The National Transport Authority (NTA) is letting Galway down and must answer to local representatives for its broken promises.

That was the message of councillors at the recent July meeting of Galway County Council where it was heard that the NTA was refusing attend meetings of the various municipal districts – but had offered to come before a meeting of the full council.

Members expressed concerns that localised issues would be ignored in these circumstances and called into question the effectiveness of such a meeting – pointing out that the NTA attended the Council previously to outline plans for park and ride facilities and nothing had happened in the years since.

Cllr Geraldine Donohue (Ind) lamented that little was happening to improve links to the city from towns and villages in the county.

“The Galway Arts Festival was on and there wasn’t even public transport available at night from Loughrea and the surrounding villages to come into the festival.

“We can’t keep talking about this – something needs to be done. Even in our poorest days, we had public transport,” she said.

Cllr Martina Kinane (FF) said improvements were due to be implemented to the Local Link services from Oranmore to Clarinbridge and Kinvara, but said councillors needed to present the NTA with detailed proposals.

Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) said the NTA needed to set up an office in Galway to properly get to grips with the county’s transport needs and warned that failure to provide adequate transport was affecting businesses and communities in the county’s towns.

“We are supposed to be reducing emissions but people can’t get rid of their cars because of the poor public transport,” she said.

Cllr Eileen Mannion (FG) said Bus Éireann routes in Connemara had been withdrawn at a time when more routes should be added.

“We are very well served in Clifden but other areas are being left behind.

“There are Local Link services but in many cases, they’re not fit for purpose,” she said.

Cllr James Charity (Ind) said the NTA’s declining of an invitation to speak at Municipal Districts “should ring alarm bells”.

“It’s three to four years since [the NTA] last came down with proposed locations for park and ride and we haven’t seen sight nor sound of them since.

“They go out of here scot-free and don’t engage with us again for three or four years,” said Cllr Charity.

Cllr David Collins (FG) expressed similar concerns about the purpose of the NTA presenting to all 39 councillors at once.

“We need something on paper that the NTA is committed to certain projects in the county. Otherwise, it’s a waste of two to three hours and nothing will change,” he said.

Cllr Michael ‘Moegie’ Maher said councillors would be wasting their time outlining all the issues to the NTA in a meeting and said they needed to send representatives with solutions to the problems.

“They know well what needs to be done – we’re sick writing to them. They know students can’t get in and out of Galway,” said the Loughrea-based councillor.

“Unless they’re living on a different fecking planet, they know what’s going on. They come in front of us every few years to listen to us and then nothing changes,” he said.

Cllr Tomás Ó Curraoin (RSF) said bus passengers in South Connemara were being left standing on the side of the road and the NTA had failed to implement a simple solution of adding more buses.

“By the time the bus gets to Spiddal [from Carraroe], they are packed and there’s no room for people trying to get to school or go to work,” he said.

Chief Executive of Galway County Council, Liam Conneally, said the Executive, on behalf of councillors, had issued the invite to the NTA to attend the Municipal Districts and they returned with the offer of attending a plenary meeting in September or October.

“Under the Climate Action Plan adopted by this Council, there is a commitment that public service obligation (PSO) routes would be extended beyond those already in existence.

“Our Minister for Transport ahs been constantly advocating active travel as well as public service obligation routes,” he said.

Cathaoirleach Albert Dolan (FF) suggested that the Council should prepare a document identifying gaps in the current PSO routes and Mr Conneally committed that the Executive would provide that to councillors.

Pictured: Cllr Geraldine Donohue…something needs to be done and Cllr Evelyn Parsons…NTA needs to set up an office in Galway.