It is the third Sunday in a row that car enthusiasts gathered in the village for the “car meet”.
Gardaí have put a policing plan in place after a gathering of “boy racers” caused traffic chaos in Salthill on Sunday 23 May.
Footage on social media from the event shows traffic held up on the road from the Seapoint roundabout towards Leisureland and Blackrock with little movement.
“Gardaí in Galway and Salthill had a policing plan in place to cope with the gathering which took place in Galway City,” “Gardaí confirmed to JOE on Monday.
“Gardaí continue to engage, explain and encourage the public in relation to the Covid Public Health Regulations with enforcement as a last resort.”
They added that the Road Traffic Act was utilized where appropriate.
“We continue to appeal to the public to avoid crowded areas and large gatherings,” they continued.
It is reportedly the third Sunday in a row that car enthusiasts gathered in the village for the “car meet”.
Fine Gael Councillor, Clodagh Higgins, called the events in Salthill over the weekend “unacceptable”.
“This is the third Sunday in a row that car enthusiasts are gathering in the village,” she said.“We are not a suitable location for this…”
Higgins added that there were tailbacks for multiple hours on the day, with some food businesses forced to close and “elderly and vulnerable are afraid to leave their homes”.
“This isn’t good enough with businesses working hard trying to get back up and running after such a challenging time,” she continued.
“These Salthill Sunday’s cannot continue. Our village is not a suitable venue for these meet-ups. I’ve been speaking with the Gardai and will reach out to organisers to discuss finding an alternative, safer place.”
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
