Cycling in Galway

Cycling is good for you and for the place you live in.  Cycling benefits your health and wellbeing through increased physical activity.  Travelling by bike could also be quicker and cheaper, especially on short local journeys. When more people cycle, this also reduces car dependency which can reduce congestion and pollution caused by cars.

The Walking and Cycling Index 2025 Galway Metropolitan Area report has found that cycling is already delivering significant benefits to Galway.  It found that:

• 67% of adult residents walk 5 or more days a week, 55% use a car 5 or more days a week. 

• 69% of women walk or wheel 5 or more days a week, up from 64% in 2023. 

• 1 in 5 (21%) adults cycle at least once a week.

• 82% of residents support building cycle tracks physically separated from traffic and pedestrians, even where that means less room for other traffic.

• Every day those who walk, wheel or cycle for non-leisure trips when they could have used a car take up to 23,000 cars off the road in the Galway Metropolitan Area. If all of these cars were in a traffic jam it would tail back 112 kilometres. 

• Residents walking, wheeling and cycling create an annual economic benefit for individuals and the Galway Metropolitan Area of €171.1 million.

• Walking, wheeling and cycling improve public health in the Galway Metropolitan Area, preventing 278 long term serious health conditions annually and saving the HSE €3.6million equivalent to the cost of over 60,000 GP appointments.

• Those walking, wheeling and cycling instead of driving, save greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 36,000 flights from Shannon Airport to London Heathrow Airport. 

The Galway Metropolitan Area Walking and Cycling Index 2025 can be accessed by clicking on this link

The first Walking and Cycling Index Report for Galway was published in 2024 (prepared in 2023) and can be read by clicking on this link.