A safety campaign group has called for a radical change to one of the city’s most dangerous roundabouts for cyclists and pedestrians.

They are suggesting that the Browne Roundabout, at the rear gate of UHG, be tranformed into a ‘Dutch roundabout’, which would give priority to cyclists, with cars having to give way to them.

Their design includes an additional ring on the outside that is reserved exclusively for bicycles and painted in a different colour, with cars on the inner circle stopping to allow cyclists on the outer circle go by.

Community group Safer Streets 4 All also said that a planned upgrade of the junction that will include pedestrian crossings on three arms of the roundabout were welcome, but the two other arms also needed safe crossing points.

Eoin Ryan from Safer Streets 4 All said: “As it stands, the Browne Roundabout represents a major gap in existing walking and wheeling infrastructure. Given its location between Westside/Knocknacarra and the hospital, the university, and the city centre, it is a vital junction. The current arrangement leaves pedestrians and cyclists at risk.

“This is reflected in the reports recorded on collisiontracker.ie. To date, there are 14 crowd sourced reports of near misses/incidents affecting walkers and wheelers on the Browne Roundabout, making it the most-reported roundabout on the website in Ireland for incidents and near misses.”

For National Road Safety Week, Safer Streets 4 All has launched a website  at https://browneroundaboutgalway.weebly.com.

The site calls for Galway City Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland to consider enhancing the proposed upgrade to create a Dutch-style roundabout which would include protected infrastructure for walkers and wheelers on all arms of the roundabout.

“The first Dutch-style roundabout in Ireland opened in Dublin in 2023 and has zero near miss/incident reports on Collision Tracker — why not let the second Dutch-style roundabout be the Browne Roundabout in Galway?” Mr Ryan asked.

Brian Rogers from CollisionTracker.ie said that when one tragic cycling or pedestrian accident happened, it was usually the case that there had been dozens of near misses at the same location — but near misses were rarely recorded.

“The density of reports around the Browne Roundabout ranks it among the most hazardous junctions in the country and shows the public appetite for safer walking and cycling in the area,” he added.

Regular Salthill cyclist Danielle Burke said: “I hate this roundabout so much. This would be the best route for me to take on my cycle to work since there is a bike lane but it’s so dangerous trying to cross the roundabout on a bike. I have to go another route and take my chances on the road with trucks, buses and cars just to avoid this roundabout.”

Green Party Senator Pauline O’Reilly said that while improved pedestrian infrastructure is to be welcomed, the design for the Browne Roundabout lacked ambition.

“Galway City Councillors and staff have travelled to  the Netherlands in recent years, to see first hand the advantages of Dutch style roundabouts.

“I travelled there myself and it is clear that their ambition to make roundabouts safer, with dedicated cycling lanes on the roundabouts, has been rewarded with higher volumes of bikes and lower volumes of cars, reducing traffic.”

City Councillor Eddie Hoare (FG) said there was a need to prioritise and expedite the full upgrade of the junction.

Pictured: A Safer Streets 4 All mock up showing a Dutch style roundabout in Cambridge UK compared with the current Browne Roundabout Galway to show the safety difference