A proposed investment of more than €3 million in Galway City’s footpaths over the next three years will be considered by the Elected Members at the plenary meeting of Galway City Council this Monday (October 12 ).
Under the proposal, an additional €1,033,960 would be raised annually through a proposed 10% adjustment to the Local Property Tax rate. The Elected Members can approve this change, by a majority vote at a council meeting (as a ‘reserved function’ ).
The additional funding would be ringfenced for recruitment of additional operations crews to deliver more cost-effective repairs, restoration and new footpaths across Galway City’s three local electoral areas.
Galway City Council Road and Transport (Operations ) would welcome additional funding to accelerate the renewal of ageing footpaths in housing estates across the city.
Many of Galway’s housing estates are more than 30 years old, and as a result, deterioration is becoming increasingly evident, creating concerns around accessibility, trip hazards, pedestrian safety and the general quality of the residential environment.
The proposed funding would support the establishment of one additional dedicated footpath improvement crew. This would increase the Council’s footpath delivery capacity by approximately 50%, from two crews to three.
Based on the output achieved by the existing crews, the expanded operation is expected to increase delivery of improvements from approximately 42 to 63 housing estates per year. Over the proposed three year programme, this would allow improvement works to be undertaken in approximately 189 housing estates.
The additional funding is required to cover:
Council staffing for the new crew.
Concrete, aggregate and reinforcement material costs.
Plant, fleet and specialist equipment.
Contracted JCB and lorry services.
The operational costs associated with safely delivering the works.
This investment will allow the Council to move from a largely reactive approach towards a planned, risk-based programme of footpath renewal.
Priority will be given to locations with the greatest safety, accessibility and condition needs, including areas serving schools, community facilities, public transport and residents with mobility difficulties.
The additional funding represents a practical investment in public safety and accessibility. It will improve the condition of residential footpaths, reduce the maintenance backlog and provide a more efficient and structured response to the deterioration of infrastructure that has reached or exceeded its expected service life.
In summary, the additional funding would deliver:
A 50% increase in dedicated footpath improvement capacity.
Approximately 63 housing estates treated each year.
Approximately 189 estates treated over three years.
Safer, more accessible and better-maintained residential footpaths.
A transparent programme based on condition, risk and community need.
The funding would also enable the Council to appoint suitably qualified contractors for higher-risk or more complex locations, including areas requiring enhanced traffic management, specialist equipment or additional pedestrian-safety measures.
The Council considers the additional allocation necessary to address the scale and age of the existing footpath backlog and to protect the long-term quality and accessibility of Galway’s residential infrastructure.
Increased direct-delivery capacity will allow a greater programme of works to be completed and reduce the cost of delivering individual footpath projects.
