From the Galway City Tribune – Motorists driving through red lights are endangering the public, a policing meeting in Galway was told last week.

Councillor Frank Fahy (FG), a taxi driver, said he regularly witnessed drivers going through red lights.

“It’s a major issue. It’s not that they are going through on amber. They are speeding up and going through lights that are red,” he said.

He relayed two recent incidents where cars sped up through red lights that had been red for a few seconds. One incident was at Claregalway village and the other was on the Headford Road in the city.

“It is dangerous and needs to be addressed,” he said at a Galway City Joint Policing Committee meeting.

Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche said he would ask the Roads Policing Unit to focus on motorists running red lights.

This article first appeared in the print edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism by subscribing to the Galway City Tribune HERE. A one-year digital subscription costs just €89.00. The print edition is in shops every Friday.

Meanwhile, Gardaí and City Council wardens have been urged to target illegal parking in the city.

Community activist Tommy Flaherty told the meeting that illegal parking was rife in Galway.

Car owners were parking illegally in disabled parking spaces, on double-yellow lines and on footpaths, pushing pedestrians and wheelchair users out onto the road.

Mr Flaherty said he had raised this issue at JPC level for the past six years, and the problem persists.

Chief Supt Roche said enforcement was a matter for the Council as much for Gardaí.

The local Roads Policing Unit does monitor illegal parking, and issues fines and tows vehicles away, he said.

Councillors Donal Lyons and Terry O’Flaherty (both Ind), agreed with the sentiments expressed by Mr Flaherty but cautioned that sometimes in housing estates in the suburbs it was necessary to partially park on green spaces, or footpaths, in order to allow room for emergency services to get by.

Mr Flaherty said he would supply photographic evidence of illegal parking.