Ballina - New Traffic System

finisklin

More confusion with this as the town council make an amendment......

http://mayotoday.ie/2010/11/02/change-to-ballina-traffic-flow-after-council-review/-13683

You can now drive down tone street to access bridge street and head east.

Further reviews are promised.

Will we see a u turn from the council?:cool:

HarryPotter41

finisklin wrote: »

More confusion with this as the town council make an amendment......

http://mayotoday.ie/2010/11/02/change-to-ballina-traffic-flow-after-council-review/-13683

You can now drive down tone street to access bridge street and head east.

Further reviews are promised.

Will we see a u turn from the council?:cool:

You can't drive straight in that town now, never mind manage a u turn:D:D

More seriously you now have traffic from three streets turning down one street at the pearse street junction, was bedlam there today. Another winner from the town council.

Captain Slow IRL

Yeah, why didn't they revert the Rahilly St. flow as well? It's stupid to have 3 streets feeding into one - that just chokes up the junction on the bridge even more.

There's such a shower of f*cking half-wits left in charge:rolleyes:

GaelMonfils

wow, drove through ballina last weekend for the first time and all i can say is HOLY SH1T:eek:

Im guessing the local town planners/council folk decided to take a friday afternoon off work, head to the pub and let a 6 year old chimp loose on a road map of ballina with a bottle of vodka and some crayons!


Yet another genius decision in Ireland! :pac::pac::pac:

ciaran67

GaelMonfils wrote: »

wow, drove through ballina last weekend for the first time and all i can say is HOLY SH1T:eek:

Im guessing the local town planners/council folk decided to take a friday afternoon off work, head to the pub and let a 6 year old chimp loose on a road map of ballina with a bottle of vodka and some crayons!


Yet another genius decision in Ireland! :pac::pac::pac:

It wouldnt be half the awful experience if people knew how to deal with roundabouts. I also spoke to one of the shop owners who told me their sales were up due to the new routes.

HarryPotter41

ciaran67 wrote: »

It wouldnt be half the awful experience if people knew how to deal with roundabouts. I also spoke to one of the shop owners who told me their sales were up due to the new routes.

So why are the traders up in arms over the new traffic plan saying their sales are down? And roundabouts are not the problem, its traffic convergence, particularly at the Pearse street junction with three roads feeding down one, long delays now on Pearse street most times.

ciaran67

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

So why are the traders up in arms over the new traffic plan saying their sales are down?

Cos negative news makes much better reading.

Roundabouts are only part of the problem, thats true. I see a very near miss every time i approach them. Saw an older driver go straight over two on the trot, completely ignoring every one else. How they werent broadsided i'll never know!

GaelMonfils

ciaran, i'll agree with you when you say "if people knew how to deal with roundabouts". Most dumbass drivers in Ireland barely know how to deal with simple driving, let alone a self filtering system that gives way to traffic from the right only!

However, in ballina, these hard nipples in the road they call 'roundabouts' are too bloody small to deal with the infulx of traffic coming through them. HGV's are a bloody nightmare and tend to get stuck at each one.
Also, yes, convergence is a joke! My main journey is coming from the foxford side heading out the sligo road. Nightmare altogether

HarryPotter41

ciaran67 wrote: »

Cos negative news makes much better reading.

Roundabouts are only part of the problem, thats true. I see a very near miss every time i approach them. Saw an older driver go straight over two on the trot, completely ignoring every one else. How they werent broadsided i'll never know!

The reading is based on traders meeting with the council, why meet with the council if they have no issues?

ciaran67

HarryPotter41 wrote: »

The reading is based on traders meeting with the council, why meet with the council if they have no issues?

Im sure some are finding it hard Harry, i wasnt doubting that at all.

Just giggling to myself thinking about the Harry Potter 41. Where Harry is divorced by Hermione, comes to terms with his drink problem and gets a hair transplant.

HarryPotter41

ciaran67 wrote: »

Im sure some are finding it hard Harry, i wasnt doubting that at all.

Just giggling to myself thinking about the Harry Potter 41. Where Harry is divorced by Hermione, comes to terms with his drink problem and gets a hair transplant.

Won't comment on how much of that is true, mind you, Harry and Hermione were just friends!

finisklin

Looks like the traders are adamant about the detriment of the new traffic system on their business when they visited the town council meeting on Wednesday night.

http://mayotoday.ie/index.php/local-news/ballina-news/item/1847-ballina-mayor-intimidated-as-council-meeting-ends-in-uproar.html

Good turn out with 50 of them attending the meeting. A lot of squirming councillors at the meeting......

http://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/33527

Interesting the spin being put on it depending on which article you read. I'm sure the council officials that actually made and implemented the decision are gleefully watching the councillors take the flak on their behalf.

The question is - How long will the traffic system last? Will the council officials cave in? MMMMHHHHHHH.........

alex73

Don't know what the traders are going to complain about... Traffic in Ballina was always horrendous. Love the new main street, makes no difference its one way, even when it was 2 way there was never parking.

I think they have done the best they could. For sure Ballina is a lot better than 10 years ago.

If businesses want more trade,, then provide free parking. I always head to lidl.

am i bovvered

^^^totally agree, I thought I was the only one who likes the improvements to the town. I drive through Ballina at least twice a day and for people living around the town it is easy enough to get through.
I understand for people not used to the town, esp going from the fowford rd to the sligo rd it can be congested but that is very hard to solve with the river.
Ballina needed to try something to bring out its potential, hopefully given time all the improvements to the town will eventually help achieve that.

HarryPotter41

am i bovvered wrote: »

^^^totally agree, I thought I was the only one who likes the improvements to the town. I drive through Ballina at least twice a day and for people living around the town it is easy enough to get through.
I understand for people not used to the town, esp going from the fowford rd to the sligo rd it can be congested but that is very hard to solve with the river.
Ballina needed to try something to bring out its potential, hopefully given time all the improvements to the town will eventually help achieve that.

I am well used to the town, worked in it for 7 years and am in it usually twice a week and I certainly don't find them improvements and find myself stuck in traffic much more than I ever did. The biggest problem however is for people who don't know the town and have told me they now avoid it because changing so much of the traffic flow they don't know where they can go and not go, that's whats losing business to the traders, peop;le now just avoid the place if they are unsure. I still go there to shop but I make sure its early before the place clogs up.

finisklin

Can't believe the council officials stance on the ongoing traffic system. Having read the Western (note I didn't buy it, perused it from a mate in case my street cred is affected!) they have reported that the councillors cannot change the system by a proposal, amendment etc. via a council meeting.

The changes were made in accordance with The Road Traffic Act 1994. This is two fingers to the democratic process and has pissed me off. :mad: It's ok for Paddy Mahon and Michael O'Grady to swan off to Westport and Kilmeena and leave us plebs face into congestion, lack of access with a system that is dangerous, poorly planned by a council that's out of touch with the people its suppose to serve.

Though having said that, it gets the councillor themselves off the hook as there is nothing they can do. They can shout and scream and posture all they want to no avail.

Civil servants.....I missed my calling.:cool:

finisklin

For me today was a reflection of all that is wrong with the new traffic system. Firstly, it was never designed to take such extreme volumes such as today even though its based on traffic from the Celtic years 2007-08.

Traffic was backed up all the way as far as Connolly garage on the Foxford road and a journey that usually takes me 10-15 minutes took 1hour 20. This journey started at the Foxford Road, (childers Heights) to the Killala Road (Woodville) and then to the Sligo road (Bunree Junction).

Even accounting for the weather conditions which had little effect as the volume of traffic didn't allow speeding etc. The main congestion area was Teeling Street, Kevin Barry Street, Pound St, Circular Road and Humbert street with the tiny round about wholly inadequate to cope with significant traffic on all four roads meeting it!

To compound this three ambulances passed traffic driving with sirens on due to an accident/emergency on the wrong side of the road. The only safe through route is the circular road and with one bridge going over the river makes it even more onerous. This really is the problem for the new traffic system - there is only one route or access point to get over the river and what with Hill Street reversed this traffic is now diverted via Circular road.

The point I am making is that with the old system, traffic today would not have been half as bad as the town centre (Hill Street) would have soaked up the East bound traffic heading over the bridge and taken it away more speedily, IMHO.

Other observations today include the lack of Garda presence directing traffic - this is based on my journey/travels today. They may have been around, I didn't encounter any. The other point about today is that parking was chaotic in Lidl, Dunnes, Tesco and in fairness the traffic volumes was the cause of this.

Just wanted to get this off my mind as everytime I drive there are different aspects of the new system that grate on me. :mad:

Maybe Michelle can pull a few strings in the council if she gets elected?

Captain Slow IRL

I was stick on the Foxford road as well, took me an hour to get home, in the town - f*cking disgrace.

alex73

finisklin wrote: »

For me today was a reflection of all that is wrong with the new traffic system. Firstly, it was never designed to take such extreme volumes such as today even though its based on traffic from the Celtic years 2007-08.

Traffic was backed up all the way as far as Connolly garage on the Foxford road and a journey that usually takes me 10-15 minutes took 1hour 20. This journey started at the Foxford Road, (childers Heights) to the Killala Road (Woodville) and then to the Sligo road (Bunree Junction).

Even accounting for the weather conditions which had little effect as the volume of traffic didn't allow speeding etc. The main congestion area was Teeling Street, Kevin Barry Street, Pound St, Circular Road and Humbert street with the tiny round about wholly inadequate to cope with significant traffic on all four roads meeting it!

To compound this three ambulances passed traffic driving with sirens on due to an accident/emergency on the wrong side of the road. The only safe through route is the circular road and with one bridge going over the river makes it even more onerous. This really is the problem for the new traffic system - there is only one route or access point to get over the river and what with Hill Street reversed this traffic is now diverted via Circular road.

The point I am making is that with the old system, traffic today would not have been half as bad as the town centre (Hill Street) would have soaked up the East bound traffic heading over the bridge and taken it away more speedily, IMHO.

Other observations today include the lack of Garda presence directing traffic - this is based on my journey/travels today. They may have been around, I didn't encounter any. The other point about today is that parking was chaotic in Lidl, Dunnes, Tesco and in fairness the traffic volumes was the cause of this.

Just wanted to get this off my mind as everytime I drive there are different aspects of the new system that grate on me. :mad:

Maybe Michelle can pull a few strings in the council if she gets elected?

Disagree. I moved here 10 years ago and the traffic was far worse than today.

Some people don't like change. But the current system works better the the previous one.

1. Bunaree - Sligo Rd traffic lights 100% were needed!.
2. Tesco Roundabout far better than traffic lights
3. The whole Main street, postoffice, (centre) still confused, new one ways, but on a whole its fine.

I was out in town today and a lot of the holdup on traffic was due to cars going at 5km an hour (not a joke) and cars parked on double yellow (well the lines are buried under snow)

Anyway its the 24th and every carpark was full, with any traffic system you are going to have congestion.

What is needed today were Garda Traffic Corps and they were nowhere to be seen.

I would oppose changing the system, The old system had roads with 2 way traffic where it was simply impossible for 2 cars to pass. The system works just fine, its just he age old complex that some people don't like change.

I think the main street is stunning, but its not all pedestrian, but it miles better than before.

I remember in 2002 spending an hour, yes an hour, getting from Connellys to dunnes stores.

ciaran67

You lot got water? We've had none all day in Crossmolina. Waiting for rationing, doodlebugs and then it will be just like the war.

finisklin

The traffic system is still on some people's radar and the haphazard approach and steadfastness of the Director of Services Paddy Mahon in the face of mass opposition gives a real insight to the real power brokers of our locality. As reflected by the letter below in last week's Western.......

Intersting that one can drive up Bridge street as far as Hill Street (i.e. the cafolla, Moclairs part) when coming west over the Ham bridge. Another well planned and well thought out move that should have been incorporated from the outset? It's important to note that the engineer has moved back to Castlebar (& closer to Kilmeena/Westport) an replaced by a Ballina engineer.....not sure if this is to take the sting out of the argument regarding decision makers not having to live with their decisions........:rolleyes:

I was talking to some traders in the O'Rahilly Street/JHill Street area and they indicated that it hasn't helped their business whatever abput the general slowdown/recession. One reason is access and having to come from out of town to go around town to get to town!

And as for the throw away remark about people who resist change
etc. I am dreading the Summer/Easter when there will be much more traffic on the roads that will recapture some of the delays and access to the town witnessed at Xmas......:pac::pac::pac::pac:.....:mad:.

Positive change needs to be well thought out, planned, communciated, researched objectively and importantly key stakeholders input needs to be garnered and taken on board at all stages otherwise change can be ineffective and regressive and in this instance percieved as change for change sake (to possibly boost the career prospectives or perhaps relocation prospectives for the decison makers to move closer to home.....:cool:).

Interestingly there is very little mention of a traffic management system in the town development plan 2009-2014 on the town council website bar a reference to an inner ring road (completely ignoring the real problem of another alternative route to get traffic over the Moy via a third bridge some where on Foxford Road etc.).

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Ballina’s new traffic system - another pantomime affair?
SIR - I recently attended an excellent community pantomime in aid of the Ballina Stephanites GAA club. A cast of amateurs from the town came together to put on an excellent performance of Cinderella and lifted some of the doom and gloom that’s around, for a couple of hours at least.
It was an excellent production and all involved deserve tremendous credit for such a wonderful event, which is totally geared towards enhancing our community and showing our town in a positive light. The cast and production team are an example to all in Ballina.

In the performance there is a local joke about what a mess the Town Council has made of Ballina's traffic system. This has been met every night with spontaneous applause and cheering from the local people in the audience, who made the show a huge success on all four nights. While this is a totally un-scientific poll, the dogs in the streets can tell you that the people of Ballina are unhappy with the current system; Traders, shoppers, all road users and all but one of our elected county councillors. Your newspaper December 29 last reports that Cllr Gerry Ginty is happy with the layout. I hope Cllr Ginty has not forgotten that he was elected to the council to represent the people of the town and not just his own personal views.

During the cheering and applause in the pantomime, I was gravitated to thinking about whom the town belongs to and who should have the say in its running. Should it be a civil servant engineer whose wages are paid for by the people or should it be the people of the town. Of course the Ballina people should govern the town through its elected representatives. The vast majority of our elected councillors, both town and council, are unhappy with the traffic network, so for better or worse, it has to change.


The word dictatorship is thrown around the council chamber far too often when a group of councillors lose a democratic vote but shades of a dictatorship are to be seen in this situation. The people want one thing, while an unelected group are denying them their wishes. Surely this is wrong and the engineers involved are forgetting who they work for. In any job I've been in, I had to do as the boss told me or there was only one consequence....

I hope that the people involved can see some sense or our council can persuade them to work for the people of the town and not independent of them.

Yours truly,

Conor Moore
12 Abbey Court, Killala Rd, Ballina

finisklin

The traffic system was given a big thumbs down today as it proved wholly unable to cope with traffic for the St Patricks Day parade. The Sligo road was backed up to the traffic lights and beyond with the Emmet Terrace part of the bridges route closed off and there was no through traffic in the town centre (i.e. down O'Rahilly St) as well.

This meant that Sligo road traffic had to park in the Cathedral, or head over Barrett Street and into the car parks in diamond or market square. Not really looking forward to the Salmon Festival or Heritage Day as this traffic system is gonna stretch people's patience and perservance with an ill thought out and poorly implemented initiative by the Town Council. Fortunately traffic is not gonna be at Celtic Tiger levels a la 2007 where it was chaotic on the Sligo road.

The other chestnut today was acccess for emergency services and fortunately they hadn't to be called on but getting through the town would have been difficult.

monument

finisklin wrote: »

The traffic system was given a big thumbs down today as it proved wholly unable to cope with traffic for the St Patricks Day parade.....

No traffic system anywhere can cope with the huge increases in traffic that happens on days like today or at the Salmon Festival etc.

oscarBravo

Heh. I have to laugh at criticism of a traffic system when half the town is closed and thousands of people are parked up and walking around.

finisklin

monument wrote: »

No traffic system anywhere can cope with the huge increases in traffic that happens on days like today or at the Salmon Festival etc.

Au contraire....the previous traffic system allowed traffic to cross over the river at two points - the Ham Bridge and the lower Bridge. The new system only allows traffic to pass over the Moy on one bridge due to the one way system.

The problem yesterday was that Sligo road, Ardnaree traffic could only park in the Cathedral or head out of town via Barret St. Emmet street was closed off which was unnecessary.

This system doesn't make it easier for emergency services to access the town, IMHO it makes more difficult which could exaserpate a tradegy even further.

But what do I know.....I just have to put up with it.....:pac:.......:pac:......

Ilovelucy

Emmet street was closed as it was on the parade route.

monument

finisklin wrote: »

Au contraire....the previous traffic system allowed traffic to cross over the river at two points - the Ham Bridge and the lower Bridge. The new system only allows traffic to pass over the Moy on one bridge due to the one way system.

The problem yesterday was that Sligo road, Ardnaree traffic could only park in the Cathedral or head out of town via Barret St. Emmet street was closed off which was unnecessary.

This system doesn't make it easier for emergency services to access the town, IMHO it makes more difficult which could exaserpate a tradegy even further.

But what do I know.....I just have to put up with it.....:pac:.......:pac:......

Emmet Street was blocked as part of the parade route, but you're trying to blame it on the one-way system? Wow, that's unreal stuff.

As for emergency services -- where people don't like changes to roads, I've seen emergency services access used as an excuse everywhere from Dublin to New York to Ballina.

finisklin

monument wrote: »

Emmet Street was blocked as part of the parade route, but you're trying to blame it on the one-way system? Wow, that's unreal stuff.

As for emergency services -- where people don't like changes to roads, I've seen emergency services access used as an excuse everywhere from Dublin to New York to Ballina.

The point being made is that there is only one route through the town and not two like the previous system. The current system unfortunately is now heading into the business time of year where traffic flows increase (though fortunately not as much as when the system was planned during the celtic tiger years, 2007 & 2008) and the flaws of the system are exposed and the towns people who had SFA input into it have to bear the brunt of it.

Unlike you I don't have wordly traffic management expertise outside of Ballina and this system has been poorly planned, implemented and its higgedly piggedly nature means that it has the potential to slow access either into the town or through the town for emergency services.

I think it is disingenous to point to access for emergency services as an excuse not to proceed with this initiative. What with the joint policing committee acknowledging concerns about traffic and access for emergency services in light of recent road tragedies (Quay Road Accident for example where 2 people died & in which emergency services accessed the area from Pound Street, Lord Edward Street, & Mercy Road) it appears that Ballina's concern's may be more grounded than NYC & Dublin. I think Cllr WN has already publicly stated these concerns.....

But rest assured that the status quo will continue less an officials reputation and hard work in planning and organising the system be damaged and what with a reduced requirement for public sector engineers (& public officials in general) the repercussions could be interesting.......Not sure if this will be a comforting thought for those accessing parking from whatever side of town while stuck in traffic......

monument

finisklin wrote: »

I think it is disingenous to point to access for emergency services as an excuse not to proceed with this initiative. What with the joint policing committee acknowledging concerns about traffic and access for emergency services in light of recent road tragedies (Quay Road Accident for example where 2 people died & in which emergency services accessed the area from Pound Street, Lord Edward Street, & Mercy Road) it appears that Ballina's concern's may be more grounded than NYC & Dublin. I think Cllr WN has already publicly stated these concerns.....

It's more than disingenuous to use emergency services access as an excuse -- it's quite sicking the way you are doing it. Politicians say what suits them, joint policing committees are political in nature.... Or have any senior gardai or other emergency services officials openly criticise the system on the record?

While it's also disingenuous to use events like a St Patrick's Day parade or the Festival, that more laughable than sicking. You're always going to have loads of traffic on theses days. Two routes do not automatically equal better, freer flowing, or faster access.

Ballina has always had its traffic problems. The council could have handled the changes better, but the people who are really doing damage to the town are those who are blowing any problems out of proportion.

I'm not sure if I agree with the new system, but these things need time and need to be worked on. Rhetoric isn't helpful and hysterical sound bites in the local press and on Midwest Radio sends out a message to people from outside the town to never visit.

finisklin

monument wrote: »

It's more than disingenuous to use emergency services access as an excuse -- it's quite sicking the way you are doing it. Politicians say what suits them, joint policing committees are political in nature.... Or have any senior gardai or other emergency services officials openly criticise the system on the record?

While it's also disingenuous to use events like a St Patrick's Day parade or the Festival, that more laughable than sicking. You're always going to have loads of traffic on theses days. Two routes do not automatically equal better, freer flowing, or faster access.

Ballina has always had its traffic problems. The council could have handled the changes better, but the people who are really doing damage to the town are those who are blowing any problems out of proportion.

I'm not sure if I agree with the new system, but these things need time and need to be worked on. Rhetoric isn't helpful and hysterical sound bites in the local press and on Midwest Radio sends out a message to people from outside the town to never visit.

Its not disingenuous to point to the St. Patricks Day parade or access for emergency services as a shortcoming of the existing system. Certainly the former is a practical example as I had to endure the wait to cross the only access point to the town i.e. the Ham Bridge. Your entitled to your point of view and your sense of humour, put to piss on my back and tell me its raining is another thing. Look at the previous posts regarding the shoddy planning and organisation that went into this initiative by public officials who don't reside in the town to preserve their own careers.....:cool:

The real test of the traffic system is only coming into play now as it was introduced at a dead time of year....any observation now has to account for that and not change for change sake. Two routes may not equal faster flowing traffic etc but two are better than one, as my experience driving around the town and documented on this thread has shown.

BTW, I have rarely seen public/civil bodies openly criticise each other perhaps some of the bigger government departments but for the Gardai to come out publicly and criticise the town council is outside of their remit. Though I am sure if you submit a FoI request regarding observations on the traffic system (including the Gardai) to the TC you might be surprised what you find out......;)

Whatever about soundbytes or hyterical media messages driving people away from the town, I think the recession has done that and the need for a new traffic system based on Celtic Tiger traffic data that is long since outdated and ensuring that locals have to endure the obstinacy of public officials who have no accountability to anyone. Gives new meaning to corporate governance......