrated that after 24 years, we do not even have planning. Businesses in Galway city are very worried that the lack of progress on a ring road will have a negative effect on them and they are demanding that progress on the planning decision happen urgently. In Parkmore, where most of the multinationals are based, they have to stagger their starting and finishing times to facilitate the workers. The people of Galway are saying enough is enough and they want action.

The question I am asking the Taoiseach is not from me but from the tens of thousands of people who are stuck in traffic morning, noon and night. Will he, as Head of Government, take charge of this project, work with all stakeholders involved and get this project through the planning process as a matter of urgency?

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