A petition calling for improved safety features along the River Corrib in Galway city has gotten more than 15,000 signatures in less than two days.
The online petition on Change.org calls for more safety features along the banks of the river Corrib in the city.
It claims that without ladders and nets to give people a way to climb out falling into the river “is like falling into lava.”
Despite being one of the shortest rivers in Europe, flowing just six kilometres from Lough Corrib to Galway Bay, it is one of the most dangerous.
The Lower Corrib flowing through Galway city is the fastest river in a city in Europe.
Several steps have been taken recently to try and improve safety along the river which claims lives every year.
The Western Region Drug and Alcohol Task Force released the ‘Galway Safe App’ in 2017 that uses GPS to monitor if you’re lingering in the are of the Spanish Arch and Wolfe Tone Bridge between 10am and 6pm.
If you spend much time in the area between those hours it asks users to confirm that they’re okay or would like to contact emergency services.
A pilot programme to install thermal imagining sensors along the river also received funding from the government in November.
The thermal cameras will monitor the water and automatically alert gardaí if they detect someone going in.
The Corrib is can be a danger to people out on the town in Galway as much of the nightlife in the city is clustered near it.
This petition claims that good quality CCTV cameras should be installed along the river to help identify anyone who does go into the water.
