This article is from page 13 of the 2011-06-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
PLANS to begin a commercial commuter ferry service connecting Ballyvaughan and Galway City took its first major step forward last week when Leader granted funding for a feasibility study into the project to take place.
Over the next few weeks, an independent UK agency will compile a report on the proposed link which it is hoped will provide the technical and economic information to allow a private operator to begin the service.
While the campaign is being spearheaded by a Ballyvaughan-based group, the survey team will examine whether an alternative location in Clare could be more suitable for the ferry connection.
The proposed link is being spearheaded by the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop organisation, who believe that a non-subsidised commuter ferry could turn a profit by transporting people to and from Galway each day.
“This is a community-based project so what we want them to do is to see if this will be a feasible service to have in the long term. I live in Ballyvaughan, so I have been coming at this from that point of view but they will examine which are the best places to locate this service from – it could be Ballyvaughan, it could be New Quay or it could be somewhere else,” said Gwen Ryan of the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop group.
“The survey should take about eight week to complete and they will be contacting all the local stakeholders to get their opinions. There will be a report completed by the end of August so we should know by then how this ferry connection could work.”
The ferry connections is envisioned primarily for people living in North Clare but working in Galway, however it could also transport tourists during the summer season. The ferry trip from Ballyvaughan to Galway City will take less than half an hour, shaving more than an hour off a person’s daily commute.
“This would firstly give the people living in North Clare more transport options but it would also give tourists in Galway a different way of getting to the Burren as well. So hopefully it can work both ways,” continued Gwen.
“On a calm day, it will take between 20 minutes and half an hour to get from Ballyvaughan to Galway city. We want to prove that this will be sustainable without subsidies subsidies are not what we are looking for at the moment.”
For more information on the Hop, visit www.ballyvaughanbayhop.com or contact Gwen on gwen@ballyvaughanbayhop.com.