By Avril Horan

RESIDENTS in Menlo are facing ongoing difficulties exiting their homes due to the high volume of traffic on the Dyke Road and Monument Road.

Cllr Frank Fahy (FG) raised the issue at this month’s Central Ward Area Committee meeting, where he said traffic congestion had become a constant problem throughout the day.

“It’s very hard for those of us living in Menlo to exit our properties,” he said.

“It’s literally all day now. It’s hard to see whether the signs that have been put in place are having any impact.”

Cllr Fahy also highlighted the poor condition of the Monument Road and Coolough Road, calling for urgent resurfacing works.

He said there were more than 30 potholes on sections of the road network, describing the Monument Road as narrow and dangerous, with no proper division between lanes.

Officials from Galway City Council told the meeting that works recently carried out by Uisce Éireann on Coolough Road require time to settle before resurfacing can take place.

They confirmed that the Monument Road and Dyke Road will be considered as part of this year’s roads programme once the budget allocation from the Department of Transport is finalised.

Pedestrian safety was also raised, with Cllr Fahy highlighting what he described as a “dangerous hazard” due to the lack of continuous and properly maintained footpaths from Ballindooley Cross to the city limits.

“You cannot walk on half a footpath,” he said.

“You have to cross the road four times to walk from Ballindooley into the city. We are trying to encourage people to walk and cycle, but we are not giving them the facilities.”

He said existing footpaths should be resurfaced, cleaned, widened and extended, adding that land acquisition should not be required for improvements along much of the route.

He called on the council to make a formal funding proposal to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Council officials confirmed that a request had already been raised with TII in relation to Ballindooley Cross, which they said would be prioritised over footpath works.

They said they would not be confident that such works would rank highly for TII funding, particularly given limited resurfacing budgets.

Meanwhile, Cllr Fahy also drew attention to flooding outside Galway Shopping Centre on the Headford Road, where he said a blocked gully regularly causes water to surge onto the footpath.

“Pedestrians are getting the full force of the water,” he said.

Officials responded that the gully connects to a sewer under the control of Uisce Éireann and confirmed that the matter had been raised with the utility.

They added that the location suffered from broader issues linked to a combined sewer system.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Pictured: Cllr Frank Fahy