Outer Bypass Will Make Light Rail, Bus Unviable - Researcher

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