What's the story with traffic today?

buzz55

Has there been a crash in town or is the whole city heading for the prom on this beautiful day or what?!

Looking out the office window, there has been a tailback all day pretty much. More than the usual Friday evening rush.

Anyone know what's going on?!

LadyMayBelle

Friday's are also mental come lunchtime. And I imagine the weather has a lot to do with it too

buzz55

It seems way more than the usual Friday traffic, even for a sunny day. Its more like race week traffic out here near the college :eek:

ScumLord

Well I just got held up in traffic by some knob doing 40klm on a main road being followed by 4 other knobs that wouldn't over take him. They then came up behind a tractor and decided to sit behind it rather than overtake it despite having a clear road.

snubbleste

ScumLord wrote: »

Well I just got held up in traffic by some knob doing 40klm on a main road being followed by 4 other knobs that wouldn't over take him. They then came up behind a tractor and decided to sit behind it rather than overtake it despite having a clear road.

And what is the maximum permitted speed limit on this 'main road'?

happyoutscan

snubbleste wrote: »

And what is the maximum permitted speed limit on this 'main road'?

I'm sure it was more than 40km/25mph.:rolleyes:

There is intervarsity GAA on in Dangan - maybe it is that?

Xiney

ScumLord wrote: »

Well I just got held up in traffic by some knob doing 40klm on a main road being followed by 4 other knobs that wouldn't over take him. They then came up behind a tractor and decided to sit behind it rather than overtake it despite having a clear road.

I see that and raise you the fecker who didn't understand the concept of an amber flashing arrow at a left turn lane - just sat there doing nothing for five minutes. Bet he was waiting for a green light.


ARGGHGHA! Only after we all started honking non stop did he move!

jd007

Traffic did seem heavier today even for a Friday.

ScumLord

snubbleste wrote: »

And what is the maximum permitted speed limit on this 'main road'?

100klm like every main road in the country.

dr.bollocko

Had a mare getting over the quincentennial at 5. Sometimes the traffic just appears to flare up for no apparent reason. One of the downsides of life in Galway.

Was getting the bus into town yesterday and got out at the Dogtrack and walked the rest... Very bad traffic for some reason.

KevR

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Had a mare getting over the quincentennial at 5. Sometimes the traffic just appears to flare up for no apparent reason. One of the downsides of life in Galway.

Was queuing for the Moneenageisha junction earlier today coming from Cemetary Cross (traffic was busy but not crazy).

Lights went green, car at the front in the left lane didn't move for roughly 5 seconds and the car in the right lane didn't move off until 8 seconds had passed. When they did eventually move off, they moved slow as fuck. The lights were green for long enough to clear the whole queue from the Cemetary Cross side but only half of the queue was cleared because of the idiots at the front. If the same thing happens a few green sequences in a row you can imagine how quickly a huge backlog could build up at any set of lights.

It's infuriating to think that the same people who whinge about the Moneen junction could well be the same dopey idiots who take 8 seconds to pull off when the lights go green.

blond45

KevR wrote: »

Was queuing for the Moneenageisha junction earlier today coming from Cemetary Cross (traffic was busy but not crazy).

Lights went green, car at the front in the left lane didn't move for roughly 5 seconds and the car in the right lane didn't move off until 8 seconds had passed. When they did eventually move off, they moved slow as fuck. The lights were green for long enough to clear the whole queue from the Cemetary Cross side but only half of the queue was cleared because of the idiots at the front. If the same thing happens a few green sequences in a row you can imagine how quickly a huge backlog could build up at any set of lights.

It's infuriating to think that the same people who whinge about the Moneen junction could well be the same dopey idiots who take 8 seconds to pull off when the lights go green.

oh god yes im with you there. when i started to learn how to drive was told always to get ready to go when stoped at lights. ive done it ever since. saw what you said yesterday when going to salthill, nearly got out to push the auld twat in front of us for a kick start cos he was there fustering around pulling at things in the glove compartment then GREEN lights came on but did he go 'oh no he didnt' beep beep later nearly pulled the hand break from the floor.

thesandeman

Nearly got hit by a car when walking dog on Bothair na mBan on monday. Cars were crawling down the hill. One mounted footpath beside me. I looked in to see a 50ish business man type FOLD UP HIS IRISH TIMES, TAKE OFF HIS READING GLASSES and steer himself back onto the road!

galwayrush

It's the luck of which route you take, i had to cross the city while doing a job out in Conemara, got so fed up of the Headford Rd Roundabout, last time i went through Eyre Sq, saved 45 mins.

KevR

thesandeman wrote: »

Nearly got hit by a car when walking dog on Bothair na mBan on monday. Cars were crawling down the hill. One mounted footpath beside me. I looked in to see a 50ish business man type FOLD UP HIS IRISH TIMES, TAKE OFF HIS READING GLASSES and steer himself back onto the road!

A month or two ago, I nearly got run over by some woman who mounted the footpath going quite quickly and travelled maybe 15 metres on the path before stopping, getting out and dropping her child into the creche!!

Of course, because she has a child, it's ok for her to drive on the footpath and park illegally rather than use the actual designated parking spaces for the creche.

KevR

galwayrush wrote: »

It's the luck of which route you take, i had to cross the city while doing a job out in Conemara, got so fed up of the Headford Rd Roundabout, last time i went through Eyre Sq, saved 45 mins.

Definitely!

I used to always come home from work at the same time on Friday evenings - some Fridays traffic on the 'ring road' would be fine, other Fridays it would be absolute torture. So I started checking AA Roadwatch before I left work and had Galway Bay FM on for traffic reports while in the car and was usually able to avoid the worst of it by taking the quietest route.

dr.bollocko

I emailed the Galway traffic people when they were looking for suggestions to tell them to make the lights go orange before they go green at the mona junction because people not going when it turns green is so bloody annoying.

galwayrush

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I emailed the Galway traffic people when they were looking for suggestions to tell them to make the lights go orange before they go green at the mona junction because people not going when it turns green is so bloody annoying.

Reminds me of something that really pisses me off, the slow reaction of so many people when the lights go green, it's almost like they are waiting for an official invitation to go with the green light for permission to go.:(

unJustMary

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I emailed the Galway traffic people when they were looking for suggestions to tell them to make the lights go orange before they go green at the mona junction because people not going when it turns green is so bloody annoying.

A problem is that people might not know the difference between solid amber (=changing to green soon) and flashing amber (=go now, unless there are pedestrians in the way).

A better approach would be a count-down timer. But even that would lead to accidents as impatient people made fast moves when amber-light-runners are still clearing the intersection.

KevR

dr.bollocko wrote: »

I emailed the Galway traffic people when they were looking for suggestions to tell them to make the lights go orange before they go green at the mona junction because people not going when it turns green is so bloody annoying.

Let us know what they say!

I always wondered what the situation is with the amber before green. Could a local council decide to implement this if they please or would they have to get permission from the Department of Transport or NRA first? I'd love if they used Galway City as a pilot for this to be implemented nationwide.

unJustMary, I think the UK approach is best - the amber light comes on in addition to the red light (which is already on) before green. The red light doesn't go off for the pre-green amber warning so the amber warning couldn't be confused with a flashing amber.

Also, people will be a lot less inclined to run through late amber lights or early red lights if they know that people will be taking off more quickly because they're getting a pre-green amber warning. Another thing is I think quite a few people go through late amber lights or early red lights out of frustration when the people at the front of the queue were slow to move off when the lights went green.

Sconsey

KevR wrote: »

<snip!>
Another thing is I think quite a few people go through late amber lights or early red lights out of frustration when the people at the front of the queue were slow to move off when the lights went green.

Agreed, I see a lot of cars dashing through the Monnegisha(sp?) junction on amber lights. An amber 'notice' would probably encourage more drivers to put the car in gear and be ready to go....busses and trucks seem to be really slow to get moving when they are at the head of the queue, it gets annoying when only half the volume of traffic is passing through the junction because some big truck took his sweet time getting into gear and moving off!

brianthebard

Lorries are just hard to move!

tonyhiggins

thesandeman wrote: »

Nearly got hit by a car when walking dog on Bothair na mBan on monday. Cars were crawling down the hill. One mounted footpath beside me. I looked in to see a 50ish business man type FOLD UP HIS IRISH TIMES, TAKE OFF HIS READING GLASSES and steer himself back onto the road!

Last week, I overtook someone crawling and wobbling on the motorway who I could see doing the same thing when I passed...:rolleyes:

tonyhiggins

Although it might have actually been the Independent

thesandeman

Lucky it wasnt the Sun or he would have had both hands off the steering wheel.