Seamus Quirke roadworks merge

galwaycyclist

Iwannahurl wrote: »

IMO the fact that the SQR modifications are 'bookended' by roundabouts may well lead to the usual practice of wrongway cycling on foot/bike paths.

That is also the cycle campaign's analysis. Leaving aside the roundabouts, the new layout of the lights at Glean Dara - with a stated design assumption requiring Eastbound cyclists to carry out unusual "footpath hopping" manouevres to access the city via Shantalla Road* - will also incentivise cyclists to cycle the wrong way on the footpath portion.

(Confident cyclists will simply ignore the cycle lanes and stay on the road)

* Even Frank Fahy TD (FF) thought this was unworkable when he was shown this at a meeting with the engineers.

galwaycyclist

This is a graphic representation of the path the city council engineers say Eastbound cyclists will be expected to follow to access the city via Shantalla etc. It suggests that for residents of Dun Aras etc the easiest thing to do will be to simply stay on the wrong side of the road and cycle on the footpath. Same might apply to cyclists entering from Rahoon Road via the lights at Rockfield - it might make more sense to them to cross and cycle on the wrong side of the road on the footpath.

Sponge Bob

Not too shabby, they say use first green light to get into Cycle Box on left, use next green light to avail of priority ( cos cycles block cars) and go right across then hop into lane on the far side. Cycle boxes work as intended I find so tickety boo.

And you don't cross with the peds on the staggers.

Now will the cyclists have the wit to do it like that ???

paulgalway

Was coming from westside towards town this morning and noticed that the lights (at Aldi) went from red to amber and then green , thought this sequence did not exist here? Personnally, I think it is a good idea if all lights followed this sequence.

antoobrien

paulgalway wrote: »

Was coming from westside towards town this morning and noticed that the lights (at Aldi) went from red to amber and then green , thought this sequence did not exist here? Personnally, I think it is a good idea if all lights followed this sequence.

Normally there's only the flashing amber lights at pedestrian crossings. Though I ahve seen that in the UK & Germany.

Definitely a good idea, should help with drivers not paying attention to lights.

Sponge Bob

Traffic lights working up there now, thankfully. There is no chance that they will open all the way to the Rahoon Cemetary Road this month as the corpo announced only a few weeks back.

December sometime looks just about achievable and they could possibly do the whole length by christmas.....not next week like they promised.

http://www.galwaycity.ie/GeneralNews/021111_01.html

02 November 2011

In order to facilitate the ongoing works at the Seamus Quirke Road\Bishop O'Donnell there will be changes to the traffic management along the works during the month of November.

On Thursday, 10th November, subject to works being completed depending on weather conditions, traffic will be switched from the existing road onto the newly constructed northern side of the road from the Browne Roundabout (adjacent to Corrib Park) as far as the Circular Road junction (adjacent to Glen Dara).

During the week beginning Monday, 14th November, traffic will be switched over onto the newly constructed section of road from the Rahoon Road junction to the Circular Road junction.

On Tuesday, 22nd November, 2-way traffic will be re-introduced on the section of road from the Deane Roundabout (at Fort Lorenzo) to the Rahoon Road junction.

Sponge Bob

Not surprising seeing as they must be getting stick about this fiasco every time they leave the house nowadays

http://www.galwaynews.ie/22791-party-whips-meet-executives-over-seamus-quirke-road-project

Good luck to them trying to get a straight answer, plus or minus €2m and plus or minus 3 months.

PARTY WHIPS TO MEET EXECUTIVES OVER SEAMUS QUIRKE ROAD PROJECT

November 20, 2011 - 5:50pm Two top city council officials have agreed to meet city councillors on Monday to solve the ongoing funding dilemma over the Seamus Quirke Road project.
The unprecedented meeting was called for last week, after city officials failed to reveal the cost of the overruns on the 10 million euro contract.
City councillors believe there is at least a 5 million euro gap in funding as the contractor has put in a series of claims for overruns.
Chairman of the Transportation Committee Cllr Michael Crowe says they need answers on Monday as to the exact funding shortfall and timescale of the project

Sponge Bob

OK. Lets recap what happened at the meeting. First of all before the contract was awarded the corpo said it would cost €12-14m and it will.

As there was a recession on the BID for the work came in at €6.7m and a contract was awarded at €6.7m ( Ex Vat. some Vat is payable at 20% and some at 13.5% when it comes to building, even at 20% the lot that means the contract was for €8m and no more.

So the corpo officials are maintaining it cost what they thought it would during the bubble more or less.

But the cost is heading for a 50-75% Overrun! at €14m and Coffey and a few local landowners looks like they may get another €4m - €6m ( inc vat) on top of the €8m they are entitled to. :eek:

No excuse for this fiasco, the corpo had about 8 years to plan this and write the contract up tight as well as buy the land they never bought.

Iwannahurl

galwaycyclist wrote: »

This is a graphic representation of the path the city council engineers say Eastbound cyclists will be expected to follow to access the city via Shantalla etc. It suggests that for residents of Dun Aras etc the easiest thing to do will be to simply stay on the wrong side of the road and cycle on the footpath. Same might apply to cyclists entering from Rahoon Road via the lights at Rockfield - it might make more sense to them to cross and cycle on the wrong side of the road on the footpath.


https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/114588/181723.JPG

Is it true that at B (Gleann Dara) the large gated residence is to have its own private traffic signal to facilitate their vehicular exit?



.

Sponge Bob

Someone took away their road (twice I think) so quite right! Best put traffic light on bicycle path too.

galwaynews confirms 50% cost overrun possibility.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/22812-council-must-seek-%E2%82%AC5m-loan-bank-finish-road-project

snubbleste

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Is it true that at B the private residence is to have its own private traffic signal to facilitate their vehicular exit?.

Highly unlikely. It's just off the Gleann Dara exit.

Iwannahurl

This is the front of the property.

I'm not sure whether this is the rear of the same property, but if so it suggests that they have a potential alternative entrance/exit.

The drawing above is not detailed enough, but it does seem to indicate that the residence's exit is coming out very close to the Stop line. Will they be able to exit when there's traffic at the lights?

whatever99

This could already be answered in this thread, but I haven't come across it yet. Does anyone know why the cycle lanes are cut off every now and then along the SQR? They are cut off by a diagonal line of lights. It seems to be at junctions with entrances/other roads IIRC, but I don't see why they can't just carry on, like on the Doughiska road. Ok, those lanes stop at the entrance to each estate, but you can still remain in off the road, and away from traffic.

snubbleste

The cycle lane at the minute is downright dangerous. If you're cycling east avoiding the massive rectangular red&white painted concrete blob, approaching BótharLeChéile, you merge with motorists who then turn left into BótharLeChéile in front of you.
The motorist sees the cyclist as being on a seperate lane, does not appear to realise that the cyclist will merge and is going straight ahead.
There'll be a serious injury yet

what_traffic

snubbleste wrote: »

The cycle lane at the minute is downright dangerous. If you're cycling east avoiding the massive rectangular red&white painted concrete blob, approaching BótharLeChéile, you merge with motorists who then turn left into BótharLeChéile in front of you.
The motorist sees the cyclist as being on a seperate lane, does not appear to realise that the cyclist will merge and is going straight ahead.
There'll be a serious injury yet

This very point you make was flagged well in advance of this scheme going ahead to the GTU/City Council. However when the Bus lanes are eventually in place - it will be safer for cyclists to use them rather than these cycle paths. See the following link: http://www.galwaycycling.org/seamus-quirke-road-cyclists-issue-safety-warning-over-cycle-paths/comment-page-1/#comment-1439

snubbleste

Estimated cost for the works was €8m-€10m when the scheme started last year. It looks like it will actually cost a minimum of €16.5m
http://www.galwaynews.ie/23072-council-return-banks-pay-overrun-seamus-quirke

Our Council are now borrowing €8m from banks to fund the scheme.
Q. How many Council officials will be fired for this?

Sponge Bob

snubbleste wrote: »

Q. How many Council officials will be fired for this?

The 'design' <cough> was revealed by the Corpo about 10 years ago and passed with conditions by an Bord Pleabála around 8 years ago.

http://www.oocities.org/galwaycyclist/news1.html

January 2002: Two more roundabouts and cycle paths threatened for Quirke Rd


The GCC has reacted with anger and derision to Galway City Council's recently announced scheme for the Seamus Quirke road, which proposes two more roundabouts and footpath-style "cycle lanes" for this location, a road layout which is already causing a safety nightmare for cyclists at other locations in the city. The council is due to consider the matter again on Monday 11/2/02 and a short protest is planned outside city hall between 6:00pm and 6:30pm when the council meeting starts. On 28/1/02 Galway City Council recieved a presentation on the scheme by their "consultant" Mr. Frank Harewood. This presentation contained claims that are considered dubious, in particular the assertion that there are "pedestrian facilities" on the arms of uncontrolled roundabouts. According to the presentation given by Mr. Harewood to the City council on Monday the 28th, cyclists who wish to make turning or crossing manoeuvres will apparently have to dismount and become "pedestrians". Cyclists are apparently expected to use the "pedestrian facilities" provided at the two new roundabouts. These are to be the same as the existing "pedestrian facilities" which, according to Mr. Harewood, are already present at the other roundabouts in the city.
The Galway Cycling Campaign has reacted with derision to the suggestion that the scheme will accommodate the needs of cyclists. The proposed scheme incorporates so-called "cycle lanes" of a design that that was described as "self defeating" in an official report over 25 years ago and results in a massive increases in the rate and severity of most common types of car/bicycle collision. Since its formation the Galway cycling campaign has been seeking the removal or modification of similar devices elsewhere in the city. These are then to be used in conjunction with roundabouts of design on which cyclists have an injury accident rate that is 14-16 times that of motorists and whose safety was first queried in an official report over 22 years ago.

snubbleste

Roadworks making progress to finish some point in late 2012.

Is it just me or is the road now at a higher elevation than before at the Church?

Iwannahurl

snubbleste wrote: »

Roadworks making progress to finish some point in late 2012.

Is it just me or is the road now at a higher elevation than before at the Church?

Late 2012?

Significantly higher, as far as I can see.

Sponge Bob

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Late 2012?

Possible. Coffey is slowly scratching around looking for more cost overrun opportunities and they have nothing else on that I know of.

On the 2nd of November the council said. > http://www.galwaycity.ie/GeneralNews/021111_01.html

During the week beginning Monday, 14th November, traffic will be switched over onto the newly constructed section of road from the Rahoon Road junction to the Circular Road junction.

If we are very lucky they will actually make the switch over on the 23rd of December....6 weeks later.

Leonard Hofstadter

I see that as of about an hour ago traffic between the junction for Highfield Park (Gleann Dara)/Circular Road and the junction for Rahoon Road has now switched over to the "new" part.

snubbleste

I heard a spokeperson for the Highfield residents association on the wireless recently stating that "we've all been driven demented by the roadworks."

There is also a horrible pothole at the roundabout coming from the hospital exit heading west.

Leonard Hofstadter

snubbleste wrote: »

I heard a spokeperson for the Highfield residents association on the wireless recently stating that "we've all been driven demented by the roadworks."

There is also a horrible pothole at the roundabout coming from the hospital exit heading west.

I'm not surprised, considering how long this has been dragging on. It's an absolute farce. The end of 2012 sounds entirely believeable, this is Galway city council after all. There is a desperate bump as you turn into Westside shopping centre from SQR and just before the Highfield Park/Circular Road junction as well (heading westbound).

BhoscaCapall

What's the deal with the BO'D road when it's finished? Is it seriously going to be 2 lanes of traffic and a bus lane? So basically, absolutely no real improvement on the traffic situation whatsoever, and only a benefit to the 2 or 3 buses that might trundle down it every hour?

Someone please tell me this is wrong.

galwaycyclist

BhoscaCapall wrote: »

What's the deal with the BO'D road when it's finished? Is it seriously going to be 2 lanes of traffic and a bus lane? So basically, absolutely no real improvement on the traffic situation whatsoever, and only a benefit to the 2 or 3 buses that might trundle down it every hour?

Someone please tell me this is wrong.

Yes this is entirely correct. International experience suggests that throwing road capacity at traffic congestion caused by private commuter traffic is a bit like trying to put out a fire by pouring petrol on it.

BhoscaCapall

So the only benefit will be for buses? The buses in Galway are an absolute joke there's no way of telling when they arrive (unless you're getting one at the start of the route) and half the time they take you on tour of the city before doubling back to bring you where you want to go. That's if you're lucky enough to be going that way, otherwise you might have to get a bus miles in the opposite direction to get a bus to take you the other way.

There aren't many journeys I've had to make that haven't been quicker walking, and not because of the traffic.

Sponge Bob

I don't think a single person posting in this thread believed the corpo when they started to claim a March completion date late last year and as yet unrevised. I expected a finish around the Volvo race.

Sadly I feel this job will not be completed in time for the Volvo in June. I have a bad feeling about the setback at the Glenoaks and also at Dunarus where a wall is _nearly_ completed.

I am trending towards a September/October 2012 completion date now. I'll make my mind up on whether it will be June or October by the end of March but I can assure you there will be no completed road by then.

what_traffic

Interesting PR from MEP Jim Higgins Tuesday, 17 January 2012 14:05 re Seamus Quirke Rd.
Jim Higgins heartened by City Council plans to remove "Unusable Cycle lanes on the N6"


"
However the MEP continued 'It is a shame that the lanes currently being built at the Seamus Quirke road will force cyclists to come into conflict with alighting bus passengers, they are of poor design, and in years to come, we will have to replace them as will happen at Terryland in the coming months.
"

snubbleste

Street lights are out in the area at the moment.
It's leading to a very otherworldly serene atmosphere with long lines of almost static one occupant vehicles illuminating the area.

Iwannahurl

I remember a time when I found the the traffic on the QB quite photogenic...