rob mc

This looks promising.

Councils hope ambitious plan will change the way Galway travels

Galway Advertiser, January 14, 2010.

By Kernan Andrews

A major bid to make Galway the leading Smart Travel location in the country by the Galway City Council and Galway County Council could see car use reduced dramatically over the next five years and see a major rise in cycling, walking, and the use of public transport.

For all this to become a reality, an ambitious plan, which the local authorities have assembled, must be approved for Government funding.

The city and county councils’ joint submission to the Government’s Smarter Travel National Competition, which seeks to achieve sustainable transport systems and practices for Ireland, has reached the second stage.

Originally 39 applications were made for the funding for a share of the €50 million fund the Government is offering. These have now been whittled down to 11 of which the Galway bid is one.

Feedback from the Department of Transport on the city and county councils’ Stage One bid highlighted that it was “excellent” and “one of the few bids where all members of the adjudication panel agreed that it should proceed to stage II”.

The stage II bid seeks to secure funding of €25 million for the Galway Metropolitan Area (Galway city, Bearna, Oranmore, and Baile Chlair). The bid outlines an ambitious plan for the city including major infrastructural works, plans, and programmes aimed at increasing the numbers of walkers, cyclists, and public transport users.

The completed bid must be submitted by April 30. If this bid is successful it will reach the final stage of four and stand in good stead of securing all or a majority of the funding being sought.

The plan proposes to increase the pedestrian areas of Galway city into Cross Street, Middle Street, and Eglinton Street. The proposal came from consultations which took place before Christmas and the council will be meeting with retailers, councillors, the Chamber of Commerce, etc, to gain further points of view and suggestions on this idea.

According to Cathy Joyce of the Galway Transportation Unit the idea has already been “very well received” in meetings held so far with the Galway City Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce.

A major thrust of the bid is to reduce car use by 15 per cent by 2014 and encourage cycling, walking, and the use of public transport. As a result it is proposed to reduce speed limits in the city centre to 30kph.

“There is a need to look at the safety of all road users, not just drivers,” said Joe Tansey, head of the Galway Transportation Unit. “Cyclists and pedestrians will see this as vital to promoting cycling and walking, and reducing speeds will protect more vulnerable road users. Speeding drivers are a deterrent to pedestrians and to parents letting children cycle to school.”

Other proposals to reduce car use include a six fold increase in the length of bus corridors from 3km to 18km, to serve Knocknacarra, Parkmore, Oranmore, Monivea Road and the Tuam Road; and the development of a new walking and cycling route from Newtownsmith to the Docks via Abbeygate Street.

To encourage cycling, the plan seeks the development of high quality cycle routes from the city centre to Bearna, Dangan, Baile-Chlair, and Oranmore. It also proposes two new bike training parks in the east and west of the city.

According to Mr Tansey, the parks will be a kind of road safety training park for cyclists. While all cyclists will be welcome to use the facilities, they will be primarily aimed at young cyclists and families as well as new adult cyclists who may be nervous of the roads. The park will be a mock-up streetscape with various obstacles, and a volunteer instructor will be on-hand to give advice and training.

A total of four new bridges have been proposed. Two will be pedestrian bridges – one over the old Clifden-Galway railway on the River Corrib and another from the Cathedral to Bowling Green.

A key part of the plan will be the development of a multi-modal transport hub in Garraun, Oranmore, which will include park and ride facilities, a rail station, and cycling and walking felicities. The scheme will also provide local employment.

For such a plan to be successful the public need to see the local authorities deliver on their promises. Correspondingly the public to come on board and be willing to adopt new ways of getting around the city that do not exclusively involve the car.

As a result the bid proposes a new ‘sustainable travel’ PR programme and the roll out of workplace mobility plans, which will involve City Hall working with businesses which employ more than 100 people and focusing on prioritising cycling and walking to work, car pooling, and using public transport.

The council also intends to develop a new personalised travel planning programme to be piloted in Renmore. This will see City Hall discussing with the Renmore population the ways in which local people travel to work, school, and leisure activities, and seeing how car use can be reduced in this.

“We’re all creatures of habit,” said Mr Tansey. “We want to make people aware of the options that are out there. It gives people the chance to do something new and find something that might suit them.”

Fianna Fáil councillor and chairman of the Integrated Transportation Coordinating Group Michael J Crowe said the bid “is a very comprehensive plan” and will need “widespread support” for it to succeed, and he is calling on the public, councillors, and various interested groups to get behind it.

“We have stiff opposition from Cork, Limerick, and parts of Dublin city, among others,” he said. “As well as trying to secure €25 million, advancing the necessary infrastructural changes, and promoting the benefits, etc, we also need to change the public’s hearts and minds. It is an uphill challenge but one I believe is achievable.”

The Galway Metropolitan Area Stage II bid will bew assessed by reference to its level of ambition, designs, behavioural change campaigns, and the ability of the city and country councils to deliver on their plans.

“We are entering this on a high note but what will make the difference to actually securing the funding is the

@niall murphy wrote:

what do people think about the lower northern end? Would it ever be possible for it to be expanded to match the southern end? This would probably add 10,000 seats to the stadium. If the houses to the immediate north were bought out would they have to be demolished to make room or is there enough space within the site to build upwards?

Sorry about all the questions but I think in the coming years there will be many questions asked about the capacity of Lansdowne Road as it is too small for 6nations rugby in my opinion

I agree especially if the success of Irish rugby continues.

I think its ridiculious to move Irish rugby to a smaller stadium when we have seen time and again that they are very capable of filling Croke park. I’m sure in the future it will have to be addressed, but as always in this country we never build for the future, and its going to be a costly mistake!

Whats the other building to the left of the picture?Is that part of the obel development or is it something else?

@cgcsb wrote:

Too tall for the docklands? isn’t the whole point of the docklands that greater heights can be achieved without a negative impact on Georgian Dublin.

32 floors is a bit excessive tho, Dublin has to gradually get taller not just plonk a 120 metre skyscraper in the middle of 6 story buildings.

@Contraband wrote:

At least they have something.
I know, I know, I know – height isn’t everything. Like it or not though, it is a symbol of a modern city, of progress, and of success. I recognize that in the midst of one of the deepest recessions Ireland’s ever seen, building skyscrapers isn’t really what the city should focus on.
However, what I will say, is that I really don’t understand why the city constantly fought any high rise development during the boom years, and why getting a building, which is only 57 meters high, is seen as a triumph for the Dublin high-rise movement.
Maybe now high rise should get built, simply for the fact that it is the cheapest time to build. Prepare for the future?

Yea i know what you mean, and i whole heartedly agree that Dublin really needs to go higher. And its true that in todays world people believe that the higher your buildings the more rich and powerful you are.

But in relation to this development a 15 story building in an area where 6 stories is frowned upon and where people fear that buildings of this size may fall on them, this is a triumph, at last.:D

@thebig C wrote:

I thought that was strange also. I recall seeing a recent acticle listing the height as approx62 metres. I.E, 14×4 metre office floors plus a 6 metre ground floor lobby.

Maybe the planners gave it a crew cut on the basis that nothing should stand taller then Liberty Hall. I am being facecious I know….but that mindset does exist!

C

Would 5 metres really make much of a difference?

Maybe they can stick a piece of metal to the top of it,like they seem to do with most medium rise building in this country to make seem bit bigger 😀

A €350 million development plan for Galway harbour aims to move the port south on land reclaimed from Galway Bay.

The project aims to attract cruise liners into a transformed deepwater port, develop a new rail link and build up to 300 marina berths.

An “iconic” structure marking the port from sea approaches will be commissioned as part of the three-phase development, according to Galway Harbour Company.

Significantly, the harbour company intends to work with CIÉ on redeveloping the existing harbour area, and a local area action plan will be initiated as part of this, it says.

The three-phase plan has been prepared in advance of Galway’s hosting the first Irish stop-over for the Volvo Ocean Race. The Government has committed €8 million to Galway’s Volvo participation, and the event is expected to attracted 140,000 spectators and a worldwide television audience, with a prospective spend of over €40 million during the fortnight from May 23rd to June 6th.

However, no State funds are anticipated for the harbour project, which aims to qualify for strategic infrastructure approval with Bord Pleanála. Some 99 per cent of the new port will be built on reclaimed land and it is “vital” for Galway’s future, the company’s chief executive Eamon Bradshaw says.

First phase from 2010 to 2013 will involve reclamation using dredged material, building a new quay wall, the development of an extended rail link, the provision of new fishing berths and the development of a 177-berth marina.

The second phase will involve completing the marina and fishing berths, and building a new nautical centre and harbour office between 2013 and 2015. The final phase will involve providing an eastern marina with 110 berths, constructing public promenades to the east and west of the development and landscaping.

Inshore fishermen have been consulted, and initial talks have taken place with a number of stakeholders, the company says. It aims to fund the development through disposal of some of its existing portfolio, and it says it has already received Cabinet approval in principal.

The plan refines an initial €2 billion strategy presented in August 2006 to former taoiseach Bertie Ahern by a “vision” group set up for the port. This focused on moving the existing tidal port to deepwater, and was marketed as a “flagship” project for the west for the 2007-2013 national development plan.

However, An Taisce’s Galway branch was critical of lack of consultation, and said an overall plan for Galway docks was already a requirement in the Galway City Council development strategy.

Last year, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey published a Harbours (Amendment) Bill 2008 to permit the 10 State port companies to pursue a “robust commercial agenda” both in and outside the State and boost their commercial mandate.

Irish Times

ohhhhhh fancy, i can just imagine you being awe struck looking at them while being stoned off your head, haha:D:D:D

Wow, i never realised Belfast had so many interesting developments going on at the moment, just found this pics.

Obel Tower:

The Boat:

The Arc:

Lanyan Towers:

The soloist:

I must admit i’m extremely jelious :):)

Proposed 5th bridge over river corrib.

The outer bypass is supposedly set to start immediately,as funding has been received and planning has been approved for a 15 km stretch of dual carriageway.

Whats everyones view on the outer bypass??

Good idea? bad idea?