Galway Bay FM Newsroom- Galway City Council is now working through more than 7 thousand submissions as part of efforts to identify a preferred option for the controversial Salthill Cycleway.
A recent public consultation presented two viable options for a cycleway - as well as a third option to simply do nothing.
The public consultation on the proposed cycleway was a two week window offering the public three options on what form it might take.
To the ire of some, the third option presented was to simply do nothing.
Others argued the consultation wasn't long enough - though the figure of more than 7 thousand submissions received suggests otherwise.
It's understood the majority of submissions were made online, and several councillors have expressed surprise at the extent of the public response.
Galway City Council is now processing the submissions in conjunction with the NTA to consider the opinions expressed, and implement them into the scheme where possible.
A full report will be presented to city councillors at a meeting on February 14th for consideration.
The cycleway has been highly controversial since it was first proposed, but it's proved particularly divisive in recent weeks.
A great many supporters claim it's long overdue, badly needed and potentially transformative for the region.
But some local residents and businesses argue, while they're not against a cycleway in principle, this one hasn't been thought through and the consequences could be severe.
Gardaí and emergency services have also raised concerns over the potential impact on response times if either of the two options is introduced in Salthill.
Whatever form the final cycleway takes, it's earmarked for introduction in March and would remain in place for a six month period until September.
