Good afternoon,

I wanted to contribute some comments on the development plan, particularly pertaining to cycle and pedestrian access around Galway.

We need improved commuter options that offer sustainable mobility

We need more and better-connected cycle lanes. Priorities are along the prom, continuing along Fr. Griffin Road (South Park isn't a suitable cycling commuter route (not direct enough)), through town and outbound on Lough Atalia and Headford Road. Also Father Griffin Rd. should be connected with Northbound greenway (at the canal) towards Moycullen.

There should be a cycle lane from Salthill to Bearna via Silver Strand. The existing road to Bearna is unsafe for cyclists.

Speed limits should be better enforced around town. Sean Mulvoy road is very dangerous as cars don't adhere to speed limits. I have never seen enforcement on this road. Also, the 30km limit in estates is largely ignored.

Better connections between schools and cycling infrastructure is needed.

The proposed cycling route from Moneenageesha to Doughiska would be welcome and will hopefully integrate with Dublin to Galway Greenway.

The connections within the city to the proposed Dublin to Galway, Galway to Bearna and Galway to Clifden greenways should all be included in the plan

The rock armour protecting the golf course (from Blackrock to the Spinnaker) is very poorly designed (amenity-wise). It's over 4 foot tall in places making it very unsightly and boring for people with disabilities (wheel-chair users), and shorter people and children. The path could be relocated up on top of the rock armour (where some concrete has already been poured) or the path could be elevated.

The new road layout on Flood Street is bad for cycling. It forces cyclists to take a much longer route into town (on a very busy Merchant's road) when approaching from the west.

Secure bike shelters (with surveillance and recharge facilities) should be provided in highly trafficked areas around the city to reduce the incidence of bike theft.

Kissing gates around the city should be removed as they inhibit the passage of bikes – especially cargo bikes and bike trailers. I have personal experience of this making my route much longer and less safe than if I could get my bike trailer through these blockages.

The asymmetrical/unbalanced flow of traffic to/from Moycullen is very inefficient. The imbalance between the outbound flow on Thomas Hynes Rd and inbound flow on Upper Newcastle road should be corrected and all traffic should be redirected along Thomas Hynes Rd. This would increase the efficiency of the Junction at the old Westwood hotel (where the right filter inbound from Moycullen could be balanced with left-turning traffic). It would also lead to faster switching times at the Topaz junction on the Quincentennial (less traffic) and a better balance on the Moycullen road exit on the roundabout behind the hospital. This symmetry would also improve junction efficiency when it is hopefully upgraded to a signalised junction (as it should be - as it's currently very unsafe for cyclists).

The Menlo Park roundabout should be changed to a signalised junction asap as it's very unsafe - and the asymmetrical traffic on the Headford Rd. (particularly in the morning) is a disaster for traffic

All buses going through Eyre Square are currently a disaster for transit/connection times. Cross-city journeys are much faster in the car. Hopefully this is remedied by the Bus Connect plan.

The alleyways that are currently closed should be regularly reviewed and consideration should be given to how these can be reopened safely and securely. In my own estate there are walkways between monalee manor and monalee heights that are closed causing us to have to use the Ballymoneen Road footpath, which is much less safe with young children. It just isn't fair that these were closed long ago and just left, what a terrible shame.

Green Network and Biodiversity

The non-cutting of grass in Galway city parks last year uncovered a large diversity of native wildflowers and was a highlight of the first lockdown. Notably cowslip, and ladies smock which cannot flower until they reach heights higher than mown grass, as well as birdsfoot trefoil, vetch, and various types of speedwell. There should be a section of all parks and green areas left for wild flowers/meadow to thrive for pollinators. The new wild-flower areas in Millenium Park are great.

No insecticides or herbicides should be sprayed in any of Galway's parks as it poses unnecessary risk to pollinators and other wildlife.

A major problem with Galway's parks is the amount of dog-poo in them – making them dirty and unsafe for children to play in. Off leash and unsupervised dogs can sometimes make families - particularly with young children - feel unsafe. A solution could be to allocate some parks (e.g. South Park, Lough Rusheen park) for dog owners (where dogs can be left untethered and unsupervised) and allocate other parks to children (where dogs should be on-leash at all times). There is also a need for supportive infrastructure for dog-owners, such as more bins/bag dispensers. The strategy of putting the responsibility on pet owners to monitor their untethered pets at all times is – in general - not working. Ireland is far behind other countries on this and we are tired of arriving home with dirty shoes.

Dogs off-leash also disturb bird-life particularly shore feeding birds on our beaches such as oyster catchers, sanderlings, ringed plover, dunlin, bar-tailed godwit, grey plover, red shank and green shank.

As a result of Covid, there has been a notable increase in gatherings and the amount of refuse, particularly broken glass in Bearna woods and Merlin woods in the last year. Particularly now, in relation to Covid, but also in general, there needs to be spaces provided for teenagers to socialize.

Outdoor structures that provide shelter (and bins) could be a solution. Examples of these can be found in England/France/Australia/New Zealand - e.g. https://novashades.co.nz/products/outdoor-sports-canopies/

The proposal for Miller's Lane to be converted into an urban greenway is welcome. There should be openings (as wide as possible) into all the neighbouring estates to increase a sense of openess and security.

Built Environment and Placemaking

The rock armour protecting the golf course (from Blackrock to the Spinnaker) is very poorly designed (amenity-wise). It's over 4 foot tall in places making it very unsightly and boring for people with disabilities (wheel-chair users), and shorter people and children. The path could be relocated up on top of the rock armour (where some concrete has already been poured) or the path could be elevated.

The tidal pools in Salthill should be restored and improved.

Community, Culture and Education

Support for community-based organisations (e.g. Galway Community Circus, Forest Schools, Grow It Yourself Galway, Galway Steiner Kindergarten) should be maintained and increased.

Another Allotment project on the West side of the city should be provided as the current scheme in Shantalla is oversubscribed. Cappagh Park (near the community centre/astroturf pitch) could provide a good location. The disused tennis court in Monalee manor is also a good option - the gates are already there to restrict access to only those with legitimate business in the gardens.

Sheltered outdoor spaces for all-year round social gatherings/exercise classes/playgrounds could be provided (especially important and the moment with Covid). These types of structure are commonplace in England/France/Australia/New Zealand - e.g. https://novashades.co.nz/products/outdoor-sports-canopies/

Population, Growth and Housing

More high-quality, high-density housing development is required to tackle the rental crisis

Sustainable Neighbourhoods

Children do not play/cycle on the streets by themselves anymore. One factor behind this is the ceding of neighbourhood roads to vehicular traffic. The 30Km/h zones are a welcome gesture but ineffective. Traffic lanes should be narrowed and lessons learned from model schemes in other countries such as the U.K. (e.g. https://www.sustrans.org.uk/for-professionals/streets-for-everyone/ and https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/policy-positions/all/all/our-position-on-20-mph-speed-limits-in-built-up-areas/) to reclaim streets for children and communities.

General

A more sustainable funding model should be put in place for funding the city council - with revenue lost from reduced on-street parking replaced by central funding.

Thank you.

Leonie Woutersen

Our City, Our Future - Have your say! - Aighneachtaí

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