Press Release-11th June 2014
Councillor Connolly said she welcomes the new provision for pick up and drop off parking for Tour Buses in the centre of Galway City.
Councillor Connolly said the new provision for Tour Buses to park for 15 minutes to allow pick up and drop off of passengers on Merchant’s Road is a very welcome development which has come after a lot of representations from City Councillors arising from the chaotic bus parking situation in the City up to now .
The new pick up and drop off point on Merchants Rd will allow Tour Buses to bring tourists right into the heart of the City and will give a much needed boost to shops in the area she said.
Quite clearly however for the new 15 minutes drop off/pick up provision to work properly if must be closely monitored by the Community Wardens and the effectiveness of its operation reviewed after a specified period of time.
Furthermore Councillor Connolly said this should be looked on however as only the first step in dealing with a City Centre that is clearly under pressure with businesses and in particular family run businesses closing down at an unacceptable rate over the last number of years.
She said the new City Council must give priority to developing an urgent plan of action in relation to promoting and supporting a vibrant City Centre with a good mix of retail outlets.
In this regard she said she would be in favour of setting up a task force in collaboration with all interested bodies including the Galway City Business Association and she will be pushing for this step to be taken as soon as the new City Council meet.