From this week’s Galway City Tribune – A proposal to ban heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) from the city centre – and replace them with vans and cargo bikes – has been heavily defeated at a Galway City Council meeting.

Councillors voted 12-3 to reject the adoption of a submission to the Galway City Development Plan (2023-29) calling for HGVs to be replaced by vans and cargo bikes within the urban boundary.

The submission from Kevin Jennings (who is also a member of Galway Cycling Campaign) suggested that Park & Ride sites with ‘last mile delivery depots’ be identified off the trunk road network (leading into the city), where the vans and cargo bikes could unload the goods from the HGVs

Cllr Michael Crowe (FF) said that he couldn’t support a motion which would add on another cost for businesses in the city centre.

“We should be trying to keep retail activity in the centre of the city, and we need the HGVs to bring in the goods. It’s a nonsense to suggest that we could do without them,” said Cllr Crowe.

City Council Chief Executive, Brendan McGrath, warned that the insertion of such a motion in the Draft City Development Plan could have severe implications for Galway Port.

“We need a co-ordinated approach to an issue like this – this proposal could also impact on the [Cross City Link proposal],” said Mr McGrath.

This is a shortened preview version of this article. To read the rest of this story, see the July 22 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.