It boils down to a simple position of We dont want this; itll make some people mad' says Cllr.Officials have said that providing bus lanes as part of a project on the Monivea Road in Galway would require CPOs of parts of houses, sheds, gardens and driveways, and the removal of a large number of trees, but some city councillors insist they cannot approve the project without them.The Monivea Road (East) Active Travel Scheme was supposed to go to a vote at a council meeting earlier this week, but the vote was delayed until next Wednesday, November 18th. But while Galway City Council officials maintained that with pedestrians and cyclists accounting for 71% of recorded collision injuries on Monivea Road, improving their safety is a key justification for intervention, even some councillors who claim to support road safety are against the project, saying the residents who are objecting deserve to know that their concerns are being heard and representedAnd despite hearing that the provision of bus lanes would lead to major impacts at 12 homes and more minor impacts at another 30 homes, some councillors were sticking to their guns against the project. IMAGE: A slide shown to councillors with an example of the impacts of adding bus lanes to the project, with CPOs required and house extensions, sheds, driveways and gardens impacted. Cllr Alan Curran (Social Democrats), who supports the project, said he is incredibly frustrated after this weeks meeting, including with the portrayal of the project as only cycle lanes and claims that bus lanes could fit on the road. He said the scheme is not just about cycling and that the benefit for the entire community will be immense.The project includes sections of wider footpaths, continuous raised footpaths at minor junctions, additional pedestrian crossings, a more visually appealing urban environment, upgraded bus stops including new shelters, and benches. It even includes full road resurfacing too. He said the project would lead to increased mobility and accessibility, which will provide for those of all ages and abilities.Cllr Curran said: I am still incredibly frustrated and perplexed about the meeting. The two main bones of contention by those who couldnt support the scheme were the lack of a priority bus lane, and lack of information around the scheme and the rushed nature of the decision.The rationale for excluding the bus lane were discussed extensively during the consultation process, the workshops that followed, and the presentation to councillors yesterday during the meeting. Either councillors are more technically proficient at urban planning and design than the active travel team of engineers, or they are using this as an excuse to oppose, he said.Cllr Curran said: A number of councillors also felt they didnt have sufficient time to study the scheme in detail, despite it being available to view since February. The Active Travel team couldnt have been more facilitating with councillors through the public consultation, the workshops, and arranging one-on-one meetings to go through the details of the scheme.He said he was unable to attend the workshop on the project for councillors, but organised a meeting with the project team in mid-March, where all his questions were answered to his satisfaction.This, he said, Leads me to conclude that either councillors couldnt attend briefings, workshops, or organise a meeting, or they didnt bother. None of the evidence-based points I made yesterday at the meeting were challenged by the councillors opposed to the scheme.He added: As I pointed out, despite the overwhelmingly positive impacts this scheme will bring to the community, it seemed to boil down to a simple position. We dont want this; itll make some people mad.Despite the councillors being shown the details of the project since earlier in the year and being put on public display as part of the Part 8 planning process, Cllr Shane Forde (FG) claimed it was being rushed. We were then informed that councillors were expected to vote on the proposal tonight in order for the project to proceed and funding to be drawn down. I couldnt believe that a matter of such importance was being rushed through in this way, he said.We will now reconvene next Wednesday Week to discuss the matter further before taking a vote. I have said from day one that this project, in its current form, is simply not going to work for our community. We need to be prioritising bus priority lanes and ensuring that any proposals genuinely address the needs of local residents, said Cllr Forde Cllr Alan Cheevers (Fianna Fil) claimed he was fully supportive of improving road safety, but said he could not support the project, which includes a package of safety measures beyond the cycle path, including traffic calming at minor roads and new pedestrian crossings at different points along the road. I want to make it clear that I cannot support the Monivea Road Active Travel Scheme in its current form.I believe we have to learn from the experience of the Ballybane scheme. We cannot afford to see a repeat of that situation, he said. Cllr Cheevers said: As public representatives, our responsibility is to represent the views and interests of our constituents. I genuinely believe that proceeding with this scheme, in its current format, would not be a true representation of the views of the people we represent.I want to stress that I am fully supportive of improving road safety, protecting pedestrians and making our roads safer for everyone. However, I do not believe that supporting those objectives should mean we must automatically support this particular scheme, he said. He said that he wants clarity that funding for what he termed as essential safety improvements, including pedestrian crossings, can still be secured and delivered without having to support the wider Active Travel Scheme.A core point of such schemes is that a package of safety and accessibility measures is included and planning and construction is more effective than doing it on an ad hoc basis, but Cllr Cheevers said: We should not allow essential safety measures to become caught up in a debate about a larger scheme. Our constituents deserve to see practical improvements delivered, and they deserve to know that their concerns are being heard and represented.He added: I cannot support the scheme as it stands, but I absolutely support doing what is necessary to make Monivea Road safer for pedestrians, motorists and the wider community. Ultimately, our responsibility is to listen to the people we represent and ensure their voices are heard.