If the Oral Hearing into the proposed Galway City Outer Bypass is anything to go by, Galway motorists could be waiting a long time in traffic before the first sod on this project is turned. The hearing, never mind the project, has been beset with delays that could serve as an ominous sign of the problems that could yet lie ahead.

First, the hearing was put back for six months to allow for the translation of the Environmental Impact Statements into Irish, then it was the translation system itself, now opponents of the road have accused the local authority of deliberately setting out to deceive the public, citing inaccuracies in the maps.

There's no doubting something needs to be done about Galway's traffic gridlock, but debate has raged over whether the solution is to be found in a bypass. There have been 140 objections lodged against the project, which will involve a fifth bridge over the Corrib, four new roundabouts (God help us) and 21 kilometres of road. That's a lot to get through in two weeks.

Of course, much of what surfaces at the bypass hearing will be of little surprise to those familiar with both sides of the debate. That the bypass will cut traffic, hopefully, making the city more accessible, with a knock on effect for business and tourism has been well documented, as have the anti-road lobbyists' points that Ireland should be reducing its carbon-footprint, moving away from relying on oil, looking to public transport and looking at the overall environmental affect that the road will have.

But in advance of the oral hearing, what hasn't been discussed to any great extent is the affect the road will have on the families the road literally touches. Some 171 land holdings are said to be affected by the road, 76 of which will have the new road dividing their farms.

These people are the real people affected by the proposed new road and their testimonies will be very interesting. They need to be given a voice and they need to be listened to when final decisions are being made. It's interesting that snails and bog cotton can delay, even re-route projects but families, homesteads and livelihoods seem to get little air time. Bypassing these and other concerns could be the real challenge.

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