Bothar na dTreabh (N6) - Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme

DanielI

The Completion of the M6 inter urban route in 2010 has delivered greatly improved access for Galway City. In contrast the city still experiences high levels of congestion. In addition to issues of congestion and poor journey times, it is apparent that there is a need to review the function of the N6 corridors to ensure that it fulfils the role of providing national road access but also that it responds to the various local needs affecting the route.
In response, Galway Transportation Unit, Galway City Council and the National Roads Authority (NRA) are working to deliver the Bothar na dTreabh (N6) Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme. The scheme has been established to take account not just of car users, but also the needs of public transport users, cyclists and pedestrians. Key objectives of the programme are as follows:

• Ensure the national road network within Galway protects and supports growth of the regional economy;
• Reduce the environmental impact of transport in Galway City;
• Facilitate and encourage the use of sustainable travel modes;
• Ensure future development of the N6 is integrated with a shared vision for future development of the public transport network;
• Promote integration of walking and cycling links;
• To ensure future development of the N6 is integrated with proposals for upgrading the local and regional road network;
• Improve road safety for all road users on the N6 links and junctions within Galway City;
• Improve access to Galway’s vital social infrastructure such as schools, third level institutions, hospitals and large employment areas.

The Galway City Scheme is being used as a pilot for the other major urban centres. The National Roads Authority have designated €4m in funding for 2011 to Galway City Council for the scheme, specifically to improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. The NRA funding is part of their national scheme to upgrade facilities for vulnerable road users on national roads in urban areas. The impact of this congestion has been highlighted in a survey of almost 600 residents in the area carried out by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in 2009.

• Although 24% of Galway City’s residents live less than 2km from their workplace, 64% of residence travel to work each day by car.
• The N6 corridor is heavily car dominated and carries a Daily Traffic Flow of 50,000 vehicles.
• Facilities for pedestrians and cyclists along the corridor are minimal resulting in hazardous conditions for these vulnerable road users.
• There is currently no public transport priority on the N6, this means public transport offers a poor alternative to driving.
• Traffic movement on the N6 is through large and busy roundabouts, this means there is very little control over traffic movements and little potential to help alleviate congestion in the City.

Work is currently under way to prepare designs for upgrades to the junctions. These are being costed and schemes are being prioritised in accordance with funding availability for 2011. The works will consist of upgrading the existing roundabouts to signalised junctions that will incorporate facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Improvements to facilitate future public transport upgrades will also be made. The first phase of the proposed improvements is being presented now as part of the statutory Part 8 process. Additional proposals will be presented through the Part 8 process in the coming months. The first phase will consist of upgrading the Lynch Roundabout at Briarhill. Commenting on the scheme, Jim Molloy of Galway Transportation Unit stated:
"The scheme is a very important in reducing congestion in Galway and making the City more accessible to pedestrians and cyclist. It will also benefit the city by Improving road safety for all road users on the N6 corridor, particularly pedestrians and cyclists,as well as reduced Public Transport journey times. We will also plan the works to avoid major events in Galway such as the Galway Races"




========================================================
Public Notice: Bothar na dTreabh (N6) Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme Lynch Roundabout Upgrade (N6/R339 Junction)

21 March 2011

Planning And Development Act 2000-2010

Galway City Council HEREBY GIVES NOTICE, under Part 8 (Article 81) of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001-2010 as amended, of its intention to replace the Lynch Roundabout with a Signalised Junction.
The proposed upgrade will consist of the removal of the existing roundabout and replacing it with a signalised junction, with pedestrian crossings on each arm, cycling facilities on both of the R339 arms, as well as all ancillary signage, signals and lighting.
Plans and particulars of the proposed development are available for inspection at the offices of the Planning Section, City Hall, College Road, Galway, between the hours of 9a.m. and 4p.m., Monday to Friday, from Monday, 21st of March to Tuesday 3rd May, 2011.
Submissions and observations with respect to the proposed development dealing with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area in which the development is situated may be made in writing to the Senior Planner, Planning Department, Galway City Coucil, City Hall, College Road, Galway not later than Tuesday, 17th May 2011.
Signed:
Ciarán Hayes,
Director of Services,
Transportation, Infrastructure Recreation and Amenity.

ronnie3585

The proposed upgrade will consist of the removal of the existing roundabout and replacing it with a signalised junction, with pedestrian crossings on each arm, cycling facilities on both of the R339 arms, as well as all ancillary signage, signals and lighting.

That's a great idea, we have all seen what an outstanding success the similar development at moneenageisha has been.

Sponge Bob

" Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme"

This is Galway Corpo speak for

"Spend Millions to Make Complete Sh1te of a Junction just like we did in Moneenageisha"

We still have that useless fragment of a bus lane outside the Eye cinema which bus lane should start AFTER the entrance to the Eye Cinema

( I see Ronnie was faster off the mark )

Discodog

Sponge Bob wrote: »

" Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme"

This is Galway Corpo speak for

............we haven't got a clue :rolleyes:. Whoever dreamed up that phrase should face instant dismissal !

apoeiguq3094y

ronnie3585 wrote: »

That's a great idea, we have all seen what an outstanding success the similar development at moneenageisha has been.

Is this sarcasm? Cos I think moneenageisha cross is far better as a traffic lighted junction. At quiet times it is a bit annoying to have to wait for the lights to go through the full cycle, but with the amount of buses and trucks using it, and the fact that most people were going from lough atalia rd to the dublin rd, it was a disaster as a roundabout. It was also suicidal for pedestrians.

yfaykya

Why do we have to visit city hall to see these plans? Are they not available anywhere online?

Mrs OBumble

apoeiguq3094y wrote: »

It was also suicidal for pedestrians.

Agreed.

Seeing that the Morris RAB is going really made my day.

extraice

Moneenageisha , has no one learned yet ?

OMG some one need two stop the GCC for turn the city in to trific light paradise
i see in Usa EU where roundabout been put back in to help trific when we going back to stone age .....

o why is there a round about at the end M6 ? signalised junction,

list off FEck up in the City
spanish arch , and lane closed beside the docks
Erye Sq , was lot nice the old way
Shop st , when wet like a pool
Westside bus lane ....
new bridge over the river
any one whan to add two this please ?

Head The Wall

JustMary wrote: »

Agreed.

Seeing that the Morris RAB is going really made my day.

Theres a lot less pedestrians using the roundabout at the Clayton and they have an underpass which goes under some lanes.

what_traffic

The City Council may say its for pedestrians and cyclists but why start with the Lynch roundabout(@ Clayton Hotel)?? The Browne Roundabout(behind UCHG) - is the obvious one to change first.

snubbleste

what_traffic wrote: »

The City Council may say its for pedestrians and cyclists but why start with the Lynch roundabout(@ Clayton Hotel)?? The Browne Roundabout(behind UCHG) - is the obvious one to change first.

The obvious one is the magic roundabout on the Headford Road.

ciotog

yfaykya wrote: »

Why do we have to visit city hall to see these plans? Are they not available anywhere online?

Because they don't really want you to see them. Displaying them at City Hall is the legal requirement and they're not going to go further than that. The fear is that an unqualified member of the public might question the infinite wisdom of city council officialdom.

what_traffic

snubbleste wrote: »

The obvious one is the magic roundabout on the Headford Road.

That was my No 2

KevR

Sponge Bob wrote: »

We still have that useless fragment of a bus lane outside the Eye cinema which bus lane should start AFTER the entrance to the Eye Cinema

+100

Mrs OBumble

Head The Wall wrote: »

Theres a lot less pedestrians using the roundabout at the Clayton and they have an underpass which goes under some lanes.

Which some people are scared to use because it's out of sight ..

Have you got a source for comparison re the number of users?

''Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement''

When you first hear it you think it's going to at least go some way to helping traffic flow in the city which we need most.....

Iwannahurl

I'm all in favour of ripping out or otherwise radically altering Galway's roundabouts. They were badly-designed and dangerous from the very beginning. The Council's own public consultations have identified the city's roundabouts as chronically problematic, and it's imperative that something is done.

That said, I would have thought that the Circus of Horrors (aka Bodkin/Tesco/Magic Roundabout) would be the first for the chop. Perhaps that revamp is an entirely separate scheme.

BTW, Moneenageisha is much improved by the signalised junction. Looking at that upgrade from inside a car does not provide a broad enough perspective.

Likewise, any discussion of traffic flow/congestion that fails to take this key point into consideration is missing a fundamental part of the problem: "Although 24% of Galway City’s residents live less than 2km from their workplace, 64% travel to work each day by car".

Iwannahurl

Sponge Bob wrote: »

" Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme"

This is Galway Corpo speak for

"Spend Millions to Make Complete Sh1te of a Junction just like we did in Moneenageisha"

We still have that useless fragment of a bus lane outside the Eye cinema which bus lane should start AFTER the entrance to the Eye Cinema

( I see Ronnie was faster off the mark )

What is useless about this section of the bus lane, and why do you think it should start after the Dublin Road entrance to Wellpark Retail Park?

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

BTW, Moneenageisha is much improved by the signalised junction. Looking at that upgrade from inside a car does not provide a broad enough perspective.

because people are avoiding it like the plague. Everyone I know that used to go through the roundabout now uses tuam rd & bohermore.

The only junction that needs to be changed east of the corrib is cemetery cross, simply because there isn't enough space for a RAB there. Close off the tesco junction and enforce the traffic laws improves the magic RAB (road markings aren't that hard to figure out and i've been using it as a morotist, pedestrian and cyclist since it opened, safe enough to me).

As for the briarhill rab they need to do something about the sequencing of the lights for the road up to parkmore ind est. The red light going out the monivea road blocks people getting onto the RAB and opening the shopping center makes things worse. I'd rather see them removed and close off close off outbound traffic (past the lights) between 3PM to 7 PM and have them go to glenascaul so they can access carnmore cross (should only put out a couple of hundred people, of which I am one).

My solution to the shopping center: close off access to the monivea road (to doughiska) and route traffic though doughiska village - there's 3 alternative routes.

for the outbound stretch of the monivea road,

what_traffic

Iwannahurl wrote: »

BTW, Moneenageisha is much improved by the signalised junction. Looking at that upgrade from inside a car does not provide a broad enough perspective.

Excellent point

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

because people are avoiding it like the plague. Everyone I know that used to go through the roundabout now uses tuam rd & bohermore.

The only junction that needs to be changed east of the corrib is cemetery cross, simply because there isn't enough space for a RAB there. Close off the tesco junction and enforce the traffic laws improves the magic RAB (road markings aren't that hard to figure out and i've been using it as a morotist, pedestrian and cyclist since it opened, safe enough to me).

As for the briarhill rab they need to do something about the sequencing of the lights for the road up to parkmore ind est. The red light going out the monivea road blocks people getting onto the RAB and opening the shopping center makes things worse. I'd rather see them removed and close off close off outbound traffic (past the lights) between 3PM to 7 PM and have them go to glenascaul so they can access carnmore cross (should only put out a couple of hundred people, of which I am one).

My solution to the shopping center: close off access to the monivea road (to doughiska) and route traffic though doughiska village - there's 3 alternative routes. for the outbound stretch of the monivea road,

What people?

Are you saying bus users, cyclists and pedestrians are all avoiding the signal-controlled Moneenageisha junction now?

Why would they do that?

And why might the 9A bus route be so successful since it can't avoid Moneenageisha?

Doughiska bus route tops million passengers in year

Galway's roundabouts are not safe, objectively or subjectively. This has been confirmed by the City Council's own consultations, by Garda collision statistics and even by Failte Ireland market research.




BTW, I'm still hoping for an explanation for this point someone made earlier:

Sponge Bob wrote: »

We still have that useless fragment of a bus lane outside the Eye cinema which bus lane should start AFTER the entrance to the Eye Cinema

Sponge Bob

It should be a left turn + bus lane+ cycle lane, not an exclusive bus lane. This means wellpark traffic need not chicane right and left in the space of 100m which is dangerous and stupid.

Were it done properly then cyclists could share it past the eye and then go on a pavement lane inside the bus lane after the wellpark exit.

Furthermore the Moneen roundabout/now traffic lights/ NEVER needed pedestrian crossings on ALL 4 ROADS when three would do. The east( renmore) side needs no lights meaning that the inbound slip from renmore to town could be green longer or green at all times save where a ped wants to go from Huntsman across college road.

I do agree with the bike pools at the front at each traffic light with the cars held further back, that is a genuine innovation for Galway and more of that please.

antoobrien

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I do agree with the bike pools at the front at each traffic light with the cars held further back, that is a genuine innovation for Galway and more of that please.

they have those in dublin - most of the motorists (and cyclists for that matter) don't know or care what they're for and use them for their cars (even the ones clearly marked with bike symbols).

Worse still are the people who enter junctions to turn right only to stop when they see a red light on the exit - happens every day at the exit to the business park i work at (another reason why i hate traffic lights)

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

What people?

any motorist i've talked to from the east side of town that used to use the moneen roundabout

Iwannahurl

Sponge Bob wrote: »

It should be a left turn + bus lane+ cycle lane, not an exclusive bus lane. This means wellpark traffic need not chicane right and left in the space of 100m which is dangerous and stupid.

Were it done properly then cyclists could share it past the eye and then go on a pavement lane inside the bus lane after the wellpark exit.

Furthermore the Moneen roundabout/now traffic lights/ NEVER needed pedestrian crossings on ALL 4 ROADS when three would do. The east( renmore) side needs no lights meaning that the inbound slip from renmore to town could be green longer or green at all times save where a ped wants to go from Huntsman across college road.

I do agree with the bike pools at the front at each traffic light with the cars held further back, that is a genuine innovation for Galway and more of that please.

I'm no roads engineer, so I won't claim I have all the answers.

However, I would submit the following:

1. If by "Wellpark traffic" you mean motorists wishing to enter the retail centre from the Dublin Road outbound, then are they not already in the right-hand lane? Hence no need for chicanery?

2. It's a bus-cycle lane, so are cyclists not already free to share it from the start?

3. It is perhaps the case that the bus-cycle lane outbound is a little too narrow for some (less confident?) cyclists' comfort. However, given the execrable standard of cycle "pavement lanes" in Galway, I for one am delighted that the City Council didn't impose one here.

4. The bus lane in the location you specify serves one very important function: it accommodates buses and bus users. I doubt that the bus stop would function properly if buses had to compete with traffic at this spot.

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

any motorist i've talked to from the east side of town that used to use the moneen roundabout

In which case, FYP:

antoobrien wrote: »

because some motorists I've spoken to are avoiding it like the plague. Everyone I know that used to go through the roundabout now uses tuam rd & bohermore.

ciotog

Iwannahurl wrote: »

I'm no roads engineer, so I won't claim I have all the answers.

However, I would submit the following:

1. If by "Wellpark traffic" you mean motorists wishing to enter the retail centre from the Dublin Road outbound, then are they not already in the right-hand lane? Hence no need for chicanery?

It's possible for a motorist, wishing to turn left in to Wellpark, to have turned right from the approaching left lane of the junction. This would leave them in the bus lane. So they have to change to the right lane before changing back to the left lane to turn in to Wellpark, all over a very short stretch of road.

I cycle that way some evenings and would have to admit I like not having traffic behind me also turning right But I can see the sense in shared use for all road users until after the Wellpark entrance/exit.

ciotog

antoobrien wrote: »

they have those in dublin - most of the motorists (and cyclists for that matter) don't know or care what they're for and use them for their cars (even the ones clearly marked with bike symbols).

The times I don't use them, as a cyclist, are when I can't be certain I'll have entered the space before the lights have turned green. The reasoning here being I have to filter through traffic to reach it and consider that unsafe when motor vehicles are pulling away from the traffic lights. So I just take the lane as a vehicle in those cases.

Iwannahurl

ciotog wrote: »

It's possible for a motorist, wishing to turn left in to Wellpark, to have turned right from the approaching left lane of the junction. This would leave them in the bus lane. So they have to change to the right lane before changing back to the left lane to turn in to Wellpark, all over a very short stretch of road.

I cycle that way some evenings and would have to admit I like not having traffic behind me also turning right But I can see the sense in shared use for all road users until after the Wellpark entrance/exit.

Sorry, I don't understand that. Turning right from which road? College Road perhaps?

ciotog

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Sorry, I don't understand that. Turning right from which road? The College Road side perhaps?

Correct

Iwannahurl

ciotog wrote: »

Correct

Unless I am mistaken, motorists in the left lane here are supposed to turn left or go straight on, not right.