Galway city road safety campaigners leave council ‘on the hook’ for action
Galway City Council has pledged to examine a series of accessibility concerns in the city’s Westend after campaigners highlighted a number of road safety issues.
Two representatives of the Corlann Westend Advocacy Group (WAG), formerly Brothers of Charity, addressed councillors and council officials, drawing attention to issues including inadequate pedestrian crossings, obstructed footpaths and the absence of real-time bus information displays.
Sophie Jacobson and Jess Howard represented WAG with an in-depth presentation and safety report this month.
The presentation followed a walkabout of the Westend area in May involving city engineers, Councillor Eibhlin Seoighthe and Councillor Niall McNelis, during which a number of locations were identified as posing difficulties for disabled pedestrians.
Among the key concerns raised was the lack of a zebra crossing outside the Blue Teapot Theatre, where representatives said schoolchildren are forced to navigate through traffic and around double-parked cars and vans when crossing the road.
WAG also called for the return of a pedestrian crossing outside Monroe’s Tavern. Representatives said the area experiences heavy footfall but lacks both a stop point for motorists and a designated crossing, creating confusion for pedestrians and drivers alike.
Jess Howard (centre) gave a presentation before Galway City Council this month. © Blue Teapot Theatre Company Facebook
The group noted that a crossing previously existed at the location but was later removed.
Ahead of their presentation to councillors, WAG members campaigned on Make Way Day outside Centra and Monroe’s, gathering “six pages of signatures” over two days in support of reinstating the crossing.
The group also carried out its own observations at the crossing, recording a number of safety concerns.
Representatives said they witnessed two official vans parked on double yellow lines and partially obstructing a zebra crossing for more than 10 minutes. They also monitored traffic movements at the crossing, recording both driver behaviour and vehicle speeds.
Across three separate observation periods, each lasting 10 minutes, the group found that nine vehicles drove through the crossing while a pedestrian was waiting to cross. Nine vehicles were also recorded travelling at speeds the group considered excessive for the area.
WAG representatives also highlighted safety concerns on the laneway opposite Raven Terrace, behind Monroe’s, where Arts Alive, a community arts programme for adults with intellectual disabilities, is located.
“One of the day services, Arts Alive, located down the laneway behind Monroe’s, every day has cars parked up on the footpaths which leaves no room for anyone to walk. We have to walk on the road. This is not safe and we would like the council to put double yellow lines down both sides and provide street lighting,” representatives told the meeting.
Director of Services Derek Pender thanked the group for presenting their concerns to councillors and officials. He committed to sending a representative from the council’s Active Travel team to attend a future WAG meeting to discuss the issues raised and identify potential solutions.
Councillor John McDonagh also thanked the group for their presentation, joking that they now had Mr Pender “on the hook” to address accessibility concerns in the Westend.