M6 - Galway City Ring Road [planning decision pending]

Aard

I wouldn't argue about whether or not the current road space is "sufficient", but rather whether or not it is "efficient".

"Sufficient" talks about building more. "Efficient" talks about optimising what's there.

AugustusMinimus

Galway actually has a very large architecture of roads in the east of the city. However, all these roads are let down by the common Irish problem of going down the cheap route and using at grade junctions everywhere.

I would think Galway has more miles of road per capita than any other city in ireland due to sprawl.

Iwannahurl

Aard wrote: »

I wouldn't argue about whether or not the current road space is "sufficient", but rather whether or not it is "efficient".

"Sufficient" talks about building more. "Efficient" talks about optimising what's there.

That's a crucial point that has to be made over and over again.

Unfortunately the default mode has for decades been to favour supply-side measures (more road capacity for cars) over demand-side measures (better access and mobility for people).

http://www.vtpi.org/winwin.pdf

antoobrien

Aard wrote: »

"Sufficient" talks about the possible requirements for building more.

This would be more correct.

Iwannahurl

According to local media in Galway, the delegation to the European Commission has been told that the old bypass has not been "completely ruled out".

The European Commission has told a delegation from Galway that the old outer city bypass route is not completely off the table.

There have been repeated calls to reconsider the route, despite part of it being turned down by the E.U previously due to the Habitats Directive.

A delegation, made up of the Galway City and County mayors, local TDs, councillors, community representatives, council officials and engineers along with MEPS held an informal meeting with Commission officials in Brussels today.

Speaking to NewsBreak from Brussels, MEP Marian Harkin said the European Commission says the old bypass route has not been completely ruled out.

http://connachttribune.ie/old-outer-city-bypass-route-not-ruled-out-at-eu-meeting

If the report is accurate, and the Commission's assessment is valid, this will take some people by surprise.

It will be very interesting to see how this impacts on the N6 Galway City Transport Project's deliberations.

RandomUsername

"Route-of-planned-galway-bypass-decided"


"City planners will tell up to 400 affected landowners and councillors next week that planning permission will be sought for an amended version of the so-called 'pink' route, which will include changes to junctions and road layouts and take in elements of the 'blue' route."

"The Irish Independent has learned the road will travel from the N6/M6 around the city and will include a tunnel underneath Ballybrit Racecourse. This is sure to be a source of controversy amid claims it will close the track for the duration of the works.

Most of the road will be of dual carriageway standard, including a new bridge over the River Corrib north of the existing Quincentennial Bridge, but it is proposed to reduce the road width from Knocknacarra to cater for lower traffic volumes."

.

Aard

Can't wait to see the Strategic Environmental Assessment.

At least it's not the "green" route.

Galway City Council should draw up plans for targeted development along the corridor. Otherwise there'll just be a sea of even more unplanned business parks and housing estates surrounding the city.

SeanW

Looks like many of the routes - worst the Red route, would leave large segments of the connecting roads inside the city, (the N84, N59, soon to be ex-N17). If you have to drive into the city to get to the "bypass" it's not a bypass.

dubhthach

Aard wrote: »

Can't wait to see the Strategic Environmental Assessment.

At least it's not the "green" route.

Galway City Council should draw up plans for targeted development along the corridor. Otherwise there'll just be a sea of even more unplanned business parks and housing estates surrounding the city.

Well the issue would more be with Galway County Council, any sections sitting within the county council area would probably lead to opportunistic zoning by councillors -- Parkmore is prime example of county council leaching off the city.

Aard

Cross boundary cooperation is hugely important. Dublin City versus Fingal as a prime example of how not to do it. There are talks of a merged Galway City and County which should alleviate such issues.

dubhthach

As the pink route basically falls nearly within city boundary it mightn't be too huge of an issue. Of course personally I'd go for merger of the two local authorities with enlarged "urban district" (akin to what's happened in Limerick and Waterford).

Chris_5339762

A tunnel underneath the racecourse. Jesus Christ.

dubhthach

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

A tunnel underneath the racecourse. Jesus Christ.

Sure doesn't there already exist one under the track Question is which route are they selecting here. The pink would require tunnelling under the stables, whereas the blue route requires tunnel under track.

Subpopulus

Are they seriously suggesting putting a roundabout on a trumpet interchange? What use could that possibly serve?

monument

dubhthach wrote: »

Sure doesn't there already exist one under the track Question is which route are they selecting here. The pink would require tunnelling under the stables, whereas the blue route requires tunnel under track.

Where is that map from?

Schadenfreudia

Subpopulus wrote: »

Are they seriously suggesting putting a roundabout on a trumpet interchange? What use could that possibly serve?

Seems bizarre!

dubhthach

monument wrote: »

Where is that map from?

Arup's pdf, they didn't "flatten the layers" as a result you can go disable specific layers in Acrobat, in that case I disabled the obvious layers to do with other routes, as well as stuff like "hatching" than did a screengrab.

Iwannahurl

Subpopulus wrote: »

Are they seriously suggesting putting a roundabout on a trumpet interchange? What use could that possibly serve?

There's a deep-rooted, fetishistic, tribal adoration of roundabouts in Galway. Perhaps it's to satisfy such local desires.

what_traffic

Iwannahurl wrote: »

There's a deep-rooted, fetishistic, tribal adoration of roundabouts in Galway. Perhaps it's to satisfy such local desires.

I see what ya did there! We should have it written in the City Charter that we will always have a minimum of 14 Roundabouts in Galway

Iwannahurl

Or maybe add more tribes, so there's enough to go round (and round).

There are several lonely roundabouts languishing without a title...

serfboard

Heard a fella from a group from Barna which is opposed to the bypass on Galway Bay FM this morning. I expect that the better-off residents will be taking this thing through the courts for years, if changes aren't made to it.

M'learned friends are rubbing their hands gleefully in expectation ...

SeanW

Subpopulus wrote: »

Are they seriously suggesting putting a roundabout on a trumpet interchange? What use could that possibly serve?

Assuming the bypass from both ends onwards will be motorway, the roundabout would serve to allow non-motorway traffic heading towards the bypass from the old DC to return to it. Any road that leads unavoidably to a motorway must itself be motorway - this would allow the section between the old roundabout and the trumpet not to have motorway restrictions.

Though it seems bizarre that there would be such concern about 100M of road having to be motorway.
It's also bizarre if the N6 in one or both directions is not to be motorway, because then the roundabout is unnecessary.
It also seems bizarre to me that they plan to bring East-old RAB traffic into the trumpet junction when they could just as well leave the old bit of DC in place so you could drive directly from the East to the old roundabout, like now.

MBSnr

http://www.n6galwaycity.ie/phase-2/bulletin-5-02-05-2015/

Bulletin # 5 – 02-05-2015

The emerging preferred route corridor for the road component of the N6 Galway City Transport Project will be published after all affected property owners in the corridor have been notified in the next week. The corridor as published in media currently is incorrect.

Chris_5339762

Good. I really can't see the NRA (who are somewhat sensible in general) proposing a route that requires a tunnel under a racecourse. Thats a crazy, crazy suggestion. I've never heard of it anywhere else.

Aard

There's been so much to-do about this road that I'd be wary of trusting any source but the plans themselves.

Galway says NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO ENTRY"

Why so many "No Entry"signs?

Aard

The ones on the right look temporary, although I'm not too familiar with Galway. Which street is this?

Aard

Aard wrote: »

The ones on the right look temporary, although I'm not too familiar with Galway. Which street is this?

Don't know, but it is the image RTÉ have used with the story about the route been chosen.

Lough Atalia
The stretch under the bridge has been closed for works and what is normally a two-way road has been made one way temporarily.

Schadenfreudia

SeanW wrote: »

Any road that leads unavoidably to a motorway must itself be motorway - this would allow the section between the old roundabout and the trumpet not to have motorway restrictions.

They could simply do what they did with long sections of link roads to the M3 at Navan and the M9 at Kilkenny; line, sign it non-motorway even though once you are on those roads there is no way of avoiding the motorway. (I suppose in the case of the KK link you can do a u-turn!)