Galway Independent Column - June 23rd 2010

It’s a tough time for traders at the moment. The summer season is key and for many businesses it’s a successful summer season that will keep them going during the lean months ahead. The season’s trade is vital to all of those employed in the retail and hospitality sectors in our city. Anything that affects trade adversely is a problem for our members.

Road closures are a problem. Loss of trade for one day is a major problem. Loss of trade for a week can be catastrophic. Traffic in Newtownsmith was one way for five days last week ‘To implement a trial contra-flow cycle lane as part of National Bike Week 2010. Traffic shall not be permitted to travel along Newtownsmith from Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green to St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge. However a cycle lane shall be provided in this direction. Vehicular traffic shall still be permitted to travel along Newtown Smith from the direction of St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge to Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green. Some on-street parking will be temporarily removed in order to provide this trial contra-flow cycle lane. (Galway City Council Public Notice)

An alternative route for traffic was via a signposted diversion route as follows: ‘Traffic approaching Newtown Smith from Abbeygate Street and Bowling Green will be required to access Newtown Smith by travelling along Mary Street and turning onto St. Francis Street. From St. Francis Street vehicles will be required to turn left onto St. Vincent's Avenue (at courthouse junction). From St. Vincent's Avenue, vehicles can access Newtown Smith’ (Galway City Council Public Notice)

What tourist or indeed local is going to brave those diversions if they don’t have to? What the above two paragraphs really say is ‘Avoid This Area’. What Galway Chamber says is ‘Traffic Experiments should not put jobs at risk’

Businesses in the area have said that this pilot scheme has caused serious problems for them. They believe that there wasn’t proper advance warning about the scheme and they feel that they weren’t consulted even though it is their businesses that were directly affected. The City Council did publish public notices on the scheme and did have the same notice on their website and they also say that a letter would have been sent to the particular businesses affected. However, we don’t always see a public notice on page whatever of a local newspaper, neither are most businesses in the habit of assiduously checking the City Council’s website for such information.

What business wants is communication from City Hall, real face to face communication on matters of such importance. It’s only fair to ratepayers (and let’s not forget here that €33 million was levied in commercial rates this year in Galway City) that any schemes, road closures, major road works, refurbishments, traffic diversions be communicated to them…in advance. If an initiative is going to result in any business losing revenue and as a result possibly ending in job losses, then advance consultation must be a given. It’s not too much to ask. Businesses similarly affected should contact Galway Chamber.