Seamus Quirke roadworks merge

Paddyfield

I drove along the newly opened stretch of road this morning around 10am, heading towards the Corrib, when two cars caused mayhem by traveling towards me and other drivers, on the wrong side of the road. Both drivers were oblivious to the newly opened lane, which they should've been on.

I had to swing into the bus lane.

SCARY MOMENT.

coup1917

Thought there would be a bit more discussion on this road since the traffic lights were switched on. Usual story - lights completely out of sequence. Ive been back and over a few times over the last week and the lights outside aldi and the next lights outside westside shopping centre are a farce. As soon as the first set turns green you are stopping at the next set.
It seems this whole project has been designed with buses and pedestrians/cyclists in mind while the majority user is made to suffer. When you see 10 or 12 cars stopped at lights at 7.00 in the morning waiting for the little green man to change in a shopping centre entrance you know its been a right c*ck up....

emptybladder

Was driving from Knocknacarra to Craughwell last Sunday, I came onto SQR from the Rahoon Road and had GREEN all the way to the M6 ... every single junction! Total fluke, of course. It's been a disaster in the evenings when I'm coming back from the east side of the city.

Iwannahurl

Clearly no "smart" traffic signals installed yet, either for vehicles or pedestrians.

DanielI

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Yep in the legislation the prohibition on not entering seems to be expressed with reference to an information plate.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1997/en/si/0182.html



However the RSA do not make the rules - the elected government make the rules - the RSA merely provide their own "perspective" on the rules.

Bus signs with information plates are finally up. The bus lanes are in operation 24/7. At least this makes things clear.

ronnie3585

DanielI wrote: »

Bus signs with information plates are finally up. The bus lanes are in operation 24/7. At least this makes things clear.

I'm not trying to be a smart arse, but what's the point of 24 hours bus lanes when we don't have 24 hour busses.

galwaycyclist

ronnie3585 wrote: »

I'm not trying to be a smart arse, but what's the point of 24 hours bus lanes when we don't have 24 hour busses.

We have 24 hour cyclists

ronnie3585

galwaycyclist wrote: »

We have 24 hour cyclists

Who can cycle in the bike lanes.

Robbo

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Who can cycle in the bike lanes.

Shhh, it's like summoning Cthhulu.

GerardKeating

ronnie3585 wrote: »

I'm not trying to be a smart arse, but what's the point of 24 hours bus lanes when we don't have 24 hour busses.

But at 3am is the traffic that heavy that both lanes would be needed?

Making them 24/7 avoids all kind of silliness...

antoobrien

GerardKeating wrote: »

But at 3am is the traffic that heavy that both lanes would be needed?

Making them 24/7 avoids all kind of silliness...

Most bus lanes in Dublin are either 7am-7pm Monday to Saturday or peak times only (e.g. 7am-10am, 4pm-7pm). There are 24 hour buses in Dublin, but they are generally farther away from the center of Dublin than the city boundary is from Eyre square so it's a bit of a wash.

All having a 24 hour bus lane does is give the Garda Traffic Corps a chance to hit their monthly ticket quotas;)

what_traffic

Plus 24 taxis - agree with the point made by GerardKeating.

coup1917

Traffic lights at aldi junction switched off yesterday and this morning and surprise surprise.... No traffic........ Could it be that they've seen the light so to speak.

Two sets of lights 100 yds apart was and is a terrible solution for the traffic on that road...

Now all we need is to replace the pedestrian lights with underground / overhead bridges like most sensible cities and we're sorted.....

Zzippy

DanielI wrote: »

In the absence of any bus lane information signs, it is legal to use a bus lane outside the interval 07:00-19:00 (source the RSA: http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/traffic-signs-road-markings/buses.html)

galwaycyclist wrote: »

There might be a question over wether it is a bus/cycle lane or not in the absence of the blue signs. However, unless there is a time plate specifying otherwise - then it is a bus and cycle lane 24 hours a day.

Deleted User wrote: »

sorry, but in the absence of any markings, its just another lane to drive in

3 very different views. Anyone know which is correct?

Aerohead

Yesterday morning I took me 15 minutes to get from the Siobhan McKenna road junction past Dunnes Stores to the SQR, when ever the lights went green the lights at Aldi were red so we could not move, then when Aldi changed to green ours were red, when both were ok to move the pedestrian lights were green so no go and surprise surprise no pedestrians. Its a complete shambles, lights at Arch motors, Aldi, Dunnes, Rahoon and the turn off for Rahoon graveyard.

McTigs

coup1917 wrote: »

It seems this whole project has been designed with buses and pedestrians/cyclists in mind while the majority user is made to suffer.

They are trying, as i understand it, to encourge people out of their cars an into alternatives by making the alternatives more attractive. Less cars, less congestion, simple and sensible.

And given the state of the public finances an outer bypass is at least a decade away.

antoobrien

McTigs wrote: »

They are trying, as i understand it, to encourge people out of their cars an into alternatives by making the alternatives more attractive. Less cars, less congestion, simple and sensible.

And given the state of the public finances an outer bypass is at least a decade away.

cthulhu, where are you?

what_traffic

Zzippy wrote: »

3 very different views. Anyone know which is correct?

First two quotes are correct

snubbleste

Aerohead wrote: »

Yesterday morning I took me 15 minutes to get from the Siobhan McKenna road junction past Dunnes Stores to the SQR, when ever the lights went green the lights at Aldi were red so we could not move, then when Aldi changed to green ours were red, when both were ok to move the pedestrian lights were green so no go and surprise surprise no pedestrians. Its a complete shambles, lights at Arch motors, Aldi, Dunnes, Rahoon and the turn off for Rahoon graveyard.

Maybe it has something to do with bus-lane users :cool:

GCC has launched an investigation into the reported use of taxi computer systems to change lights at pedestrian crossings.
It's after Councillor and taxi-driver Frank Fahy advised officials that some taxis have technology which enables them to change lights at certain city crossings.
http://www.galwaynews.ie/25373-investigation-taxi-signal-interference-city-pedestrian-lights

snubbleste

I would like to congratulate the contractor on such a smooth road surface.

emptybladder

snubbleste wrote: »

I would like to congratulate the contractor on such a smooth road surface.

+1 I look forward to seeing future projects from said contractors

Sponge Bob

The full article is in the Independent not that crap galwaynews.

http://galwayindependent.com/stories/item/1937/2012-16/Stop-the-lights!

Cllr Fahy said he first noticed the anomaly while he was waiting near a pedestrian junction at GMIT in recent weeks. On pressing a button on his on-board computer to conduct a transaction, the lights at the junction changed and, after testing a number of areas, he said this appears to be the case across the city.

I could test his car quite easily to see if it is 'transmitting' an override.

Ciarán Hayes won't talk to him now, neither informally or in the council chamber.

Robbo

So not only are Galway taxi drivers omniscient, they've now developed telekinesis. The Children of the Damned have Octavias and they're not afraid to use them.

thesandeman

Nothing new about that. Even years ago taxi drivers could somehow manipulate the lights at the College Road/Lough Atalia junction by flashing their headlights.

biko

This thread is about SQR only

DanielI

Zzippy wrote: »

3 very different views. Anyone know which is correct?

Post 721 by galwaycyclist is correct

Sponge Bob

The bus lanes are signposted (clearly albeit on temporary poles) as 24 hour.

I see compliance by motorists is rather crap at the Corrib Park roundabout but it seems OK elsewhere.

DanielI

Sponge Bob wrote: »

The bus lanes are signposted (clearly albeit on temporary poles) as 24 hour.

I see compliance by motorists is rather crap at the Corrib Park roundabout but it seems OK elsewhere.

Yes. And watch for buses (travelling to Eyre Sq) taking the 3rd exit using the inside lane.

Malice

Two problems I've noticed over the last couple of days around 5pm:
1. Motorists zipping up the bus lane heading towards Bishop O'Donnell road and cutting in at the end.
2. Motorists blocking the junction at the entrance to Westside Dunnes making it much more difficult to turn right there. I would hope a yellow box would be painted onto the road but given how little notice is taken of them in other locations and how little enforcement is done by the authorities I doubt it would help all that much

Paddyfield

Are there plans to alter the current arrangement for vehicles leaving Aldi who want to get back on to SQR? It has been a disaster since day one and I hope that entrance is redesigned or moved. It is a bottleneck.