Mahon Point Shopping Centre

S Barrett

This shopping centre has one entrance and one exit. It has been a total nightmare to get into or out of these past few days.

The guys in the yellow jackets who are there to direct the traffic seem clueless at the best of times.

Total Nightmare.

pwurple

Yup. Should have another exit, but planning was denied at the time.

S Barrett

pwurple wrote: »

Yup. Should have another exit, but planning was denied at the time.

Why? Surely a sliproad onto the main road towards the tunnel would have been a good idea.

Red Nissan

S Barrett wrote: »

The guys in the yellow jackets who are there to direct the traffic seem clueless at the best of times.

The guys in the yellow jackets are remotely instructed by control. They are told exactly how many cars to let out from where.

Some controllers are better than others.

S Barrett

I wonder were brown envelopes handed out like confetti at a wedding when the planning permission for Mahon Point was been sought.

One has to ask the question because, if there was a fire there, the emergency services would have serious problems getting into the place.

Red Nissan

S Barrett wrote: »

Why? Surely a sliproad onto the main road towards the tunnel would have been a good idea.

Yes and it will seemingly come on stream soon enough to. Still the traffic is a lot better than a few years ago when a two hour queue was normal. At least they now also open the emergency doors.

There had been elaborate traffic management envisioned for this site and was in fact in preparation when the council or city planners flattened the project to what it was ~ relatively recent changes in the lines and lanes are better, but I was fifteen minutes waiting to cross the road as a pedestrian recently.

A flyover had been planned and essentially all traffic traveling West could enter left into the SC and use the roundabout to traverse back to the retail park. and all traffic traveling east could enter from their right over the flyover and merge with traffic and that exit road to the tunnel was also there, the plan as submitted initially would have worked quite well.

S Barrett

Red Nissan wrote: »

Yes and it will seemingly come on stream soon enough to. Still the traffic is a lot better than a few years ago when a two hour queue was normal. At least they now also open the emergency doors.

There had been elaborate traffic management envisioned for this site and was in fact in preparation when the council or city planners flattened the project to what it was ~ relatively recent changes in the lines and lanes are better, but I was fifteen minutes waiting to cross the road as a pedestrian recently.

A flyover had been planned and essentially all traffic traveling West could enter left into the SC and use the roundabout to traverse back to the retail park. and all traffic traveling east could enter from their right over the flyover and merge with traffic and that exit road to the tunnel was also there, the plan as submitted initially would have worked quite well.

How the hell did that happen? Did you forget to press the green man?

Red Nissan

S Barrett wrote: »

How the hell did that happen? Did you forget to press the green man?

No, I drive it mostly and I have noticed pedestrians waiting a long time, the fit young things just bolt through the traffic, I intend to film it one day soon.

S Barrett

Red Nissan wrote: »

No, I drive it mostly and I have noticed pedestrians waiting a long time, the fit young things just bolt through the traffic, I intend to film it one day soon.

Those lights are well synched. I cannot imagine anyone waiting 15 minutes to cross the road.

dudara

I went in just before Christmas. Getting in was relatively OK, but coming out from the Tesco multi-storey side was excruciating. It definitely needs to be reworked

GavRedKing

Nothing has really changed down there, I remmeber working in Tesco and coming up to Christmas/New years it was a disaster to get in and out of.

There was no point trying to drive on a Saturday and Sunday was even worse for parking.

A slip road at the rear enterance by Debenhams going to the tunnel would help traffic that way, not sure if its viable though.

Bogger77

there's an entrance for fire services, from the housing estate on the west side,
but traffic is mental, badly planned, and it's the councils fault, for giving planning for the center, and not the roads

S Barrett

GavRedKing wrote: »

Nothing has really changed down there, I remmeber working in Tesco and coming up to Christmas/New years it was a disaster to get in and out of.

There was no point trying to drive on a Saturday and Sunday was even worse for parking.

A slip road at the rear enterance by Debenhams going to the tunnel would help traffic that way, not sure if its viable though.

That would have been a logical exit point.

But, with all good things, logic goes out the window.

Bacchus

Someone else posted on a similar thread (I think it was to do with the new Events Center in the city but the thread went on a tangent ) a link to some proposed plan to add another slip road off the ring road in to the back of Mahon S.C. No idea if/when that's going ahead but it is badly needed. The area is only getting busier.

AugustusMinimus

Here was my plan from about a year ago.



The exit out will allow an exit Eastbound on the South Ring Road. In order to use to exit Westbound, uses this sliproad and then do a 180 using the access road before entering the tunnel.

The entrance can be used going westbound on the SRR. If you are going eastbound and want to enter the Shopping Centre, keep going until the entrance of the tunnel, use the sliplane to avoid the tunnel and double back on yourself and use the entrance.



Here is the draft plan released a few months ago in order to improve traffic flow.

run_Forrest_run

@AugustusMinimus isn't it a pity the numpties in City Hall couldn't perhaps draw on their years of experience on planning and realise demand will grow and perhaps it would have been easier to develop a second entrance/exit at development time, or at least lay the groundwork for it then.

Just goes to show, the absolute shít for brains in planning departments all over this country, inefficiency and nepotism is their forte.

Femme_Fatale

I just avoid Mahonpoint at Christmas/early January - it's busier than town. Learned my lesson when I got stuck there Christmas Eve about five years ago.
Better off parking in one of the multi-storeys in town, and/or going to a quieter shopping centre like Blackpool. I know it's not as good as Mahonpoint, but you'd still get most of what you need there.

pwurple

It's tricky to avoid when you live nearby though... Choices for getting out of blackrock heading eastbound are via Mahon, the City center, or Douglas. Gridlock in all directions.

Missyelliot2

Considering the spaghetti junction joke that is Mahon Point, it's a bit scary to think Owen O'Callaghan might get the go-ahead for a city entertainment venue. I really hope the planners will give due consideration to us peasants that might avail of the facility.

Aglomerado

S Barrett wrote: »

Those lights are well synched. I cannot imagine anyone waiting 15 minutes to cross the road.

I find any time I'm walking near there I never need to use the pedestrian crossing, I just walk between the stalled cars.

gobnaitolunacy

Overhyped imitation of a US 'mall'. Don't know why people seem to think it's the only show in Cork and wait for ages in backed up traffic queues. Mind you, I'm not a major purchaser of sweat shop produced 'designer' goods.

twowheelsonly

Missyelliot2 wrote: »

Considering the spaghetti junction joke that is Mahon Point, it's a bit scary to think Owen O'Callaghan might get the go-ahead for a city entertainment venue. I really hope the planners will give due consideration to us peasants that might avail of the facility.

Well considering that Owen O'Callaghans original traffic plan was blown out by the Planners/Council it's a bit rich to blame him. More so now as those planners are looking at coming up with an almost identical plan to the one he first proposed and they rejected!!!

run_Forrest_run

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

Overhyped imitation of a US 'mall'. Don't know why people seem to think it's the only show in Cork and wait for ages in backed up traffic queues. Mind you, I'm not a major purchaser of sweat shop produced 'designer' goods.

while I agree with you on the hype about Mahon Point, I'd love to know what clothes you wear and tell me, where are they made ?

A lot of people with young kids go to Mahon Point on a wet weekend for stuff like the cinema of just to get out of the house for a while. I've done that myself but usually early in the morning so I'm in and out before the traffic craziness begins.

pwurple

run_Forrest_run wrote: »

while I agree with you on the hype about Mahon Point, I'd love to know what clothes you wear and tell me, where are they made ?

A lot of people with young kids go to Mahon Point on a wet weekend for stuff like the cinema of just to get out of the house for a while. I've done that myself but usually early in the morning so I'm in and out before the traffic craziness begins.

Knits their own of course, from wool spun from a sheep in the back garden. Nothing like a scratchy woolly pair of jocks.

I don't think there even are any designer places in mahon P, are there? It's all high street chains. I can see the appeal for people. It's dry. It's warm, and it's free parking.

Either way, whether you go in there or not, it still blocks up the place with traffic.

Missyelliot2

twowheelsonly wrote: »

Well considering that Owen O'Callaghans original traffic plan was blown out by the Planners/Council it's a bit rich to blame him. More so now as those planners are looking at coming up with an almost identical plan to the one he first proposed and they rejected!!!

If you had read my post, I did say that I hoped the 'planners will give due consideration....'

bee06

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

I just avoid Mahonpoint at Christmas/early January - it's busier than town. Learned my lesson when I got stuck there Christmas Eve about five years ago.
Better off parking in one of the multi-storeys in town, and/or going to a quieter shopping centre like Blackpool. I know it's not as good as Mahonpoint, but you'd still get most of what you need there.

The multi storey car parks are crazy expensive though. Grand Parade is 1.20 per 20 mins … paid 3.60 for an hour there on Saturday! Mahon Point is always going to be busy with parking prices like that in town.

twowheelsonly

Missyelliot2 wrote: »

If you had read my post, I did say that I hoped the 'planners will give due consideration....'

....but you were also implyng that Owen O Callaghan was responsible for the traffic mess and would worry about him getting the project in town. If the planners had to bend to O Callaghans plans and wishes rather than the other way around we wouldn't even be having this discussion now

SeaFields

bee06 wrote: »

The multi storey car parks are crazy expensive though. Grand Parade is 1.20 per 20 mins … paid 3.60 for an hour there on Saturday! Mahon Point is always going to be busy with parking prices like that in town.

Get one of those dial in parking disks for the windscreen. €2 for 2 hours as per the city councils rates and just dial in another 2 hours if you need it. I find that finding a parking spot usually takes only a few minutes. Multistories are a bloody rip off.

Missyelliot2

twowheelsonly wrote: »

....but you were also implyng that Owen O Callaghan was responsible for the traffic mess and would worry about him getting the project in town. If the planners had to bend to O Callaghans plans and wishes rather than the other way around we wouldn't even be having this discussion now

The Mahon Tribunal all over again! :D:D

Knob Longman

S Barrett wrote: »

I wonder were brown envelopes handed out like confetti at a wedding when the planning permission for Mahon Point was been sought.

One has to ask the question because, if there was a fire there, the emergency services would have serious problems getting into the place.

That should be fairly obvious at this stage...Cork and its undying lust for traffic lights.

SpaceTime

SeaFields wrote: »

Get one of those dial in parking disks for the windscreen. €2 for 2 hours as per the city councils rates and just dial in another 2 hours if you need it. I find that finding a parking spot usually takes only a few minutes. Multistories are a bloody rip off.

It can be nearly impossible to find on street parking in Cork at peak shopping times though.
It's fine if you are in town on a Wednesday morning or whatever but, on a Saturday you could be struggling to find anywhere even on the edges of the city centre.

Paul St Carpark isn't that pricy though. It's the Q Park ones you'd want to watch the price of!