MINISTER KELLY TARGETS 5,000 USERS A DAY FOR GREENWAY RUNNING THROUGH NUIG CAMPUS
Public Transport Minister, Alan Kelly, has today (April 17th) announced the provision of €2 million for the development of a major new greenway between Galway City and Moycullen village.
The greenway will see the construction of a 2.5 to 3 meter wide walking/cycling greenway along the dismantled Connemara railway line running close to the banks of the Corrib between Galway city and Moycullen.
The route, which will run through the campus at NUI Galway, will provide a secure and safe environment for walkers and cyclists. It will be 12.4 kilometres long, 11.4 of which will be off-road and one kilometre on a quiet local road.
Announcing the news, Minister Alan Kelly said it will be the first greenway in Ireland that will be primarily targeted at daily cyclists as opposed to tourists.
“15,000 people commute from Moycullen to Galway on a typical working day. This greenway is first and foremost designed to facilitate those people being able to travel by bike. This greenway, which is among the first of its kind in the country, will link Moycullen with major employers in Galway city centre, the University Hospital and will run through NUI Galway’s campus. It will be perfect for students and in time, I believe over 5,000 people a day could use this greenway,” stated Minister Kelly.
“However, while targeted at daily users, it has major implications for tourism as it will run along the banks of the Corrib and will combine nicely with the Coke Zero bike scheme to dramatically improve the cycling offering within Galway city. In time, it will also act as the final leg of the Connemara greenway, eventually linking Oughterard, Clifden and Moycullen all to Galway city. The long term vision is to have a 75 kilometre greenway that connects the city to Connemara. All of this will act as a major boost to tourism in the west of Ireland,” added Kelly.
The Galway to Moycullen Greenway was one of only three successful greenway applications under the National Cycle Network. 38 applications were submitted by the local authorities to the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport for consideration for €6.3million of funding. This was part of the Government’s commitment to invest in the national cycle network. Two other greenway developments were announced – Glenbeigh to Cahirciveen in Co. Kerry and Clonea to Durrow in Co. Waterford.
Construction will commence very soon on Galway to Moycullen Greenway and will be completed in late 2015.
Ends
Galway to Moycullen
The route starts in the grounds of NUI Galway and runs along the Corrib River where it picks up the embankment of the old Clifden railway line. This section is completely off road and away from traffic and runs alongside the Abbey Hotel and Golf Course on the edge of Galway city. It then travels through agricultural land and the townland of Clooniff to the west of Moycullen Village. Moycullen, now a satellite town of Galway City, has plenty to offer the visitor with a host of services including cafes, restaurants and craft shops as well as the Connemara Marble Visitor Centre. It will make an ideal destination for short stay day trippers coming out from Galway.