Virtual Image Of "New" O'Connell St. And Info On Plans

dv

To be honest, I don't really see the need for the castle walkway myself. It would partially obscure a great view of the castle from the other side of the river (and it would have to be fairly high up so as not to be flooded at high tide) and I really don't think it's that important to have a circular walkway around the entire river. Is it that much hassle just to go around or double back? When it comes to 800 year old castles, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

What I do like:
The new river walks. O'Callaghan and Clancy strand (+ new park) work is supposed to start soon isn't it?

Lighting up bridges and especially Curragour falls. Not many cities have such a dramatic river feature.

The skateboard park - hurry up and build the bloody thing already!

Nice to see Sasfield St. Dunnes, Arthur's Quay, Roches/Penney's area marked as a "major development opportunity site". I know this doesn't mean anything's going to happen but at least it's someway recognised as the shameful waste of space it is.

Also nice to see the Crescent getting a mention, one of the nicest parts of the city centre.

dv

Double post. Bugger.

Karmafaerie

sioda wrote:

Karmafaerie: its nice to hear the real reason for the castle structure being mentioned as it gets a lot of stick but serves a vital purpose.

I am really looking forward to the new bus depot think it will bring easier access to the city and add to the transport links.

Gotta agree about the walkway though unless its an independent structure away from the castle I wold fight against it myself

TBH I was probably one of the ones so vehemently against it until I found out the reasoning.:D
I've always hated the building, but it was the best of a bad situation so to speak.

Limerick Dude wrote:

Karma, have you not seen the picture of the stone walkway along the castke wall, it blends in really well with the caste and its not 'defacing' it as you put it, it looks really good.

Well, I think that we can all agree that virtual images quite often look very different from the finished project.
Also, as DV pointed out, it would have to be higher than shown in that image in order for it to be above high tide.
I have no problem in theory with the walkway, but that stone walkway looks suspiciously like it was built right off the original wall.
That would mean that it would be damaging in the long run.
I'd much, much prefer that if they were going to have a walkway, they build it a few feet back from the wall, not up against it.

Clare gunner

Oh booy!!Can we say donut conurbation???
Soo we pedesterinise lower O Connell st up to what Cecil st?.So now all traffic has to go up William st,then go right and feed back into town to get to upper Limerick ,and Newtown Pery?Hmmmm!!

Next start modernising William st,which will be carrying double the traffic load from the ghost street that was O Connell st.Not to mind that the whole of Patrick st will be coming online to be dug up and demolished for the Oprea house project. End result;it will be better off avoiding city centre like the plauge for the next five years!!!!Which will do CC trading a power of good and force the few left out.
In a few years time O connell st will be an empty street full of to let shops,that no one wants because of delivery problems and access to by shoppers.Not to mind exhoribant rates and rent will make it unaffordable to anyone bar a chainstore.And then who wants to tramp amile carrying bags to your car ,when you can pull up outside a mall on the outskirts and have to walk a 100 meters max to your car?

Who thought this mess up at all down in city hall???No one obviously looked at other cities around the world to see what happens when you pedesterinise your main throughfares.
Sort of like blocking one major artery of your heart.

Goofy

The whole point of pedestrianisation is to force people to leave their cars outside the city centre. Thus making it more pleasent to shop there.
The shops on Bedford Row and Lower Thomas Street have said that business has increased significantly since the pedestrianisation.

Karmafaerie

CG, take a proper look at the plans.

A full orbital Traffic system has been laid out that would circumvent the entire city center, while still allowing the same freedom of movement, and even speeding up some of the traffic issues already there.

The Pedestrianisation of O'Connell Street is only going as far as Roches Street, and William Street will still have two lanes of one-way traffic, without the gridlock around centra and the rows of parked cars.

The whole idea of this pedestrianisation is to free up the city center, and orbital routes always prove better than what we have at the moment, which is a really bad system.

People are constantly coming on here and nay-saying against this project before they know a fraction of the facts.
This plan is to help traffic flow, as much as to pedestrianise the city center.

Here's the layout of the soon to be implemented new traffic system.



P.S: Don't forget, the last legs of the Limerick bypasses are now started, so Within the next couple of years there will be significantly less traffic coming through the city anyway.
I for one am fed up of the main street in Limerick being clogged up with Lorries.
No city should have a national route going through it's city center!

1huge1

Last legs of the bypass? you mean the tunnel yes?

and Clare Gunner your taking a very pessimistic look at it, from my experience of cities in germany with city centre's that are pedestrianised i.e dusseldorf and dortmund I can gurantee you there is no shops to let instead you have all the top brands sure look at beford row

Clare gunner

well 1huge1
I am half German and I can tell you thet alot of German cities are totally different to anything we have;

1]Most of their city centres were destroyed in the war to ground level and rebuilt with the concept of expansion in the future.IE roads were laid out with traffic of cars and trucks in mind.Ours are still built with asses and carts in mind,nor have our cities been demolished courtsey of Axis or Allied bombing.

2]Said buildings are now in the 30 /50 year age group and do not charge exhorbriant ground rates/rent that we are doing on new buildings...How many New shops are there around town that are up for rent???And not filled with top brand retailers.

3]Trying to compare Dusseldorf with a pouplation of 4million plus to Limerick is ludicrious.With 4million you will have the turnover to pay for exclusive city centre rents.I had a busisness in Limerick,and quit the city centre because the rates were killing me.

4]German cities already have included alt methods of transporting people IE busses and trams,and proper acess for people to deliver to said shops their supplies usually at 5am untill 7 AM. We are just falling out of the scratcher at this time in Ireland..:) .So I cant see THAT one working too well.
Plus if you dont want people coming by car into the city centre,you have to provide close parking areas or a shuttle bus service from the car parking areas.Are you going to want to lug a load of pshopping a mile to your car ????

5]Bedford Row...hmmm I was on it today.Still a big construction site on one end a pub[not open] a barber,a clothes shop,a nother building site starting,a massive ugly chipper and block house style red brick bank!! Horrible street furniture,and a already filthy with vomit stains, blood and dog ****e on a now grey slabbing.
No German city would allow or tolerate such a mess on it's street.Especially one opened so recently.

So NOTE to City and traffic planners.
Consider early morning deliveries like between 0400 to 0630,and 18:00 to 21:00 for trucks.After that any delivery and busisness that delivers outside that faces a 1000 euro fine!!! Works in London. NOTE also traffic wardens and other inconsiderate motorists out there.If your car does not have commerical insurance,please FUKoff out of the commerical parking bays!!!!:mad: :mad:
Your Beemer does not qualify as a van while you hop into Brown Thomas for that little cocktail number,and take 3 blooddy hours to decide and collect.They are there for people making deliveries and working vechicles to park to load or unload equipment.

Quit choking the main arteriers with construction sites.Henry St is a disaster!Visually as well as with traffic,it is now like a canyon in New York city!!!
Get the damn traffic lights from Shelbourne rd to upper William st to go GREEN all together.It is totally stupid when you come to Sarsfield bridge that the damn lights at Dunne stores go red and the other set including the new ones at the Hilton hotel[who thought THAT was a good idea??] are Green and the traffic backs up the bridge,while William st goes somwhat forward.
You would REALLY want to get that sorted out before you start going chopping up O Connell st.Then to keep this now vital route clear can I suggest digging it up and doing whatever in the Summer,prefably at night???
Not in Autumn,when everyone is doing the brat run to and from school.The town is an obstacle course enough due to bad policing of building sites,etc.

So now if I want to go to the Cresent going by this plan.I have to go up William st,turn right onSextonSt,down Parnell St,down Mallow St and then hope to find parking spaces in Newtown Pery??? Hmmm three times the distance,burning twice as much fuel in the traffic jam that will ensue,as these roads wont handle this double of traffic.Global warming anyone???
Limerick SNAFU.

Karmafaerie

1huge1 wrote:

Last legs of the bypass? you mean the tunnel yes?

I said the last legs have "started"!

I've lived here my whole life, don't worry, I'm used to Irish construction times by now!;)

talkingclock

William Street was closed for traffic due to the parade. It was very nice. Not the parade but William Street. A feeling of space and air! Enough room to walk along!