No bus lanes means a Government-funded upgrade of the Monivea Road is likely to have planning permission rejected by Galway City Councillors.
Elected members were asked to approve a Part VIII planning application at November’s council session, on Monday, to grant permission for the Monivea Road East active travel scheme.
Funded by the National Transport Agency, it envisages closing a 1.7km gap in cycling and walking infrastructure between Parkmore and the main Dublin Road via Ballybane or Castlepark.
The eastern end of the Monivea Road was described is an accident hotspot, with 71 per cent of Road Safety Authority casualties on it between 2016 and 2024 recorded as pedestrian or cyclist. Figures show three cyclists, two pedestrians, one motorcyclist and one driver received injuries on the road between 2017 and 2023.
After an impassioned debate during which Mayor Helen Ogbu (Lab ) had to call several councillors to order, it was agreed to delay a vote until next Wednesday, November 18.
With €285,000 already secured from the NTA, AtkinsRéalis engineers presented a final design to councillors. It included road surfacing, upgraded bus stops, and six signalled crossing points, with widened footpaths and a two-way cycle track from Ballybane Road to the underpass opposite Briarhill Shopping Centre.
After collating feedback from three public consultation events, city transport officials explained the design omitted bus lanes for the narrow route because they require the potential purchase of several homes and the felling of too many trees.
Twelve homes along the route would experience “major impact” with rear gardens, sheds and home extensions removed, with 30 homes requiring “minor impacts” including front drives rendered unusable for car parking.
“Without this section complete, planning of the rest of the active travel network for the city will be fragmented without this missing link,” explained the council’s project development director, Derek Pender. He warned councillors it “would be foolish to reject this fully funded project” because the local authority cannot afford repairs of “ageing public assets” such as footpaths in the neighbourhood.
Debate
Councillor Mike Crowe (FF ) said he was unable to support the project “with regard to the interests of people living in the area” and queried why a double bike lane and widened footpath could not be replaced with at least a single bus lane.
Councillor Declan McDonnell (Ind ) said he drove the Monivea Road in a car on Sunday, and did not see any footpaths requiring repairs.
Councillor Terry Flaherty (Ind ) said she would prefer a bus lane, as the road was a busy route for the 401 and 409. She is concerned that active travel scheme roadways have no space to pull into if a vehicle breaks down. “It’s when shovels are in the ground that all the complaints will start,” she predicted.
Councillor Mike Cubbard (Ind ) said he would defer to the knowledge of local, east side councillors on the scheme, but noted that 53 per cent of people who attended information meetings recorded opposition to the project “and that doesn’t bode well” he said.
Thirty per cent of submissions were supportive, with 17 per cent deemed ‘conditionally supportive’ by officials.
Voicing her opposition, Councillor Clodagh Higgins (FG ) said it was “disingenuous and poor form” for officials to present a scheme for approval at the last minute, and criticised a series of workshops held for councillors to contribute input: “They don’t work when councillors are not there”.
Councillor John McDonagh (Lab ) explained that as a bus driver himself, he disliked removing pull-in bays at bus stops, included in this scheme, although he accepted it was national transport policy. “Cars get frustrated behind stopped buses and make dangerous decisions,” he said.
Mayor Ogbu repeated her request - as she has concerning previous presentations - that designers generate 3D renders of such schemes before asking councillors to vote on them.
Councillor Alan Curran (SD ) listed 15 “pros” of the project, including improved safety for children, less congestion and its integration into the Galway Transport Strategy - especially relevant now that Galway Ring Road project progression encourages more active travel schemes within the city. “The cons are: some construction disruption, and that some people ‘don’t like’ it - we should weight that up,” he said.
Councillor Níall McNelis (Lab ) wished to formally propose the scheme for a vote, seconded by Councillor Eibhlín Seoighthe (Ind ), but this was deferred.
“We need this piece of the jig saw,” he said, admitting that other, similar schemes such as Bóthar Stiofáin in Knocknacarra “did have teething problems, but they were not extreme, and were easily ironed out.”
Councillor Shane Forde (FG ) said he had no problem supporting active travel schemes, but they were what “people in town wanted” not his constituents in Galway city’s East ward.
“The reality is, we have lived through two years of disastrous Active Travel Schemes,” he said, explaining there were now two many traffic lights in Castlepark and there had been no audit of the Ballybane scheme, which he claimed contributes to flooding. He said he felt he “would be taken to court” if he spoke out against certain elements of these road upgrades.
Speaking after the debate, Councillor Alan Cheevers (FF ) said he “cannot support the scheme as it stands, but I absolutely support doing what is necessary to make Monivea Road safer for pedestrians, motorists and the wider community.”
With seven of the 18 councillors explicitly against the scheme, two on the fence and seven votes so far unknown, it appears unlikely it will be approved next Wednesday.
