A campaign calling for urgent road-safety measures on the R380 Gort Road into Loughrea will take its campaign to the public this weekend, with volunteers set to collect signatures in Loughrea on Saturday, September 26.
The Loughrea–Gort Road R380 Safety Campaign will hold a public petition drive in Loughrea Shopping Centre and on Main Street from 10am to 6pm, giving local residents an opportunity to support its calls for greater protection for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
The campaign was formally established in August this year in response to concerns about vehicle speeds along a two-kilometre stretch of the R380 as it enters Loughrea from the west.
Campaign organisers say the road is used every day by families, walkers, runners and cyclists travelling to popular local amenities, including the town’s playgrounds, tennis courts and the lake.
They point to traffic-speed data collected by Galway County Council in June 2025, which they say found that 74% of motorists surveyed were travelling above the 50km/h speed limit. The highest recorded speed was 119km/h.
The campaign believes the figures demonstrate the need for physical traffic-calming and stronger enforcement rather than relying solely on signage.
The group is calling for three specific measures on the road: raised crossings at all three pedestrian crossings along the stretch, the installation of a permanent speed camera, and a reduction of the speed limit to 30km/h from the car park to the West Bridge.
Campaign spokespersons say raised crossings would provide a physical means of encouraging motorists to slow down, while a permanent speed camera would provide consistent enforcement of the existing limit.
The public petition on Saturday will be an important next step for the campaign, with organisers encouraging local residents, families and anyone concerned about road safety in the area to come out and add their names.
The completed petition is due to be presented to Galway County Council during an official deputation on Monday, October 12.
The campaign has also received public expressions of support from a number of local political representatives, including Louis O’Hara TD, Senator Shane Curley and Councillors Jimmy McClearn and Michael Regan.
The campaign team currently includes Robert Cannon of The Waterfront, Valerie Reilly of Jardin Drive, John McCormack of Gort Road and Bernie Rushe of The Waterfront.
Organisers are also looking for volunteers who can spare an hour or two on Saturday to help collect signatures during the 10am to 6pm petition drive.
The group says every signature will help demonstrate the strength of local concern about safety on the R380.
With the petition due to go before Galway County Council in October, Saturday’s event is being seen by campaigners as an important opportunity to put road safety at the centre of the conversation in Loughrea.
Anyone wishing to volunteer or seeking further information can contact the campaign by email at [email protected] or by phone on 087 283 7810 during the evenings.
