Galway residents and commuters have been frustrated for decades by delays to a planned ring road to relieve the notorious traffic congestion in the city. Now local candidate, Dannan Gaughan, has taken a shovel to the ground to make a point about coming through on political promises.
Gaughan, who is standing in the Tuam Local Electoral Area, posted a video to social media saying that politicians in Galway had “spent 30 years talking about building this ring road, but not a tap of work has been done.”
“The people of my area have been subjected to horrendous traffic trying to get to work,” he says, filming at the spot where he says the ring road works were supposed to start.
“I’m making a start on work myself,” he said before taking his shovel to the ground. “When I’m elected I’m going to be out here from day one digging this myself if I have to.”
“We need to put pressure on politicians,” he said. “Less talk, more digging”.
Gaughan said that the ring road project was budgeted to cost 600 million, and that, in his view, has been stopped in its tracks by environmental groups and objections over the years.
The planned ring road would run from west of Galway City near Barna to the existing M6 near Coolagh East of the city – and its estimated to take 4-5 years to build once the project begins.
“Too much concessions by the establishment including at council level to environmentalist groups have led to the farcical traffic situation the people of Galway are now struggling with,” Gaughan said.
“Last year, more than two decades after the outer bypass road was first proposed, the High Court referred the plan to An Bord Pleanála for it to be reconsidered in light of the current Climate Action Plan because of a legal challenge by Friends of the Irish Environment in 2022 ,” he said.
“More delays while people waste endless hours of their lives in traffic – time they’ll never get back.”
At that time, Galway Chamber of Commerce warned that the city’s international reputation is at stake if the road is not delivered. Estimates suggested that congestion costs Galway business €28.3 million annually and Galway drivers lose almost four days of their lives to congestion every year.
Ross Culligan (National Party)
Shaun Cunniffe (Independent Ireland)
Stiofán de Lundres Ó Dálaigh (Sinn Féin)
Dannan Liam Gaughan (The Irish People)
Mary Hoade (Fianna Fáil)
Islammiyah Kadejo (Green Party)
Donagh Killilea (Fianna Fáil)
Colin Lynch (Independent)
Karey McHugh Farag (Independent)*
Blessing Oguekwe (Labour)
Tom Quirke (Fianna Fáil)
Andrew Reddington (Fine Gael)
Deborah Reynolds (Sinn Féin)
Peter Roche (Fine Gael)
Joe Sheridan (Fianna Fáil)
Luke Peter Silke (Aontú)
Ollie Turner (Fine Gael)