John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as a bheith linn ar maidin chun an cheist seo a fhreagairt. The Galway transport strategy was launched with great expectation in 2016. It was heralded to develop an integrated transport system where infrastructural development and improved services would be integrated, giving commuters a greater option rather than simply relying on the car all the time. Regrettably, very few of the projects mentioned in this strategy have been completed. There have been some, such as a new pedestrian bridge across the River Corrib at Salmon Weir, while a small number of cycle routes and stage 1 and stage 2 of the Galway cycle network have been progressed and Ceannt station is under development. Some of the projects are going through the planning process at the moment. The N6 project, the Galway city ring road, is going through the planning process, as is the Dublin road bus corridor. Some have been granted planning but unfortunately have not progressed due to judicial reviews, most notably the cross-city link. In general, Galway citizens will say the strategy has had minimal impact. That is borne out by study after study on the impact of traffic on Galway. The most recent, a Department of Transport study, reckoned the cost of congestion to Galway city will reach €107 million in 2030, far more than other regional cities. Other aspects of the strategy included a park-and-ride strategy, which unfortunately has not progressed, and an enhanced new bus network, the implementation of which has regrettably been deferred to 2027.

Part of the city with the poorest public transport provision is the Knocknacarragh area. It is a heavily populated area. Many parts of it have no direct public transport option for the people living there. The Western Distributor Road runs right through the Knocknacarragh area into Rahoon. It is a spinal route with about 15,000 people living in spurs off the Western Distributor Road. Of that new proposed bus network that I mentioned earlier, seven of the ten proposed new routes are expected to traverse the Western Distributor Road at some point. We are also led to believe by the National Transport Authority, NTA, that it is examining the development of a park-and-ride facility in Cappagh, which is right at the end of the Western Distributor Road.

Currently, the progression of the park and ride and the new bus network will bring buses to an area where there is no bus priority, where those buses will simply join the traffic. I can see the option not being as amenable as it should be were there bus priority measures in place. The Galway transport strategy in 2016 foresaw that the Western Distributor Road would evolve into a dedicated public transport spine including bus priority lanes and a core cycling corridor. In 2020, the NTA provided some funding to Galway City Council to advance a project for the development of bus lanes along as the Western Distributor Road. However, that did not amount to much. Last year, the NTA and Galway City Council proposed the development of segregated cycle lanes along the Western Distributor Road. I was on the council at the time and that was much welcomed. Part of my contribution at that time on the council was to urge the local authority officials to combine the development of the cycle lanes with enhanced bus infrastructure on the Western Distributor Road as this would give people a lead to the 2016 ambition for the road to develop into a public transport spine. Unfortunately, when the Part 8 for the cycle lanes was published, there was no reference to enhanced bus infrastructure on the road.

This is a serious missed opportunity. I believe that we will now develop the cycle infrastructure, and as I said it is very welcome, but we will end up shortly going back and taking out that infrastructure again and hopefully putting in the bus lanes, whereas we should combine the projects now.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this very important matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The Department of Transport has responsibility for the provision of funding and setting of policy in relation to transport issues, including active travel. The NTA has responsibility for the allocation of funding to projects at local authority level and works with local authorities to ensure delivery of same.

I thank Deputy Connolly for his very insightful and in-depth diagnosis of the issues involved. The Deputy is right; congestion is choking up Galway. Recently, I was struck by the level of congestion as I approached Galway coming from the Cork side. As the Deputy knows, a significant increase in funding has been allocated by the Department of Transport to walking and cycling infrastructure projects in recent years, following a commitment of approximately €360 million per annum in the previous programme for Government across that Government’s lifetime. The NTA’s active travel programme receives most of this funding each year, with around €290 million allocated through that agency across all local authorities this year. Galway City Council has received a funding allocation of €8 million this year, of which €390,000 has been allocated to the Western Distributor Road active travel scheme. The Western Distributor Road cycle scheme is cognisant of the Galway bus network redesign implementation by providing new bus stops along the corridor. The new BusConnects network designed for Galway city envisages different levels of bus services running along the different sections of the Western Distributor Road. To the east of the Clybaun roundabout, a minimum of nine buses an hour will be operating on the road in each direction, namely, routes 3, 9A and 9B, and this increases to a minimum of 15 buses an hour operating on the road in each direction along the section from the retail park to the junction with Bishop O’Donnell Road, namely, routes 1, 9, 10B and 424.

The level of service along these sections of the Western Distributor Road from the junction with Clybaun Road to the junction with Bishop O’Donnell Road warrant and require continuous bus priority to be provided. This will be delivered under a separate future BusConnects project. Hence, along these sections only minimal cycling and wheeling interventions are proposed at this stage. Along the section of the Western Distributor Road between Cappagh roundabout and Clybaun Road roundabout, the new BusConnects network envisages only a single route, route 9A, operating along this section. This route is planned to operate at a 20-minute frequency, representing three buses in each direction per hour. This frequency level does not warrant the same level of continuous bus priority as the eastern sections. Accordingly, as further development of bus lanes is not proposed along this section west of Clybaun roundabout, it is intended to proceed with the provision of a high standard of pedestrian, cycling and wheeling facilities along the section of the route between Cappagh roundabout and Clybaun Road roundabout. The NTA has advised that rapid-build measures, namely, the installation of bollards along existing cycle lanes, would be preferred for the three easternmost road links of the route, between Clybaun Road roundabout and Deane roundabout. This is to cater for the future redesign of the bus network along the route where bus lanes are to be added, where required, at a later date. Therefore, active travel improvements for these road links are measures that are less permanent in nature and will be easier and more cost effective to upgrade at a future date.

Between the Cappagh roundabout and the Clybaun Road roundabout, the future redesigned BusConnects network does not include a frequency of bus service which warrants dedicated bus lanes. Accordingly, it is intended to proceed with the provision of a high standard of pedestrian, cycling and wheeling facilities along this section of the route. The design also entails the construction of safer segregated cycle, pedestrian and wheeling facilities at the Ballymoneen, Clybaun Road, Bóthar Stiofáin, An Logán Estate and Deane roundabouts.

I will take back the concerns the Deputy expressed. I very much hear his frustration and those of the residents of Galway, because it is a city that needs to be freed up, whether that is by more active travel, more buses or a different road network. It is congested. I fully understand the frustration and thank Deputy Connolly for raising the matter this morning.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I had a concern prior to the Minister of State's answer and, in fairness, the answer has gone some way to explaining the decision. There seemed to be a lack of co-ordination in the NTA between the public transport section, which might be responsible for public transport infrastructural development, and the active travel section. That needs to be looked at in future projects. I recognise fully that the existing demand for bus priority measures would be east of the Clybaun Road but it is worth bearing in mind that the NTA is pursuing the development of a park-and-ride facility on the Cappagh Road.

I expect people to choose that option in the future as their preferred mode of transport for entering the city and that that will mean an increase in bus frequency between Cappagh and Clybaun Road. Perhaps we will have to look at the development of priority bus lanes along that stretch of the road. I welcome that there seems to be a commitment for it at a future point - I hope that is not long-fingered and that it will happen in the immediate future - to develop priority bus lanes between Clybaun Road and Bishop O'Donnell Road. At the moment there is heavy use of buses in that area. The 405 is one of the busiest bus routes in the city, with a frequency of every 20 minutes, and part of the reason it is not used by more people is that when it departs it immediately enters traffic, especially at peak times. If we can progress the development of bus lanes from Bishop O'Donnell Road to Clybaun Road at the earliest opportunity, we will see more patrons use the service.

One other thing that has to be borne in mind is that along the Western Distributor Road, at the retail centre, there is a proposal from the NTA for an interchange facility where bus routes will terminate and new services will begin. For that too, we need to make sure that these bus priority measures are in place to ensure the service works in a seamless manner.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I again thank Deputy John Connolly for his remarks and contribution. He is right that there is a need for co-ordination between all the different agencies and stakeholders to ensure we deliver for citizens and residents. I thank him for raising the matter, which is of huge importance to him, the people of Galway and the wider community. It has an impact on life and impinges on the quality of business and how people operate and on the quality of life. The Government is committed to active travel and putting in place a network under BusConnects to make it easier for people to get around and to meet our climate action and sustainability plan requirements.

Galway City Council's Western Distributor Road scheme, which is at planning stage, has a primary aim of allowing residents of the Knocknacarra area of Galway city to utilise more sustainable transport modes, such as walking, cycling and wheeling, which would provide safer and more sustainable options for children and vulnerable users to travel to school, nearby shops and community facilities. The active travel project is envisioned to provide these safer, segregated wheeling and cycling facilities in the short term, targeting construction completion by 2026 or early 2027.

I will take the points the Deputy made back to the Department and the NTA. He made valid points about the issue of the Western Distributor interchange as regards the retail park and about the use of bus lanes. It is about making sure people are able to commute and access different parts of Galway, rather than being stuck in gridlock. As I said - I am repeating myself - having experienced it at first hand a few weeks ago, I certainly have a better understanding this morning for having been there. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter and I will bring his concerns back to the Minister.