Galway Bay fm newsroom:
The proposed Galway city ring road development will not solve the city’s "Carmageddon."
That’s according to former Irish Times Environment Editor Frank McDonald, who addressed the proposed ring road oral hearing today.
Quoting the American sociologist Lewis Mumford, Mr McDonald told the hearing that adding car lanes to deal with traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to cure obesity.
He said investing in pedestrian, cycling and public transport infrastructure would be of much greater benefit to the city.
The hearing was informed that the proposed bypass would take just 3 percent of car journeys out of the city and would generate and extra 26,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in its opening year.
Mr McDonald pointed to European cities such as, Stockholm and Bordeaux, who have reduced the dominance of private cars, in favour of more sustainable transport modes.
In his closing statement he urged An Bord Pleanála "to reject this ill-conceived road proposal."
The oral hearing will resume on Tuesday March 10th.
