Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)

The cost of congestion in Galway is particularly high and the failure to get the ring road system through has been a significant contributing factor to this. It is currently with An Bord Pleanála but we need that ring road developed, and parallel with that, investment in public transport. There is investment under way in public transport in Galway both rail and through the NTA but I take the Deputy's point. Much consultation takes place. The NTA, in its BusConnects approach, creates much angst out there and then hence a lot of consultation. Then it takes a long time before we can get an agreed position. The Deputy has raised these serious issues which point to the need to try to get consensus. There needs to be consensus in Galway on public transport and the ring road issue.

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