Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Transport the amount of funding provided to date by his Department to plan, design or develop quality bus corridors in Galway city; when such facilities will come into operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25387/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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It is a matter for the Local Authorities in each regional city to prioritise the most suitable routes for QBCs, and to apply to my Department for funding for appropriate QBCs or other bus priority measures.

My Department initially made funding of €350,000 available for bus priority measures in Galway in 2003, and drawdown of funding began in 2004. My Department provided funding of €546,751 for bus priority measures in Galway in 2004. An allocation of €1,300,000 for bus priority measures was made by my Department to Galway City Council in 2005. In 2006, I have made funding of €1,500,000 available to the City Council for work on bus priority in the City.

The first QBC in Galway, 0.8km on the Dublin Road, was substantially completed during 2004 with funding from my Department, and was officially opened in February 2005. A 2km extension of the existing QBC on the Dublin Road, again with funding from my Department, is currently nearing completion. East of the Corrib, my Department is providing a €100,000 contribution towards the design element of the Seamus Quirke Road/Bishop O'Donnell Road in respect of the provision of bus priority on that route.

As regards future bus priority in Galway, my Department is currently funding a strategic bus study, commissioned by Galway City Council, regarding bus operations in Galway. This study will recommend bus priority measures for implementation in future years. The study is expected to be completed in the coming months. Pending the completion of the Galway bus study, it is not possible to state the exact bus priority measures which will be implemented in the city in the future.