Outer Bypass Will Make Light Rail, Bus Unviable - Researcher

Wednesday December 19, 2007 19:17

by Brian Guckian

Galway LRT Feasibility Study Likely to be Negative

IT is highly unlikely that there would be any economic justification in investing in sustainable light rail and bus transportation in Galway if the planned Outer Bypass is built, according to independent transport researcher Brian Guckian.

PRESS RELEASE

For Release 19/12/2007

IT is highly unlikely that there would be any economic justification in investing in sustainable light rail and bus transportation in Galway if the planned Outer Bypass is built, according to independent transport researcher Brian Guckian.

Mr. Guckian, who has advocated low-cost light rail systems for regional cities in the state, including the Corrib Light Rail proposal for Galway, said that the Outer Bypass would take investment funds that should be more properly used for sustainable transport, and would significantly undermine the viability of light rail and bus provision even if appropriate funds for same were provided on top of the planned € 330 million for the Bypass.

"It is doubtful in the extreme in the changing economic climate that the Department of Finance would sanction an additional estimated spend of € 220 million for light rail and bus investment in a city the size of Galway if € 330 million is already spent on a Bypass - the numbers just don't stack up", he said. "And even if they did, the Bypass would increase car use and dependency going forward via the 'induced traffic' phenomenon, requiring a much greater subsidy for any light rail and bus investment than would otherwise be the case. Unfortunately it's just not possible to have both; you can't have your cake and eat it".

Given the financial impact of the proposed Bypass, Mr. Guckian said that he envisaged that any Feasibility Study carried out into light rail for Galway would come out negatively, as if built, the Bypass would greatly reduce the number of potential users. "More roads encourage more people to drive, more frequently, and this undermines the financial viability of alternative, far more sustainable transport modes such as bus, rail and light rail. More roads do not solve traffic problems; the only solution is to cut car dependency via dramatically enhanced public transport provision and the conversion of roadspace in urban areas to create genuine, effective cycling and walking routes".

The choice was between unsustainable, profoundly uneconomic and outmoded transport represented by the Outer Bypass on the one hand, and sustainable, economic transport represented by rail, light rail, high quality bus and walking and cycling modes on the other, and people would have to choose accordingly, Mr. Guckian said. He further stated that there were no longer any economic advantages to road-building given what was now known about the enormous potential costs of climate change arising from runaway CO2 emissions from transport, most of which were from unsustainable road-based modes such as car and HGV, and the costs of oil dependency. He said that business in particular needed to be re-educated in relation to sustainable transport as they seemed to be stuck with a 1960s view of untramelled road building solving transport problems and stimulating economic development. "Roads are in fact negative infrastructure with huge downstream costs, and genuine economic development is actually about innovation, high productivity and sustainable transportation, among other factors".

A significant curtailing of road transport in cities would actually stimulate inward investment as they would become far more attractive places to live and work. He pointed out that the US city of Portland, Oregon had switched to a sustainable light rail and bus transportation system for the city by cancelling a proposed road scheme in the 1970s, and that this could be just one example Galway, and indeed other Irish cities, could follow.

Mr. Guckian said he expected An Bord Pleanala to approve the planned Outer Bypass as they seemed to have a policy of automatically approving unsustainable road schemes in the face of the overwhelming scientific and environmental evidence against them. He said An Bord had little or no credibility or relevance in this area and that it would be for business and the community to convince the City and County Councils to withdraw the proposed scheme and have the funds re-allocated for rail, light rail and bus investment. Such a move would also put Galway in the forefront of sustainable development in Ireland, well ahead of other locations.

The City Council were very commendably open to alternative thinking in this area, he said. He praised the Mayor, Councillors and Officials for recently giving him the opportunity of outlining his ideas and arguments. "There are some fantastic people representing us and working for us in our chronically under-funded local government system, and they need our support and help rather than our criticism". He said there was very little awareness of the pressures and difficulties faced by local government in delivering essential services to the Citizens they served, often using very limited resources.

ENDS

Contact: Brian Guckian 087 9140105 railprojects@eircom.net

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Comments (4 of 4)

Galway deserves better

by FrankFucksUsAgain

Wed Dec 26, 2007 22:49

"Galway City's outer bypass should open up vast areas between the current edge of the city and the new bypass for development. "

Well now we see why frank fahy likes the idea so much!!

"This should increase the population by 20-30% at least, giving the city 100,000+ willing rail users within a densly-populated and geographically small area, thus making both the bypass and the light rail both equally important in developing a long-term transport infrastructure for the city."

Not that I agree with you (you probably being frank faheys paid lackey), but supposing your "analysis" is correct , then what do you suggest we do in the umpteen years between the huge influx of people you talk about and the rare and giving moment when one of our useless corrupt governments (take your pick of parties!!) finally decide to build necessary infrastructure in the west purely because the people need it?

Judging by past experience, that could be a very long congested wait!

The only reason this bypass is being pushed is not because it will serve the interests of the people of galway, but because it will make profits for certain developers and landowners and their government friends. It will destroy a beautiful area of galway and we will still be left with most of our terrible traffic problem when its finished. Plus as brian rightly says in his article, galway will be left to rot for a long time afterwards because there will be few more of the diminishing infrastructure funds allocated to the galway area for a long time to come.

Every morning I make the horribly frustrating and congested commute from tuam to galway on the N17 while rail lines lie idle for want of some investment. Everyone I talk to would use the rail link rather than drive into galway because parking is a nightmare. There has never been in a more car hostile town.

And the crowded bus costs more to take than the petrol I would use getting into town and back.

I won't even mention the corrupt shenanigans around ceannt station which ended up as a big pile of apartments instead of the public transport hub originally envisaged. surprise surprise. And was a certain mister fahy involved there too?

But then again perhaps we should put our fate in his hands because he is quite gifted isn't he. I mean to amass such a fabulous personal property portfolio on such a meagre teachers salary (which he continues to draw in absentia) is nothing short of miraculous. Loaves & fishes level stuff.

To be quite "frank", I think the only way galway will be able to organise its public transport in the interests of its citizens for the next millenia is if we make a huge cash payment up front to the PD and FF crooks with the only proviso being that they promise to stay out of anything to do with public infrastructure in the area for the next 50 years or so. Money well spent. Otherwise they will make the usual complete but highly profitable mess out of our lives.

We have one chance here.
A decently planned light rail network coupled to work being done to revitalise parts of the existing rail network that were stupidly abandoned would transform galway and keep it viable into the next millenium. Last thing it needs is another pointless and expensive road at taxpayers expense, destroying a beautiful area of galway for no good reason. Because it just will not properly address galways traffic problem, and all that money could be spent in a much more long term beneficial way helping to create a more sane less congested city

population

by andrew

Wed Dec 26, 2007 00:51

galway is the only city in ireland that has experienced significant growth in population over the past ten years. however, it is still simply too small to justify both an outer bypass (which will be built because it is desperately needed) AND a light-rail system. A light-rail system could be justified by one factor only: significant population in concentrated urban and suburban areas in the Galway Bay area. Government needs to encourage the development of self-sustaining satellitte towns and suburbs like that proposed east of the city in Ardaun, which can be served by such a rail system. Oranmore, with a commuter rail station in the planning stages, and boasting a population of 5,000+ at the moment, is another area with huge potential to develop in order to gain the critical mass of population that would justify and extensive light-rail network from Barna in the west to Oranmore in the east.
Unfortunantly, as is usually the case in Ireland, the people who will complain loudest of a lack of city and commuter rail infrastructure are also the one's who demand the right to build unsustainable, once-off houses in the middle of nowhere, disconnected to basic services and transport.
Galway City's outer bypass should open up vast areas between the current edge of the city and the new bypass for development. This should increase the population by 20-30% at least, giving the city 100,000+ willing rail users within a densly-populated and geographically small area, thus making both the bypass and the light rail both equally important in developing a long-term transport infrastructure for the city.

Portland OR

by John Campbell - Irish Exile

Sun Dec 23, 2007 21:43

Living just outside Portland OR the cities transport system has to be commended to an extent and as a result is one of only two cities in the U.S that could meet Kyoto targets has the U.S administration signed up.
Although the transport system is not perfect in anyway it works well with the one exception. The most densley populated area of Portlnd is North Portland which is served by the Yellow line of their MAX light rail system. The Yellow line has roughly 50% less sevice than its blue and red counterparts and there is no reason for it not to be served like the other lines. It may also be noted that the majority of Portlands African American and Mexicn population live in North Portland. One thing I have noticed about anything we build in Ireland is that the people who need the service most are the people who are not going to get it, our politicians are as rotten as their Portland counterparts in this respect.

Rail & bypass

by Percy ffrenche

Sun Dec 23, 2007 12:21

I'm with you on the need for more rail & bus services within and around Galway city.

Those of us who have to drive past Galway to reach the rest of the world also need a bypass, and wider than the Loughrea type please.

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Outer Bypass Will Make Light Rail, Bus Unviable - Researcher

Comments (4 of 4)