Bypass ponderings...

wellbutty

Now that the Waterford bypass gets ever closer to completion, it ponders some questions (for me anyway!)

1) Tolls
Had the scheme not been a PPP one, I doubt the road would ever have been built so no argument about the toll. However, those of you from the South Kilkenny/New Ross/Ferrybank area that work in Waterford (i.e. the Industrial Estate), will you pay €2 to cross the new bridge each way every day, is it worth your while do you think? Likewise when you go home in the evening, will you pay to save queuing on Summerhill?

2) Speed limit
The road has not been classified as a motorway so one would assume it'll be a 100kmh speed limit. Considering that the excuse given for the Outer Ring Road's 60kmh speed limit is that it's located inside the city boundary, will the bypass also be 60kmh between the B&Q roundabout and the interchange with the bypass (near Cariganore) and also 60kmh from there across the new bridge to Granagh?????

I’m assuming that if you come out the Cork Road to the B&Q roundabout, you’ll be signposted for Cork to the right (along the outer ring road and then onto the bypass) and Kilmeaden straight ahead.

However, if the outer ring road is going to be 60kmh to the bypass interchange, why would anyone not use the existing route through Kilmeaden seeing that it’s 100kmh between the Holy Cross pub and the Kill turnoff in Kilmeaden?!


3) Access
Considering that Gracedieu is being developed by the city council as a self-sifficient "village" and significant development will take place in this area in the future, is it shortsighted not to have put an onramp and offramp near the new bridge to service this area? As it stands, the closest way onto the bypass from the south side of the river is near B&Q. Ok we dont want junctions every few hundred meters but traffic will already be slowing for the toll barrier and it would've been cheaper build it now than regret it later!

4) Usage
Anyone here working for a haulage company, will you guys use the bypass? People going from Rosslare to Cork, surely they'll still want to stop here won't they???? Will the bypass be used at night I wonder????????

Interested to see what people’s thoughts are about these!

wmpdd3

Is it just me or is traffic on the bridge non existent. I used to travel Ferrybank to City square at 9.00 am and back at 6.00 pm and the traffic was cruel.

But with the new bridge I would have to go out to slieverue and across New rath, cross the bridge and back into town.

Or just rely on everybody else to do this and I would benefit from less traffic.

Even now if I'm going to B&Q I can be there in 6mins, new bridge won't change that.

But the new bridge is sorely overdue, and I am delighted with it it's beautiful!

Cabaal

wellbutty wrote: »

2) Speed limit
The road has not been classified as a motorway so one would assume it'll be a 100kmh speed limit. Considering that the excuse given for the Outer Ring Road's 60kmh speed limit is that it's located inside the city boundary, will the bypass also be 60kmh between the B&Q roundabout and the interchange with the bypass (near Cariganore) and also 60kmh from there across the new bridge to Granagh?????

Motorway can be between 100-120kmh,

Joe Gt

why didnt they put a toll on the current bridge and try get people to use the new bypass if they want people to use the new route ?

fricatus

Joe Gt wrote: »

why didnt they put a toll on the current bridge and try get people to use the new bypass if they want people to use the new route ?

A very good question, and a great example of "thinking outside the box".

You'd think we'd want to encourage use of such a high-capacity road, especially since the city centre is wrecked with cars, and creaking under the pressure of through traffic, but no... our clever road planners will stick a toll on the new bridge. Dumb in the extreme.

The only problems I see with what you're saying are as follows:
- there is no space for toll booths on the approach to Rice Bridge
- people in Ferrybank using the bridge to access the city centre, or southsiders going north of the river (working in the port, catching a train, etc.) can quite rightly say "we've always used this road for free, so why should we have to pay now".

Bloody tolls... they cause more trouble than they're worth (as anyone who's had to jump through e-Flow's hoops after missing a payment on the M50 will attest!).

JohnC.

Joe Gt wrote: »

why didnt they put a toll on the current bridge and try get people to use the new bypass if they want people to use the new route ?

Because the toll isn't to pay for the old bridge. Or to you really expect people to pay for a road they aren't using while those who do use it get it free? It's backwards.

Stokolan

wellbutty wrote: »

The road has not been classified as a motorway so one would assume it'll be a 100kmh speed limit.

I presume that seen as its not classed as motorway we will be able to cycle across the bridge? and how would I be fixed for the toll?

BBM77

Stokolan wrote: »

I presume that seen as its not classed as motorway we will be able to cycle across the bridge? and how would I be fixed for the toll?

This is something I wondered to. Seen as it will not be a motorway, cyclists will be free to use the road. Will I be able to cycle through the toll booth, will the hard shoulder be free for cyclists to use at the toll booth or will cyclists be expected to pay a toll?

Joe Gt

anyone that drives the road often wont pay €3 just to make the trip 3min faster , cant see this new bridge being a success ,

fricatus

Joe Gt wrote: »

anyone that drives the road often wont pay €3 just to make the trip 3min faster , cant see this new bridge being a success ,

No but they will pay €1.80 to make their journey 20 minutes faster, which is a bit closer than your example to what the real figures will be.

(IIRC hasn't the maximum toll already been set at around €1.80? Where am I getting that figure from?)

Not defending the stupid toll by the way!

The Steelman

The real reason that the outer ring road wasnt given a decent speed limit was down to it not having a hard shoulder. "They" decided that not having a hard shoulder was better than having one and always having to move on any members of the Travelling Community that might camp there.

That's according to a Gardai thats very disgruntled.

On the new bridge, i cant see it being used by anyone from the city or to the south east of it. its quicker and easier to use the old one. ive never known waterford people to spend money on stuffs that is pointless and stupid, why would we start now?

fricatus

gscully wrote: »

Seriously, did you have to??

And in only his second ever post too!

The Steelman

I'm sorry if i offended, but was only passing on what I heard from what I would have thought was a decent source.

but then... i suppose i didnt have to.

gscully

The Steelman wrote: »

I'm sorry if i offended, but was only passing on what I heard from what I would have thought was a decent source.

but then... i suppose i didnt have to.

It wasn't the context of your post, it was certain words used to refer to the travelling community. As a new member, you should read the General Conduct sticky to see what is acceptable and what is not.

Here it is:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054993567

The Steelman

Post Edited to remove the offending words, hope this is more acceptable. Sorry of any offence caused to people and to the OP for hyjacking his thread.

gscully

The Steelman wrote: »

Post Edited to remove the offending words, hope this is more acceptable. Sorry of any offence caused to people and to the OP for hyjacking his thread.

Thanks.

No offence caused to me anyway - it was for your benefit, more a case of looking after a newbie!

I've removed my post as it contained your original remark embedded...

wellbutty

IIRC hasn't the maximum toll already been set at around €1.80? Where am I getting that figure from?

From the NRA website...tolling on the Waterford Bypass:

http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/TollingDocumentation/file,16116,en.pdf

Where a user of the Toll Road pre-pays for twenty journeys or more a discount of
not less than 10% of the Appropriate Toll shall apply to each prepaid journey.

Objections to the bylaws had to be in by May 9th so I think we'll know fairly soon what the figure will be

Bards

From the bylaws http://www.nra.ie/PublicPrivatePartnership/TollingDocumentation/file,16116,en.pdf

"Pedestrians, pedal cyclists and animal drawn vehicles are prohibited from using
the section of the Toll Road between its intersection with the N9 national road and
its intersection with the Western Link (being the two junctions at either end of the
section of the Toll Road which crosses the River Suir)."

on another note. The Toll Signage is currenly being irrected on the Toll Plaza, however the signage is balcked out so you cannot read what is on the signage!!