Traffic management - a couple of simple suggestions to Waterford City Council

fricatus

Dunmore Road:

A lot of the tailbacks there in the morning are caused by the pedestrian lights at Powerscourt not being in sequence with the lights 50m away at the top of Island Lane.

Solution: link the two sets of lights so that they change together.


City Square:

Most of the traffic in Arundel Square is caused by those stupid traffic lights by A-Wear. These are a relic from the days when that junction was a proper crossroads. They're not needed any more, so they should just be replaced with pelican crossings so that pedestrians have priority.

Also, there are tailbacks down by the Belfry Hotel all the time because people block the place up trying to turn right towards the Tower.

Solution: either put physical measures in place to stop people turning right, or (better in my view) put traffic lights down there so that the traffic can flow out of that street in both directions onto the Quay. There could be a pedestrian crossing there too - sequenced with the one at the Clock Tower so as to cause minimum delay to traffic.

Anyone else want to submit their own little traffic solutions? Maybe we could eventually e-mail the link to the City Council and see if they agree with us?

KingLoser

Re-open Broad St. to traffic ta fook!

gscully

fricatus wrote: »

Dunmore Road:

A lot of the tailbacks there in the morning are caused by the pedestrian lights at Powerscourt not being in sequence with the lights 50m away at the top of Island Lane.

Solution: link the two sets of lights so that they change together.


City Square:

Most of the traffic in Arundel Square is caused by those stupid traffic lights by A-Wear. These are a relic from the days when that junction was a proper crossroads. They're not needed any more, so they should just be replaced with pelican crossings so that pedestrians have priority.

Also, there are tailbacks down by the Belfry Hotel all the time because people block the place up trying to turn right towards the Tower.

Solution: either put physical measures in place to stop people turning right, or (better in my view) put traffic lights down there so that the traffic can flow out of that street in both directions onto the Quay. There could be a pedestrian crossing there too - sequenced with the one at the Clock Tower so as to cause minimum delay to traffic.

Anyone else want to submit their own little traffic solutions? Maybe we could eventually e-mail the link to the City Council and see if they agree with us?

Agree with you about the lights on the Dunmore Rd.

If you give priority to pedestrians at the foot of Patrick St, you can forget about cars ever being able to move. As it is, pedestrians walk across regardless.

Good point about the junction at the Belfry - why not move the lights from the clock tower to there (they're currently only used as pedestrian lights, or during loading hours in the early morning)?

My own thoughts would be that traffic wardens should concern themselves primarily with traffic continually pulling in or parking on the yellow lines along the quay (especially at the GPO). But no, someone with a ticket recently expired or no ticket at all, but parked in a legitimate space will get a parking fine before anyone blocking one of the city's main driving lanes!

Also, the amount of selfishness from drivers in relation to driving through red lights, or stopping on a yellow box really pisses me off. The top of the Folly is ridiculous for traffic turning up towards Grange going through the red light. The junction with Colbeck St / Parnell St / Mary St is also bad for traffic stopping on the yellow box.

fricatus

KingLoser wrote: »

Re-open Broad St. to traffic ta fook!

I presume from the wink on your avatar's face that you're joking. Either that or you're a taxi driver, because that whole proposal only makes sense from the point of view of the taxi drivers.

For all the rest of us, who enjoy walking around the city centre in peace, without having to constantly look left and right, that proposal is the most retarded piece of thinking I've seen in a long time. To think we've got people even entertaining the idea, and worse, a councillor actually in support of it! He must be mates with a lot of taxi drivers...

fricatus

gscully wrote: »

Agree If you give priority to pedestrians at the foot of Patrick St, you can forget about cars ever being able to move. As it is, pedestrians walk across regardless.

I don't agree. Cars come out of City Square at a rate of maybe one per 30 seconds at the busiest time. They can easily filter through as they arrive. As things stand, you come out of City Square and spend 3-4 minutes waiting at the lights, and then the pedestrians still walk across. Which is worse?

gscully wrote: »

My own thoughts would be that traffic wardens should concern themselves primarily with traffic continually pulling in or parking on the yellow lines along the quay (especially at the GPO). But no, someone with a ticket recently expired or no ticket at all, but parked in a legitimate space will get a parking fine before anyone blocking one of the city's main driving lanes!

Trouble with the traffic wardens is that as far as I know, their remit is to do with revenue, not traffic flow. I think the Garda are the people who are responsible for keeping the traffic moving - so in that case, why aren't they down moving people along down on the Quay?

A related point: there was a clearway declared with temporary signs down outside Days Hotel (formerly the Bridge) back last year or earlier this year, but it seems to have died a death. Yet I regularly see tour buses unloading in the traffic lane and holding everything up.

What the hell is stopping these tour buses from going around the corner where there's plenty of space? If they want to get out into the traffic again, they can just go around the block - the one-way system allows perfectly for this.

KingLoser

fricatus wrote: »

I presume from the wink on your avatar's face that you're joking. Either that or you're a taxi driver, because that whole proposal only makes sense from the point of view of the taxi drivers.

For all the rest of us, who enjoy walking around the city centre in peace, without having to constantly look left and right, that proposal is the most retarded piece of thinking I've seen in a long time. To think we've got people even entertaining the idea, and worse, a councillor actually in support of it! He must be mates with a lot of taxi drivers...

"the most retarded piece of thinking in a long time"....

NOTE: "Long time" is since they made the decision to close the road.

What has it achieved? A square too big for the small city to support, pathetically pretentious street "art", oh yeah, and the closure of anything even resembling a night life in the "centre".

But hey, I'm done typing, the place speaks (in a silent kinda way..) for itself after 5.30pm. Every. Single. Day.

Ya... retarded.

Cabaal

gscully wrote: »

Good point about the junction at the Belfry - why not move the lights from the clock tower to there (they're currently only used as pedestrian lights, or during loading hours in the early morning)?

Because the amount of J walking would go up 100's of % as most people walk from Pennys etc down to Clock tower crossing to get to the buses, they are not going to walk all the way up towards the Belfry to cross when they then have to double back to get to the buses

As for removing lights from A-Wear, you'd have to be crazy...the Taxi drivers would have someone killed within two weeks by charging there way through the cross walk after they get annoyed because nobody walking would stop to allow them to drive off.

Taxi's should be down on the quays, it would make the middle of town alot less mad

ROCKMAN

Heard a little story that as soon as we have the second bridge , That trucks will be ban from the quay ,Only allowed enter a certain times ,early early morning /late night for delivery only .
All the trucks for the estates and factories having to use outher road.

Think this would work great and free up from quay all the way to woodlawn grove. Think how many cars can get through a set of lights in the same time as 1/2 trucks

Cabaal

KingLoser wrote: »

"the most retarded piece of thinking in a long time"....

NOTE: "Long time" is since they made the decision to close the road.

What has it achieved? A square too big for the small city to support, pathetically pretentious street "art", oh yeah, and the closure of anything even resembling a night life in the "centre".

But hey, I'm done typing, the place speaks (in a silent kinda way..) for itself after 5.30pm. Every. Single. Day.

Ya... retarded.

Your kidding me right, so instead of allowing for proper space for people to walk around and shop you want to kill the town with traffic congestion and parking right in its center?

So every other city can have a pedestrian area but Waterford will die a death if it does? lets see Kilkenny has one, Cork has one, Dublin has many, Galway, Clonmel yet they all live but Waterford dies a death and has no nightlife?

Ever think that businesses in the middle of Waterford are the issue and not traffic and taxi ranks not being allowed smother the city center?

btw just curious, going on fricatus comments about you being a taxi driver since you had this idea, are you a taxi driver or related to a taxi driver?

fricatus

Cabaal wrote: »

Because the amount of J walking would go up 100's of % as most people walk from Pennys etc down to Clock tower crossing to get to the buses, they are not going to walk all the way up towards the Belfry to cross when they then have to double back to get to the buses

Those pedestrian lights should be left in place as a pedestrian crossing and sequenced with any future lights below the Belfry Hotel.

ROCKMAN wrote: »

Heard a little story that as soon as we have the second bridge , That trucks will be ban from the quay ,Only allowed enter a certain times ,early early morning /late night for delivery only .
All the trucks for the estates and factories having to use outher road.

Think this would work great and free up from quay all the way to woodlawn grove. Think how many cars can get through a set of lights in the same time as 1/2 trucks

What they really ought to do is once the second bridge is open, put a toll on Rice Bridge and take the toll off the new road. They could exempt buses and taxis from it.

KingLoser wrote: »

"the most retarded piece of thinking in a long time"....

NOTE: "Long time" is since they made the decision to close the road.

What has it achieved? A square too big for the small city to support, pathetically pretentious street "art", oh yeah, and the closure of anything even resembling a night life in the "centre".

But hey, I'm done typing, the place speaks (in a silent kinda way..) for itself after 5.30pm. Every. Single. Day.

Ya... retarded.

Deserves its own thread... give me a few minutes.

DanGlee

I have to agree with the poster that mentioned the retards that park on the quay...

PEOPLE... ITS A F***KING DOUBLE YELLOW!!! And people double park next to other cars, taking up the whole lane... for all those people that park on the quay, outside the Post Office, outside Centra... you are all F***ING MUPPETS and want running off the road... if I hit your car and bust you up while your in it, TOUGH ****... Its your own F**KING FAULT!

This REALLY, REALLY, REALLY gets to me... I can't drive down the left hand lane anymore before of all these clowns that just basically STOP THEIR CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD with no consideration for other people...

The Garda need to seriously do something about these DICKS that do this... Its only going to be a matter of time before one of them opens their door and loses either the door or their leg... and you'll get no fookin sympathy off me thats for sure!

Rant Over!

ARRRRGHHHH..........!!!!! :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Cabaal

Generally speaking I've not have issues with cars too much at the GPO but I have to say Centra is a bloody joke, Gardai could make a fortune by fining people for double parking and driving dangerously in and around it.

mike65

DanGlee wrote: »

for all those people that park on the quay, outside the Post Office, outside Centra... you are all F***ING MUPPETS and want running off the road... if I hit your car and bust you up while your in it, TOUGH ****... Its your own F**KING FAULT!

I think you'll discover a court takes a different view. They are a pain but as there are two lanes its not a disaster, that said the traffic wardens don't seem to care too much. They prefer to lurk in the official carparks, where the hits per yard are higher, it seems

muffler

Settle down lads. You can get your point across just as easily without the colourful language.

Waynecarr

Bridge would flow a lot better into town if you did not have that right turn down to Grattan Quay. Essentially 1 car stops 20-30 getting by.

Parking in the inside lane on both sides of the quay is a joke and dangerous. Why oh why do idiot drivers think its ok to park in a traffic lane on one of the busiest roads in town and think hazard lights make it ok. I notice they have recently put some lines on the road around the post office highlighting its a main road but this does not seem to have deterred the idiots.

Drives me clucking insane

Waynecarr

mike65 wrote: »

They are a pain but as there are two lanes its not a disaster,

Sorry Mike but no way. You cannot seriously cannot think its ok to stop up in the inside lane on the quay

fricatus

Waynecarr wrote: »

Bridge would flow a lot better into town if you did not have that right turn down to Grattan Quay. Essentially 1 car stops 20-30 getting by.

Easily solved. Are you listening Waterford City Council?

Ban the right turn. Put up a sign in Ferrybank and another on Sallypark saying for Grattan Quay/Bilberry, please follow the signs.

Then put a sign for Bilberry going straight on at the bridge inbound, one going left onto O'Connell St, one going left onto Vulcan St, one left onto the Quay and then one straight on at the Quay. Bingo! Problem solved.

AND THEN FINE THE IDIOTS WHO HOLD UP THE TRAFFIC.

mike65

Waynecarr,

Of course not (I don't have straw coming out of my ears) they should be moved on, I just make the point its not as if the whole road is blocked. Nothing more.

The vehicles can be a hazzard regarding pedestrians who appear from behind SUVs, small vans etc.

gscully

Cabaal wrote: »

Generally speaking I've not have issues with cars too much at the GPO but I have to say Centra is a bloody joke, Gardai could make a fortune by fining people for double parking and driving dangerously in and around it.

The issue is that traffic coming from Reginalds Tower correctly move into the left lane if they intend heading to City Sq carpark, but by the time they reach the GPO, they often have to (partially) move back out into the right lane. It's dangerous.

But as long as they have their hazard lights on, it's ok right?

DanGlee

The problem is, no one cares about this problem.

The cops drive past it all the time, the traffic wardens couldn't give a turd about it... and you know what the sicking honest truth about this problem is... there is only one way it will be stopped...

After somebody has been killed getting in / out of their car after being wiped out by a lorry or something... its the sad truth, but matters like this never get a second look until somebody dies...

gscully

fricatus wrote: »

I don't agree. Cars come out of City Square at a rate of maybe one per 30 seconds at the busiest time. They can easily filter through as they arrive. As things stand, you come out of City Square and spend 3-4 minutes waiting at the lights, and then the pedestrians still walk across. Which is worse?

It's not just about traffic from City Square though. You have many cars coming up Exchange St and turning across High St and on towards Patrick St. You also have the traffic coming down Patrick St.

If you gave pedestrians full control, any Saturday would be chaos! As someone mentioned, the taxis beside Dunnes would not take too kindly to giving way!

fricatus

Mods, my post from 14.23... apologies, but could you move it to the other thread?

Waynecarr

fricatus wrote: »

Easily solved. Are you listening Waterford City Council?

Ban the right turn. Put up a sign in Ferrybank and another on Sallypark saying for Grattan Quay/Bilberry, please follow the signs.

Then put a sign for Bilberry going straight on at the bridge inbound, one going left onto O'Connell St, one going left onto Vulcan St, one left onto the Quay and then one straight on at the Quay. Bingo! Problem solved.

AND THEN FINE THE IDIOTS WHO HOLD UP THE TRAFFIC.

Seems like a good idea to me. The only issue I imagine would be HGVs taking the proposed route especially the turn onto Vulcan St from O'Connel St

Cabaal

Waynecarr wrote: »

Parking in the inside lane on both sides of the quay is a joke and dangerous. Why oh why do idiot drivers think its ok to park in a traffic lane on one of the busiest roads in town and think hazard lights make it ok.

I've often heard people refer to hazards as "park anywhere lights" some feckin joke, fine the lot of them for illegal parking

gscully wrote: »

The issue is that traffic coming from Reginalds Tower correctly move into the left lane if they intend heading to City Sq carpark, but by the time they reach the GPO, they often have to (partially) move back out into the right lane. It's dangerous.

But as long as they have their hazard lights on, it's ok right?

I'm not saying it doesn't happen and its alright I'm merely saying I've not noticed it to be a big issues...but I guess that has to do with the times I drive on the quays

mike65

re Bilbery right turn

HGVs could never make the turns required for that solution to work fully. The whole junction on this side of the bridge is poor.

The solution would be to have a turn right lane which is about 50 metres long. Obviously that would mean only one lane for traffic coming off the quay, so that would have to use right hand lane only.

DanGlee

Hopefully the HGVs half in traffic when the new bridge is done!

Also (Slightly off topic) but... what are the rumours of there being a toll on the new bridge... because I for one would certainly be using the old bridge still as I'm sure half the country traveling in and through Waterford would still be...

It would be some feck-up if they toll it!

mike65

It was always going to be tolled, its part of the contract.

wellbutty

Toll plaza construction is well underway

Jambo

fricatus wrote: »

Easily solved. Are you listening Waterford City Council?

Ban the right turn. Put up a sign in Ferrybank and another on Sallypark saying for Grattan Quay/Bilberry, please follow the signs.

Then put a sign for Bilberry going straight on at the bridge inbound, one going left onto O'Connell St, one going left onto Vulcan St, one left onto the Quay and then one straight on at the Quay. Bingo! Problem solved.

AND THEN FINE THE IDIOTS WHO HOLD UP THE TRAFFIC.

Good idea in theory but can you imagine what would happen on the Quay as a result when extra cars are now taking up the outside lane waiting to turn up Vulcan St , it can be bad at the best of times also the best of times Penrose lane is usually full of traffic for cars wanting to enter the quay .

AFAIK when the council widen the Bilberry road they intend to put a dedicated filter lane on the bridge for Grattan quay

fricatus

Jambo wrote: »

Good idea in theory but can you imagine what would happen on the Quay as a result when extra cars are now taking up the outside lane waiting to turn up Vulcan St , it can be bad at the best of times also the best of times Penrose lane is usually full of traffic for cars wanting to enter the quay .

Oops, sorry... that's what happens when you have one little stretch of a road being called something different! Vulcan St is of course one way away from the Quay, towards Thomas St. The one I meant is Penrose Lane... as in the continuation of James's St.

Just to clarify: straight on inbound at the bridge, first left behind Days Hotel, first left again by the new Spa, and then left again onto the Quay.

On the subject of HGVs, they should be able to do this route, with the possible exception of the biggest artics, but I've seen artics pull some fairly mean feats. I mean they handle Thomastown, don't they?

wellbutty

The 3rd bridge near Maypark is badly needed as well.

The city centre traffic situation will get worse before it gets better, wait for the 50 foot deep excavation of Newgate Street/Stephen's Street/New Street to start......and carried out by truck!

In a perfect world, the Quay would be 3 lanes...1 towards the bridge, 1 from the bridge and 1 right-turning lane in the middle. The removal of the 4th lane would facilitate the current maythem of the inside lane on the shops side.

Enforcement of the law would also help of course...same in Arundel Square.