Pat the Cope Gallagher launches Road Safety Campaign in Galway & opens Extension to Dublin Road Bus Lane

Date: 06 November 2006

Mr. Pat the Cope Gallagher, T.D., Minister of State for Transport was in Galway today (Monday, 6th November 2006) where he officially opened an extension to the Dublin road bus lane in Galway city. Under the Government’s Transport 21 investment programme, funding is provided for bus priority measures and for suitable park and ride projects in the cities around the country.

The extension to the Dublin road bus lane in Galway aims to deliver additional time savings for bus passengers using this route now and in the future. It extends from the Skerritt roundabout up to the intersection of the Dublin Road with the Doughiska road. The provision of this extension will help facilitate the operation of public transport on the Dublin road and all bus traffic coming from the N6 and N18 towards the city. The city bound bus lane has a special strip along the most of its route to accommodate cyclists travelling out of the city.

Minister Gallagher said that the opening of the extension to the Dublin Road bus lane today is a positive step towards making Galway: “a more public transport friendly and indeed a more pedestrian friendly place to live and work. Bus lanes and other bus priority measures can improve the quality and reliability of bus services. These factors are key elements in efforts to reduce congestion and are critical to increasing passenger numbers on public transport and to transforming the attractiveness of our cities.”

He added: “Transport 21 is very much a programme for investment in transport over the next 10 years. It is a responsibility for the local authorities in all of our cities to take advantage of the funding being made available under the programme by developing good bus priority measures and park and ride projects which will yield real benefits for workers, shoppers, visitors and people going about their daily lives in our cities.”

City Council officials in Galway have been working on developing a strategic bus route, bus transportation and bus priority study for Galway city and its environs. It is hoped in the coming days, that the study will be available for public consultation.

The Minister said that the study would facilitate Galway City Council in seeking to ensure that Galway city does not lose out to other cities on the funding available for bus priority and related measures under Transport 21.

Thanking everyone involved in progressing the scheme the Minister added: “I look forward to the continued rollout of bus priority and related measures in Galway, and to your development of further positive constructive initiatives that will benefit the travelling public of this city.”

While in Galway, Minister Gallagher also visited the train station where he met with Mr Myles McHugh, Iarnród Éireann’s Service Planning Manager for its Southern and Western routes. Mr McHugh briefed the Minister on proposed future developments for the rail service to Galway.

Also today, the Minister launched a road safety campaign of the Cumann de Barra at National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI). The campaign, developed by Cumann de Barra in association with the Road Safety Authority, challenges the students and members of the community in Galway to participate in more responsible and safer driving.

Addressing Cumann de Barra, Minister Gallagher said: “The over-representation of young people, and particularly young males, in road accidents is a recognised phenomenon in many countries, and much study has been devoted to it. The Road Safety Authority recently revealed that men aged between 17 and 25 are seven times more likely to die on our roads than anyone else. With over 300 people killed on our roads so far this year, the stark reality is that one in every four of those victims were men in that age group.

“There is a consensus that young people can both under-estimate danger while driving and over-estimate their driving ability and skill. Novice drivers do not have the same level of automated driving skills, which take time to develop, as more experienced drivers. The lifestyle, values, peer group pressure and personality of young drivers are recognised to enter into the car with them to a much greater extent than with older drivers. This factor increases driving risk among younger people. We need the co-operation of everyone to make our roads safe and I commend Cumann de Barra for the initiative it is taking with the Road Safety Authority in becoming involved in helping to reduce carnage on our roads, ” the Minister concluded.

ENDS

Further info: Veronica Scanlan at 087 6430622