Group says it never viewed the trial as a given and were not expecting just a rubber stamp. Council official says hed be absolutely stunned if a trial didnt require additional permission, but national guidelines suggest otherwise.A number of Galway City councillors last night moved against a suggestion to trial a public transport priority measure while claiming that they are absolutely not voting against public transport.This follows a decision by the councils Project Development Strategic Policy Committee last month, which unanimously passed a motion to consider trialling a bus gate on the citys Salmon Weir Bridge.If it had been progressed, a bus gate would restrict the bridge to public transport only between 7am and 7pm, testing a measure already included in BusConnects Galways Cross City Link project. The suggestion came from the local sustainable transport advocacy group Galway Commuter Coalition, which presented the idea to the councils committee. After the motion passed by the committee members who were present, the Galway Commuter Coalition issued a press release which said that the proposals could be progressed to the next stage after that vote from councillors.The press release which can still be read online makes it clear that it was not a done deal. In the release, the group said: The proposal will now be brought to the Corporate Policy Group (CPG) of the Council, which consists of the Mayor and the Chairs of each of the other SPCs, before being brought to a full council vote. The Coalition looks forward to presenting once again, and appreciates the insights gained from todays meeting from the political, business and social leaders who voiced their support for the transformative results a Salmon Weir Bus Corridor could provide.But a number of councillors who voted to block the suggestion of a trial at last nights full council meeting were reported by Galway Bay FM as implying or stating that the group had said or implied that it was a sure thing.Cllr Peter Keane (Fianna Fil), a Project Development committee member who was not in attendance for the original vote on the trial concept, was reportedly said to have said that the Galway Commuter Coalitions press release and extensive media coverage had misled people.Galway Bay FM reported that Cllr Keane called it a hare-brained idea before he later softened his language and he stated that it was a well-intended proposal.Cllr Frank Fahy (Fine Gael) reportedly said that the group has every right to make a presentation to the committee but that they had ran to the media like it was gospel.Cllr Mike Cubbard, who is the chair of the committee, reportedly said it was shocked as anyone to see the press release. and said that the passing of the motion was never going to be a rubber stamp.Galway Bay FM reported that many councillors were keen to stress that in voting down the suggestion of trialling a bus priority measure they were absolutely not voting against public transport. Some gave reasons for this, including wanting a more comprehensive plan in place and more buses ready to go first.Wrong messagingIn an interview given to Galway Bay FM and published this morning as part of the Galway Talks with John Morley show recording this morning, Cllr Keane said: Unfortunately the messaging around the motion that was proposed by the Commuter Coalition was de facto that we were going to make a decision around the closure of the Salmon Weir Bridge, even on a pilot basis to see if we could improve mobility around that location.Unfortunately, the messaging around how that process takes place has been such that a lot of the businesses and the residents in the vicinity felt it was not correct, he said.He said the bus gate proposal was also part of the Galway BusConnects project, but that it was a much easier discussion to take place when there were more buses in place and more frequent routes in place by then and, with the help of God, the Galway City Outer bypass would be constructed and in full flow.A permanent bus gate on the Salmon Weir Bridge is planned to be put in place by BusConnects Galways Cross-City Link, which has planning approval but is being judicially appealed.Cllr Keane complained that the pedestrianisation of the Cross Street Lower in recent years restricted one of the four vehicular bridges over the River Corrib, and the suggestion to close off another bridge would be insane.He claimed that the council were willing to look at solutions but said: We cannot have a situation where an impression is given that something requires a quick rubber stamp and itll just be done, he said.There are processes to be followed in here, and the strategic policy committee around transport erred, as in my view this motion should not have been taken; it should have been ruled out of order. It should not have proceeded to the corporate policy group. But today was the day when the legislators for this city make the decision, and that was at a plenary session, and we just had to reject it.Within minutes of calling the suggestion insane, he also said that it was also laudable, but it cannot be done without more bus frequency.Permission for bus gatesGalway Bay FM also reported that an unnamed senior council engineer poured cold water on Galway Commuter Coalitions assertion that trialling the bus gate could cost less than 30k, and would not require any additional permissions.The broadcaster reported that the senior official said absolutely stunned if implementing a trial didnt require additional permissions. However, Section 38 of the Road Traffic Acts allows for bus priority measures and traffic restrictions, including significant restrictions and changes to traffic movements.Section 38 of the Road Traffic Acts allows traffic calming, cycling and bus priority measures to be trialled and even made permanent. The process has been used to provide bus priority by restricting general traffic on Dublins quays from passing OConnell Bridge.Section 38 guidelines issued by the Department of Transport in 2023 outline how the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, exempts works within the existing road which is under a value of 126,000 or which is primarily to enhance public bus services or improve facilities for cyclists from the requirement of obtaining Part 8 or other planning permission as long as the works are within the boundary of a public road or do not trigger full environmental assessments.The Court of Appeal also gave legal backing to the use of Section 38 to trial making Strand Road and Beach Road, a 2.8km section of a regional route, one-way for motorists. However, this has yet to be trialled.Group said it never viewed the trial as a givenIn a statement issued this afternoon, the Galway Commuter Coalition said that it wishes to make a number of clarifications covering the time from before its presentation to the Project Development SPC and last nights decision.Peter Neill, secretary of the Galway Commuter Coalition, said: From the first press releases on the Proposal, the Coalition expressed our gratitude for the opportunity to present to the Council and always proceeded with caution with regards to the next stages of the proposal, and caveated any progress with the fact we were proceeding towards the next step of a process.The Coalition engaged in a discussion with multiple stakeholders at the original SPC, hailing from commercial, environmental, construction and engineering backgrounds, and the subsequent engagement with the media was part of our wider pro-public transportation advocacy which ran alongside our campaign against the increases on bus and train fares, he said. Neill said: The Coalition views the discussions had by mainstream media, social media, and Galway residents both for and against the proposal as being inevitable, by virtue of the proposal being conducted via the City Council. The Coalition made a well-researched and balanced proposal in September, which was received well at the time, and continued that same approach moving forward in all media appearances and debated the merits of the plan when asked by the media in the interest of fair-and-frank discussion about real solutions to Galways transport crisis. He said the group never viewed the trial as a given or a rubber-stamp at any stage and was very grateful for the opportunity to present to the Project Development Strategic Policy Committee.Any narrowing of the facts was not conducted on our part, and we never engaged in any discussion that did not include the work if or could. Any timelines given out were those discussed at the SPC, and were likewise caveated as being points of discussion and hypothetical, said Neill.He added: The Galway Commuter Coalition has committed significant time to researching this case and still believe in the merits of the proposal, and will continue to work in good faith to see how different perspectives on planning policy and costings have been applied to the initial proposal. For those who believe the Salmon Weir Bus Corridor could not stand on its own, we ask that they advocate for the timely funding of the entire BusConnects programme for Galway, as that has been one of the major roadblocks to progress on public transportation in our city.