Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for bringing the focus to Galway and congestion and for being a strong voice for the city, for the wider constituency of Galway West and for Connemara. It is good he has raised the report in the Dáil because it outlines what congestion costs every man, woman and child in Galway. Galway citizens are likely to experience a much higher cost per capita than citizens of other regional cities.

The ring road has been delayed by court proceedings and planning issues and the Galway transport strategy has not been updated since 2016 because of the lack of clarity here. The modelling in this report is based on the transport strategy and includes the ring road. It is not possible to tease out the specific savings the ring road would be responsible for but it is one of the more significant projects included in the model. That is obvious but I am glad the Government and the Government report are saying that because that is the type of advocacy the Deputy has been making to all of us and all his colleagues. It can be reasonably asserted that the ring road would contribute to the lower congestion cost in the period after it is delivered. I agree that is important. There is a wide range of measures relating to public transport that will reduce the cost financially for the Deputy's constituents and make Galway as good a place as we all know it can be. It is a beautiful and important city.

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