Waterford Bridge open day

Beeker

Roanmore wrote: »

My wife was travelling from Dungarvan to Waterford this morning and she said at Kilmeaden 6 out of 8 cars took the old road. They must think it is tolled.

I agree, I think a sign needs to be put up to clarify to motorists.

JohnC.

There is also a chance that some of these cars are going places the new road doesn't go to, stopping somewhere along the old roads.

fricatus

Roanmore wrote: »

My wife was travelling from Dungarvan to Waterford this morning and she said at Kilmeaden 6 out of 8 cars took the old road. They must think it is tolled.

It goes to show how stupid it is to put a toll on a bypass road in the first place! Surely we should be encouraging people to use the newer, quicker, less congested routes?

Kahless wrote: »

There is also a chance that some of these cars are going places the new road doesn't go to, stopping somewhere along the old roads.

True, but I'm sure more than 2 out of 8 cars heading in the way from Dungarvan in the morning are going to some part of the city.

If you've managed to drive the new road since it's opened, you'll know that the new road is the best route for the city. You just turn off at the Westlink and then you're down by Harvey Norman. I reckon people do think they'll have to pay the toll.

Typewriter

I asked this on the infrastructure forum already but as yet nobody has answered...

Does the toll accept 5c coins? (I've a jar full of them)

If I recall the Fermoy bypass doesn't but the eastlink in Dublin does.

Cabaal

Roanmore wrote: »

My wife was travelling from Dungarvan to Waterford this morning and she said at Kilmeaden 6 out of 8 cars took the old road. They must think it is tolled.

I'd imagine alot of people might be taking the old road as its just not as busy any more and as such could be just as fast especially if they are going to the front entrances (cork road side) of the IDA.

soldering iron

The new bridge has at last got a new name, it's to be called the Liam Mc Carthy Bridge, as it will always BYPASS WATERFORD:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

seanybiker

1yoyo for bikes.
Sisters husband has a little van and he was charged 3:90 to go across it. Im not paying a euro. Pity there no walkway on it. I could pop up onto that

Green Hornet

Working in Wexford and heard a story today that part of the bridge will have to be demolished! Thats hardly true is it? Something to do with the concrete rating??

Mossy Monk

seanybiker wrote: »

1yoyo for bikes.
Sisters husband has a little van and he was charged 3:90 to go across it. Im not paying a euro. Pity there no walkway on it. I could pop up onto that

Lucky that Rice bridge is still open then.

seanybiker

Mossy Monk wrote: »

Lucky that Rice bridge is still open then.

to right. I rarely need to go across the bridge anyways.

fricatus

Green Hornet wrote: »

Working in Wexford and heard a story today that part of the bridge will have to be demolished! Thats hardly true is it? Something to do with the concrete rating??

Chinese whispers! Different bridge...

That story concerns the new Nore bridge, being built as part of the M9 Carlow-Knocktopher scheme, which isn't open yet.

It's being discussed in this thread.

Green Hornet

fricatus wrote: »

Chinese whispers! Different bridge...

That story concerns the new Nore bridge, being built as part of the M9 Carlow-Knocktopher scheme, which isn't open yet.

It's being discussed in this thread.

Its gas the way things take on legs alright.

Paul_D

Roanmore wrote: »

My wife was travelling from Dungarvan to Waterford this morning and she said at Kilmeaden 6 out of 8 cars took the old road. They must think it is tolled.

If you are traveling from Kilmeaden roundabout to "Old N25-ORR" (dont know the name) roundabout there is almost no savings in time if you are going on the bypass.
It takes 6.5-7.5 mins on the bypass and 6.5-10 mins on old N25 (depending on the traffic). The bypass is also considerably longer which means that you going to use more fuel.
The only time when using bypass is worthwhile is in the morning rush hour when you can save 1-4 mins max, but even then an extra petrol used may not even justify that.

fricatus

soldering iron wrote: »

The new bridge has at last got a new name, it's to be called the Liam Mc Carthy Bridge, as it will always BYPASS WATERFORD:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Well we'll be bringing it in over Rice Bridge anyway when we finally win it next year.

Maybe they should call it the "back door" instead of the "cat flap".

Mossy Monk

Paul_D wrote: »

If you are traveling from Kilmeaden roundabout to "Old N25-ORR" (dont know the name) roundabout there is almost no savings in time if you are going on the bypass.
It takes 6.5-7.5 mins on the bypass and 6.5-10 mins on old N25 (depending on the traffic). The bypass is also considerably longer which means that you going to use more fuel.
The only time when using bypass is worthwhile is in the morning rush hour when you can save 1-4 mins max, but even then an extra petrol used may not even justify that.

It saved me 15 minutes going home to Dungarvan yesterday

tonc76

Paul_D wrote: »

If you are traveling from Kilmeaden roundabout to "Old N25-ORR" (dont know the name) roundabout there is almost no savings in time if you are going on the bypass.
It takes 6.5-7.5 mins on the bypass and 6.5-10 mins on old N25 (depending on the traffic). The bypass is also considerably longer which means that you going to use more fuel.
The only time when using bypass is worthwhile is in the morning rush hour when you can save 1-4 mins max, but even then an extra petrol used may not even justify that.

While you might have little to no time saving and use slightly more fuel you will be a lot safer travelling on the dual carriageway seperated by concrete barrier for the entire route (bar the roundabouts)

Where does driver safety rate in the above?

Mossy Monk

Will you really use more fuel. The old route involves slowing down regularly and stops. Driving like that would waste more fuel than driving 100km/hr for the same journey.

Paul_D

tonc76 wrote: »

While you might have little to no time saving and use slightly more fuel you will be a lot safer travelling on the dual carriageway seperated by concrete barrier for the entire route (bar the roundabouts)

Where does driver safety rate in the above?

Yes, the route is safer. Although, it has 4 roundabouts before the last one, while the old one has only one. There is always a chance of an accident on a roundabout / intersection.

Will you really use more fuel. The old route involves slowing down regularly and stops. Driving like that would waste more fuel than driving 100km/hr for the same journey.

Actually most of the time the speed is steady 70-80 km/h on the old N25 (8.30-9.00am), which is a more economical than 100 km/h. Dont forget that the new road is at least 1km longer and has more roundabouts.

I used N25 for the last 3 years and I will keep using the old route. Now when more people go on the bypass it leaves less people on the old road which is better for me:)

tonc76

Paul_D wrote: »

Yes, the route is safer. Although, it has 4 roundabouts before the last one, while the old one has only one. There is always a chance of an accident on a roundabout / intersection.

How many intersections between Kilmeadan Village and the ORR roundabout? You can pass on that road too. The Bypass offers a safer route for all who wish to avail of it.

Stokolan

I must say the new bridge seems to be doing the job. Traffic on the way home at 4 today was nothing compaired to what it used to be. I was home in 15 min from the IDA to Ferrybank where normally it could have taken about 30 min.

Green Hornet

Yep. I travel to and from Wexford daily. No hold up whatsoever in Ferrybank or on the bridge all week. Most notably this evening! Very quiet for a bank holiday weekend.

Pity they cant stop people turning right coming off the bridge in the evening though. Sometimes only 1 car gets through at a time. Ironically, I'm usually ahead of the car that turned off before me by the time I reach the Carrickpherrish road!

Gotta say too though, New Ross looks like it's an even worse bottleneck in the evening now!

Cabaal

Not very busy at all this evening, very surprised....though I did see a idiot on a bike heading down one of the sliproads.

Then again I've also seen some very dodgy drivers do some very stupid things on the motorway so far as well so it certainly evens out.

Trick of the Tail

We took both TVRs for a blast down the bypass this afternoon, drove bridge - Kilmeaden end then back to Slievrue end, then back to the bridge.

A good old spin!

I love Whelan's bridge, and the long curve southbound after the first interchange after the bridge is nice!

And there's a long straight on the north section that one could get up quite a speed on!

A.

JohnC.

Where's Whelans Bridge?

Went out the Slievrue way myself this morning. Not been on the Kilmeaden side of the bridge at all yet.

Trick of the Tail

Whelan's Bridge: If you drive out the Old Kilmeaden Road, bear right after Mount Congreve entrance, the road drops down, turns sharply right and goes over a river bridge before climbing back up again.

That's Whelan's Bridge. If you look to the left there you'll see the magnificent new bridge over the valley.

So when you're driving over that new bridge you get great views up and down that valley.

A.

gscully

alinton wrote: »

And there's a long straight on the north section that one could get up quite a speed on!

I brought the kids out for a spin on the new road as far as the roundabout at Kilmeaden yesterday evening. Sticking to the 100km/h, I was surprised to see a headlamp arrive quickly in my mirror. Then, two idiots on motorbikes went past me as if I was standing still. They were easily doing 150km/h...much more probably!

If anything had gone wrong, they were dead, simple as.

Then we would have our first statistics for the bypass, and the usual brigade saying that the speed limit should be reduced. I'm afraid speed limits are not the cause of deaths...idiots are!

Cabaal

gscully wrote: »

I brought the kids out for a spin on the new road as far as the roundabout at Kilmeaden yesterday evening. Sticking to the 100km/h, I was surprised to see a headlamp arrive quickly in my mirror. Then, two idiots on motorbikes went past me as if I was standing still. They were easily doing 150km/h...much more probably!

If anything had gone wrong, they were dead, simple as.

Then we would have our first statistics for the bypass, and the usual brigade saying that the speed limit should be reduced. I'm afraid speed limits are not the cause of deaths...idiots are!

Think of it this way, if they did die doing something stupid then its merely the gene pool doing a little bit of a needed cleanup,

fricatus

Cabaal wrote: »

Think of it this way, if they did die doing something stupid then its merely the gene pool doing a little bit of a needed cleanup,

QFT, but they were putting gscully and his/her kids in danger doing so :mad:

BTW, is anyone else surprised at how quiet the bypass is, and how much traffic is still going along the Quay and in the two dual carriageways leading to Rice Bridge?

I drove across the bridge (Grannagh-Kilmeaden) the other day and there wasn't a sinner around, but then when I got past the Westlink exit, there were plenty of cars all of a sudden. It seems that people have cottoned on to the bit that's free, and they're all using it, but avoiding the tolled section.

I knew that was going to happen, but I'm surprised at the extent.

Green Hornet

fricatus wrote: »

BTW, is anyone else surprised at how quiet the bypass is, and how much traffic is still going along the Quay and in the two dual carriageways leading to Rice Bridge?

I can see the bypass from my house and it actually looks busy enough most evenings. Pretty steady stream of traffic.

Cabaal

fricatus wrote: »

QFT, but they were putting gscully and his/her kids in danger doing so :mad:

I'd agree and to be honest its a joke that you get idiots doing this type of things, the only hope is they'll only wipe themselfs out in the end