Park and Ride service begins Saturday

Joe Tansey (Galway Transportation Unit), Marie King McGovern (Bus Éireann) and Brian Connolly (Bus Éireann) at the recent launch of the Park and Ride for the Volvo Ocean Race.

By Kernan Andrews

The Galway City Council’s Park and Ride Service for the Volvo Ocean Race begins this Saturday and will operate every day during the festival up to Sunday July 8.

Aimed at alleviating traffic congestion during the Volvo, buses will be on hand at Ballybrit Racecourse to ferry passengers to the city centre every five minutes. Passengers are advised to follow the on road directional signage, which will be visible on the M6, N6, N17, N18 and Monivea Road to Ballybrit Racecourse, where staff will direct vehicles and assist passengers to embark the waiting buses.

The city centre drop off and pick up point is located at Bóthar Páirc an Aonaigh, adjacent to Ceannt Station, close to Eyre Square and the Docks.

The service is priced at €5 per adult return. There is no charge to those under 16 or to Old Age Pensioners. A family of two adults and four children can park all day at Ballybrit Racecourse and avail of return bus travel to the city centre for an all-in price of €10.

If two senior citizens decided to bring two of their grandchildren to the festival, this family unit could park all day at Ballybrit Racecourse from 9am to 11.30pm and travel to and from the city centre free of charge.

Joe Tansey, head of the Galway Transport Unit, is urging the public to avail of the service and to also take the bus or train, or else cycle or walk to festival events.

“With one of the biggest events ever to hit Galway city beginning this weekend,” he said, “we are strongly advising people to look at the sustainable travel options incorporating discounted fares of getting to festival events.”