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Threadneedle Road junction?
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How would it take space away from pedestrians? And why should cyclists be exempt from a right turn ban?
Do you really need to ask?
The Deane roundabout is already clogged with motorised traffic in the morning as children and their parents are travelling to school on foot or by bike. The "courtesy crossings", which have little or no meaning in life, cannot be used by pedestrians when traffic is stalled, because vehicles (including buses and HGVs) are straddling them. Motorised traffic has continuous priority on roundabouts, and when vehicles are moving pedestrians, who do not have priority, cannot cross unless motorists decide to let them. Increased traffic on this link will certainly not improve that situation.
The reason for the ban on right turns for motorised vehicles is that the manoeuvre causes traffic congestion at the junction and on the roads leading to it, and is also dangerous (there have been collisions, and a cyclist was knocked down there only recently). Cyclists should be exempted from a ban on right turns for the simple reason that by cycling instead of driving they are causing no traffic congestion and are in fact alleviating it. Also, making cyclists take a long detour to access schools on Threadneedle Road from Kingston or return home to Bishop O'Donnell Road from school in Taylor's Hill would make a complete mockery of the utility of cycle commuting. Would we want that, even in Galway?
Right-turn and one-way exemptions for cyclists have for decades been a perfectly routine provision in cycle-friendly countries such as the Netherlands, and thirteen years into the 21st Century is not too soon for Ireland to start noticing the value of such measures. I can only hope that the City Council will implement the measure properly in this instance.Those travelling in from the Barna Road area for the schools may turn right at knocknacarra cross.
Would that be a bad thing, necessarily?0 -
Iwannahurl wrote: »Do you really need to ask?
The Deane roundabout is already clogged with motorised traffic in the morning as children and their parents are travelling to school on foot or by bike. The "courtesy crossings", which have little or no meaning in life, cannot be used by pedestrians when traffic is stalled, because vehicles (including buses and HGVs) are straddling them. Motorised traffic has continuous priority on roundabouts, and when vehicles are moving pedestrians, who do not have priority, cannot cross unless motorists decide to let them. Increased traffic on this link will certainly not improve that situation.
The reason for the ban on right turns for motorised vehicles is that the manoeuvre causes traffic congestion at the junction and on the roads leading to it, and is also dangerous (there have been collisions, and a cyclist was knocked down there only recently). Cyclists should be exempted from a ban on right turns for the simple reason that by cycling instead of driving they are causing no traffic congestion and are in fact alleviating it. Also, making cyclists take a long detour to access schools on Threadneedle Road from Kingston or return home to Bishop O'Donnell Road from school in Taylor's Hill would make a complete mockery of the utility of cycle commuting. Would we want that, even in Galway?
Right-turn and one-way exemptions for cyclists have for decades been a perfectly routine provision in cycle-friendly countries such as the Netherlands, and thirteen years into the 21st Century is not too soon for Ireland to start noticing the value of such measures. I can only hope that the City Council will implement the measure properly in this instance.
Would that be a bad thing, necessarily?
Having the roundabout all clogged up actually makes it easier to cross. The could stick a pelican on one of the arms (WD or BOD) I suppose.
It's difficult to see how a right turn exemption for cyclists could be safely implemented. They could probably just turn right during the pedestrian phase I suppose.0 -
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A bus lane (inward) on Kingston would help a lot but there's no room (unless you CPO some land off the Golf clubIwannahurl wrote: »Another solution would be for the substantial proportion of children living within 3-4 km of their school to travel by other means.
).
Or, the Western Distributor should have been built (or should now be modified) C2 + B2 (or C2 + B1 inward might suffice). Then run a bus service along it all the way from the Cappagh Road to Parkmore/Ballybrit/Mervue for workers, to Salthill/Taylors Hill for schools and to UHG/NUIG for workers, patients/visitors and students.
10,000 residents and insufficient public transport is a recipe for more car usage and congestion.0 -
From the end of the Western Distributor Road to the general vicinity of several schools in the Salthill area is just over 4 km.
I agree that the WDR needs bus lanes, and the roundabouts have to be removed or substantially modified.
However, distances of 4 km and less are suitable for cycling, and 1-2 km is not too far to walk. Despite these manageable distances, and the allegedly intolerable traffic congestion, large numbers of Knocknacarra residents continue to use the car for the school run.
I know I'm repeating myself (again) but my child cycles 3 km to Senior Infants most days, and the main barriers along the way are issues such as speeding, congested junctions, roundabouts, unsafe or absent pedestrian crossings, illegal parking and poor quality cycle lanes. Meanwhile, neighbours of ours are driving 800 metres to the local school and 400 metres to the local creche, and parking up on footpaths and cycle lanes while doing so. I know one parent who drives two kids (aged 10-12 or thereabouts) to different schools less than 4 km away in two separate trips every morning. When they were in primary school they were driven less than 500 metres, literally around the corner, to the bus stop!
Lack of infrastructure, such as bus lanes, is clearly a deficiency in transportation policy, with predictable consequences. But it's far from being the whole story.0 -
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A bus lane (inward) on Kingston would help a lot but there's no room (unless you CPO some land off the Golf club).
Given the population of schoolchildren trying to get from Knocknacarra to Salerno/Endas. I cant see why a path could not be put inside the wall of the golf course to get kids cycling and walking to and from Threadneedle road.0 -
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galwaycyclist wrote: »Given the population of schoolchildren trying to get from Knocknacarra to Salerno/Endas. I cant see why a path could not be put inside the wall of the golf course to get kids cycling and walking to and from Threadneedle road.what_traffic wrote: »Excellent idea - also could provide a pedestrian/cyclist Toucan crossing at entrance to Manor Drive to link in with Millar's Lane.
Interesting idea indeed. Never occurred to me, even in my wildest fantasies of reclaiming golf courses.
Colaiste Einde and Salerno back onto the golf course, so it would be easy to run a greenway through there.
Millar's Lane ought to be a pleasant and handy off-road route for cyclists and pedestrians. Unfortunately the surface is awful and it's of little use for the school run or anything else.
It dawned on me only recently that Millar's Lane was severed by the Western Distributor Road when it was constructed, and of course Galway City Council made no effort to provide a pedestrian crossing to maintain some level of continuity for pedestrians. Does anyone know whether this severance received any attention at the time (late 90s)?0 -
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