€650,000 for the Western Distributor Road Active Travel Scheme, which is expected to include a segregated cycle path, has been strongly welcomed by the Cycle Bus which uses the road.
The project is planned to be a quick-build cycle path and to be built this year.
The Cycle Bus — which is described as a “mobile segregated bike lane” — helps children to cycle to school safely. But they said from the outset that they want to be replaced by safe cycling infrastructure.
Galway School Cycle Bus said: “And there we have it, in black and white! After 6 years of campaigning for safer routes to school, €650,000 was allocated this year for segregated cycle lanes on the Western Distributor Road. Thanks to the NTA, Galway City Council, Galway Cycling Campaign and all our supporters throughout the years.”
Cllr Alan Curran (Social Democrats) — a founder of the Cycle Bus — said: “Absolutely delighted to see funding allocated for this project. We began the Cycle Bus 6 years ago, and it was always our intention that it should be a temporary solution. Safe, segregated infrastructure will be transformative for this community.”
Speaking at the international Velo-City conference in Dublin in 2019, Curran said that their plan was to no longer exist.
As reported by this website at the time, he said: “Our six-year plan is blank. Our focus is that we don’t want to be here. We want not to exist in six year’s time — we know what needs to be done. We don’t want another generation of children to be chauffeured to school whether it’s diesel or electric or self-driving.”