A campaign group has called for an urgent independent safety review of some of Galway’s busiest junctions following a serious collision between a lorry driver and a cyclist on a slip road off the Quincentenary Bridge that caused lengthy tailbacks in rush hour on all routes.

There were also unconfirmed reports that a boy on a bike was hit by a motorist at a busy Knocknacarra junction yesterday (Thursday) morning.

A man in his 50s was taken to University Hospital Galway with serious injuries after the collision at 4pm on Wednesday at the junction of the N6 and the Headford Road. An update on his condition was not released on Thursday morning.

Gardaí said that the road was closed for a period of time with up to a dozen officers measuring the road during their investigation. It re-opened later on Wednesday evening but not before traffic was backed up as far away as the Western Distributor Road in Knocknacarra until at least 7pm.

At the time of going to press, Gardaí had not confirmed an incident reported by cycling campaigners about a boy being struck by a truck driver outside outside the Knocknacarra Shopping Centre on Shangort Road at 8.20am.

The incidents led to a new road safety group, Safer Streets 4 All, to call for an urgent independent safety review by the Road Safety Authority of some of Galway’s junctions, pointing out that this junction underwent a safety audit as part of its conversion from a roundabout in 2011.

The collisiontracker.ie website shows two recent near misses at the point where the Quincentenary Bridge ends and drivers can cut across cyclists, spokesman Dave Mathieson points out.

“It is not clear how a slip lane design like this could be deemed safe for cyclists.  The design encourages fast-moving drivers to continue driving, at speed, directly across a cycle lane. The danger of this design has only increased after the recent speed limit increase on this road,” he stated.

“Collisions like this highlight serious deficiencies in Galway City’s road and cycling infrastructure. These deficiencies are pronounced in locations like this, where a segregated lane offering good protection for some of the distance turns into a paint-only lane with crossing fast vehicles. This is the exact point where cyclists need the most protection.”

Pictured: The scene of Wednesday’s accident on the Quincentenary Bridge road.