Seamus Quirke roadworks merge

KevR

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Thing is, converting an existing lane to a QBC would indeed reduce traffic.

I very much doubt it.

Traffic counts are close to double the design capacity. Therefore, it would be impossible to half the capacity by using two of the existing lanes as bus lanes.
http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/RoadsandTraffic/Publications/FileEnglish,3243,en.pdf

Newcastle Road - Galway SC Roundabout
2004 (Actual): 38,124
2010 (Estimate): 44,003

Galway SC Roundabout - Menlo Park Roundabout
2004 (Actual): 36,267
2010 (Estimate): 51,851

I actually think the 2010 estimate for the Quincentenary could be a bit on the low side but I can't find actual figures for 2010 or 2011.

To put it into context, the M50 in Dublin carries twice as much traffic. Most sections of the M50 have 8 lanes in total with complex spagetti-like free flow junctions. The M50 flows freely the majority of the time and is fit for purpose. If you closed off 2 lanes in each direction and halved the capacity, would the flow of traffic on the M50 improve?? The answer is no. The capacity of the M50 was doubled recently. It was a car park before the capacity was increased.

If anything, we should be looking to significantly improve junctions on the N6 in Galway to make the road fit for purpose. I have no objections to widening (where possible) for bus lanes in each direction or converting one of the foot/cycle paths to a tidal bus lane.

zarquon

Traffic was a disaster this morning from both directions across the bridge at the new lights. FFS, it's like moneenigesha all over again each time they put new junction lights in, the timings are all messed up and it creates gridlock in traffic flows where it wasn't an issue before.

Sponge Bob

I couldn't see where they installed any sensors at those new lights ....eg maybe 100m away from the junction so they can predict queues building and retime the light sequences on the fly. Maybe that will be a Phase 2(c) in the new year that!

And it is much too wet for the Corpo lads to be out there with stop watches and clipboards watching their own mess.

They will get into Corpo Traffic HQ by 9:30 and watch it on camera instead with a warm cut of coffee in hand...what. Around lunchtime Hildegaarde will likely call yet another meeting.

Iwannahurl

IIRC it took some time to finalise the sequencing at Moneenageisha.

For some reason traffic is always messed up in Galway when it rains heavily. You'd think we might have learned to adapt by now given the alleged amount of precipitation.

KevR

The Newcastle Road/Quincentenary Bridge lights were switched off and Eastbound was down to one lane through the junction this morning at 07:45. Traffic was starting to back up at that time - can't imagine what it was like at 08:30..

@Spongebob: there are inductive loops at the lights. I think there is one (in each lane) very near the lights and one in each lane a bit further back (maybe 20-25m).

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

IIRC it took some time to finalise the sequencing at Moneenageisha.

For some reason traffic is always messed up in Galway when it rains heavily. You'd think we might have learned to adapt by now given the alleged amount of precipitation.

That's not exactly a problem unique to Galway or even Ireland - it goes nuts all over the world when it rains.

And if you think that the sequencing at the Moneen is acceptable why does it take 5 minutes to get through the lights (from college rd or wellpark) when there's relatively low traffic levels?

Iwannahurl

Rain-induced traffic chaos is not universal, as far as my personal experience goes anyway.

I have no problem with the Moneenageisha lights, but I don't want to revisit that controversial issue in this thread.

An anecdote, FWIW. A few years ago I attended a meeting in GMIT, due to start at 17:30. Running late, I left Knocknacarra at 16:55, and travelled via the Docks and Lough Atalia Road. Arrived in GMIT in the nick of time, to discover that most other people due to attend had not yet arrived. Commencement of the meeting was delayed until the important people showed up, which they eventually did, forty minutes late (even later, some of them). Some of the Really Important People only had to travel from locations very close to the city centre. Not a word was said about it. It wasn't raining, btw.

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Rain-induced traffic chaos is not universal, as far as my personal experience goes anyway.

Really, I've seen it in Canada & the US as well as several towns in Ireland. As for cross country, before the motorways were completed I found it easier quicker to get to Dublin when it was wet because the "sunday drivers" decided to stay at home.

Iwannahurl wrote: »

I have no problem with the Moneenageisha lights, but I don't want to revisit that controversial issue in this thread.

An anecdote, FWIW. A few years ago I attended a meeting in GMIT, due to start at 17:30. Running late, I left Knocknacarra at 16:55, and travelled via the Docks and Lough Atalia Road. Arrived in GMIT in the nick of time, to discover that most other people due to attend had not yet arrived. Commencement of the meeting was delayed until the important people showed up, which they eventually did, forty minutes late (even later, some of them). Some of the Really Important People only had to travel from locations very close to the city centre. Not a word was said about it. It wasn't raining, btw.

Last Saturday week I walked from the shops in Mervue into town and beat the #8 bus to Eyre Sqaure, which left at the same time.

I stopped at the at the lights to time how long it took traffic go get through the lights - 5 minutes coming from college rd & wellpark sides. The only side that moved well was Dublin road inbound.

Sponge Bob

KevR wrote: »

I think there is one (in each lane) very near the lights and one in each lane a bit further back (maybe 20-25m).

Thanks Kev, never saw them. Mindya 20-25m is no use.

KevR

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Thanks Kev, never saw them. Mindya 20-25m is no use.

Agree, they need to be further back.

Sponge Bob

Grand, shall we dig the road up again and fit them so.??

antoobrien

KevR wrote: »

@Spongebob: there are inductive loops at the lights. I think there is one (in each lane) very near the lights and one in each lane a bit further back (maybe 20-25m).

If they're anything like the sensors they use on the Monivea Rd to control the right turn into the racecourse & Parkmore estates they'll be practically useless - in the wet the sensors don't seem to be able to determine that there's a car on the road.

galwaycyclist

KevR wrote: »

The Newcastle Road/Quincentenary Bridge lights were switched off and Eastbound was down to one lane through the junction this morning at 07:45. Traffic was starting to back up at that time - can't imagine what it was like at 08:30..

@Spongebob: there are inductive loops at the lights. I think there is one (in each lane) very near the lights and one in each lane a bit further back (maybe 20-25m).

Do they continue into the new cycle lanes?

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

Really, I've seen it in Canada & the US as well as several towns in Ireland. As for cross country, before the motorways were completed I found it easier quicker to get to Dublin when it was wet because the "sunday drivers" decided to stay at home.

Last Saturday week I walked from the shops in Mervue into town and beat the #8 bus to Eyre Sqaure, which left at the same time.

I stopped at the at the lights to time how long it took traffic go get through the lights - 5 minutes coming from college rd & wellpark sides. The only side that moved well was Dublin road inbound.

Bus lanes would restore the balance a bit, and if bus priority measures are to be added to the new AUTC the situation for PT will be made even better.

Of course you also beat car traffic when walking from Mervue to Eyre Square, as you know. It seems to be the price of progress that driving is slower than walking in cerrtain urban conditions!

AFAIK it doesn't take pedestrians or cyclists that long to get through the lights. The waiting times at the junction are also a function of the number of (mostly single-occupant) cars.

In terms of road space a medium-sized single-decker bus carrying, say, fifty passengers takes up only the length of the bus (7-8 metres perhaps?).

Fifty people travelling alone in cars of about five metres in length -- ignoring the headway between them for the moment -- amounts to a line of traffic 250 metres long. Factor in the headway (say a metre each) and you'd have a line of cars stretching along Lough Atalia Road nearly a third of the distance from Moneenageisha Cross to the Radisson Blu Hotel, for example.

At the end of the day road space is finite, and given the reality that most cars are single-occupant most of that space is wasted. Prioritising PT is one way of increasing efficiency in terms of moving people rather than vehicles.

Iwannahurl

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Do they continue into the new cycle lanes?

Hmmm, do I see where you're going with that one?

The thought had not occurred to me. What would be the possible consequences of extending/not extending the induction loops into the cycle lanes?

And by the way, in your opinion how should cyclists position themselves for going straight through the junctions (or for turning right, if applicable)?

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Of course you also beat car traffic when walking from Mervue to Eyre Square, as you know. It seems to be the price of progress that driving is slower than walking in cerrtain urban conditions!

Had I done the usual thing of going in the Tuam road in my car I would have easily beat the bus, cycling & walking traffic.

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

Had I done the usual thing of going in the Tuam road in my car I would have easily beat the bus, cycling & walking traffic.

Makes one wonder what Galway motorists are complaining about then!

Sponge Bob

Iwannahurl wrote: »

What would be the possible consequences of extending/not extending the induction loops into the cycle lanes?

Why would anybody do something as silly as that??

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Makes one wonder what Galway motorists are complaining about then!

If one doesn't know then one obviously isn't a resident of Galway

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

If one doesn't know then one obviously isn't a resident of Galway

Perhaps.

Other possibilities:

one is merely a resident of cyberspace (ie Boards);
one has one's own ways of avoiding traffic congestion;
or one doesn't complain about congestion when driving because one is not 'stuck in traffic' one IS traffic.

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

one is merely a resident of cyberspace (ie Boards);

With approaching 2500 posts in less than one year that's more than a bit hypocritical. Try removing plank from in front of your eyes before attempting to help your neighbor with the speck of sand in theirs.

Iwannahurl

antoobrien wrote: »

With approaching 2500 posts in less than one year that's more than a bit hypocritical. Try removing plank from in front of your eyes before attempting to help your neighbor with the speck of sand in theirs.

Eh?

The point of your moral/biblical comments eludes me.

On the other hand, your strategy of attacking the poster and not the post is uncalled for, IMO, as well as being revealing.

Malice

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Eh?

The point of your moral/biblical comments eludes me.

He's pointing out that your implication that he spends too much time in front of a computer is a bit rich considering the amount of time you yourself must have also spent in front of a computer to rack up on average seven posts a day every day since you joined.

galwaycyclist

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Why would anybody do something as silly as that??

It might be something felt worthy of ridicule but anyone who ridicules the idea of having induction loops that detect cyclists is forever precluded from slagging cyclists who run red lights.

We have in this country several generations of traffic engineers who have been training several generations of cyclists to ignore red-lights.

Indeed I once came upon a technician on Lough Atalia who was adjusting the Raddison lights.

"Do you tune them to detect cyclists?" asks I

"No" says he "these are only for cars"

Indeed if I stop in the induction loop at the back of the Huntsman, the lights never change. And we all wait there patiently and the queue of cars behind gets longer and longer and longer.

Business as usual in Newcastle so?

snubbleste

This occurs at the Oranmore Coast road junction on Dublin Road. You could wait there for ages at the designated cycle white line but the light will be red unless a car arrives behind you to trigger the lights.

snubbleste

Anyhow back to Seamus Quirke, the nice weather over the weekend has resulted in some big potholes and pedestrians getting assaulted with dirty brown coloured water by passing motorists. There is only the one footpath the length of the road and is heavily used..so motorists drive with due care!

yermanoffthetv

Lights were off on the college side of the bridge last night round 9.30, saw couple of near misses when I was jucin up the car in topaz :eek: Back on today thankfully. One question I have for any planners on here (forgive me if this was already asked) why dont they have 2 traffic lanes either side and a short slip road around the bus stops? Theres plenty of room for it.

Sponge Bob

galwaycyclist wrote: »

"No" says he "these are only for cars"

That is because....., ah never mind.

I note that the cyclist only box arrangement at the front has not been provided at the new Newcastle Road lights...unlike in Moneenageisha. It should be there at the 2 Newcastle Road ends .....where there is no cycle path and where two lanes are shoehorned into not enough road space at the lights basically.

The other two ends should have a red light at visible bicycle height with a red bicycle and green bicycle sort of theme the better for the avoidance of gobsh1tery.

Any 'down with that sort of thing' ideas, I am all ears. ???

Iwannahurl

Malice wrote: »

He's pointing out that your implication that he spends too much time in front of a computer is a bit rich considering the amount of time you yourself must have also spent in front of a computer to rack up on average seven posts a day every day since you joined.

My implication? Or your inference?

Please point out where exactly I have clearly, deliberately and unambiguously implied such a thing, as opposed to you or others merely (and mistakenly) inferring/assuming it.

Otherwise withdraw the remark please. You are wrong, and also well out of order IMO.

Malice

Iwannahurl wrote: »

My implication? Or your inference?

Please point out where exactly I have clearly, deliberately and unambiguously implied such a thing, as opposed to you or others merely (and mistakenly) inferring/assuming it.

Otherwise withdraw the remark please. You are wrong, and also well out of order IMO.

Take it up (preferably by PM) with the poster who wrote the original post that you didn't understand. I have merely clarified the remark for you and have no intention of dragging this thread further off-topic.