Upgrade works to Parnell Street/Davis Street & Colbert Station

Tefral

Spotted something interesting this morning.

Site Location Description
Parnell Street located on the outer area of Limerick city centre extends from its junction with Hyde Road to its junction with Roches Street/Upper Gerald Griffin Street. The street is quite wide with two-way traffic movements.

The volume of traffic on this street is significant due to it being one of the road arteries into Limerick city and also due to the location of Colbert bus and train station and the number of people wishing to utilise the station.

Parnell Street is very much a business area with a considerable number of business properties operating on the street. Parking is provided on both sides of the street with occasional double parking. The street in general is visually uninviting with little or no facilities for safe pedestrian movements.

Objective:
The objective of this part of the project is to greatly improve the overall public realm on Parnell Street. The overall aspiration for Parnell Street is to enliven streets with more pedestrian movement and create a more vibrant atmosphere in the area surrounding Parnell Street. The overall design should extend from its junction with Mallow Street and along Wickham Street as far as its junction with Thomas Street. Pedestrians will be given priority by the provision of wider pavements and wider crossing points. It is also intended that the feasibility of providing a bus lane and cycleway will be examined as part of the project. Parking on the street requires consideration in order to improve the management of on-street parking.

The design should consist of a raised paved area (table top) on Parnell Street to facilitate pedestrian movement across to Davis Street from Colbert station. The raised paved area should be approximately 6m in width and should give greater prominence to pedestrians. A unified sign system should be implemented to assist pedestrian movement in the direction of the City Centre and to places of interest.

The design should be such that it is safe and accessible for all users. The design should address shared surfaces for road users or whether delineated marked footway/cycle lane/bus lane is required. The whole design should cater for the movement of all road users in a safe and accessible environment. Pedestrian movement on the street should be prioritised by increasing the footpath width, providing safe movement at junctions and designated road crossings for the convenience of the pedestrian. Street furniture should be strategically placed so as not to impede the movement of pedestrians and could be utilised to direct the pedestrian. Provision of signing and lining should be kept to an absolute minimum so as to avoid cluttering of the street. Particular attention should be given to the use of materials in general from a visual point of view and also to facilitate the free flowing movement of all road users. Consideration could be given to the use of perhaps paving for the carriageway and combining different materials to give a good design solution where all the road users interface. Different designs of paving adjacent to each other could differentiate zones for different road users. Alternatives for drainage design in the case of the footway could consist of a central channel on the footway in lieu of the traditional kerb and gully. This will ultimately depend on the final design solution presented by the Consultant appointed for the scheme.

Any existing historical artefacts on the street should be retained and incorporated into the overall design of Parnell Street. Street lighting is also an important element of public realm design and design should ensure adequate lighting to ensure a safe environment for pedestrians and cyclists. All designs in relation to materials used should be chosen to minimise future maintenance and should not pose any safety hazard in particular the type of paving selected should be resistant to slipping in wet conditions. The design is not limited to that as described in this brief. The Designers should be familiar with the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets and familiarise themselves with Limerick City Public Realm Design Guide as all the principles for designing this project are as outlined in these documents and it is necessary to comply with these documents to ensure consistency in design for existing and future public realm design projects for Limerick City.

The design should also take into account proposals in the area of Parnell Street for Limerick Smarter Travel. The Consultant will be required to liaise with the Limerick Smarter Travel Office to incorporate the smarter travel proposals into the design. The Consultant will also be required to liaise with Irish Rail in relation to agreement on the consistency of materials and general design concepts for the plaza area in front of the station. The project should also include design proposals for a triangular green open space area on Hyde Road adjacent to the train station. Part of this open green space could be utilised in the design of a new junction layout at the intersection of Mallow Street with Parnell Street and Hyde Road. The existing traffic movements at Parnell Street/Hyde Road and car movements exiting Colbert Station presents a number of conflicts at present and a new junction design layout will be necessary at this location.

Section B. Davis Street

Site Location Description
Davis Street is located perpendicular to Parnell Street. It is the street that is visible and which one looks up when looking straight across from Colbert Station. Davis Street provides the shortest link from the station area to the City Centre via Catherine Street/Glentworth Street. Davis Street like Parnell Street is also quite busy with two-way traffic movements on the street. Whilst not as wide as Parnell street, there is a perception of an over dominance of cars on the street due to parking and traffic movements. A lot of parking occurs on the street due to the number of businesses on the street including a number of taxi firms, leading to an environment that is unfriendly to the pedestrian. While Davis Street is one of the main accesses through to the City Centre from the station area, no directional signs or crossing points exist for the pedestrian to channel them towards the City Centre.

Objective:
The objective of this part of the project is to attract the pedestrian from the station area onto Davis Street, create an environment that will be conducive to the pedestrian and direct them towards the City Centre. This can be achieved by improving the public realm on Davis Street that gives priority to the pedestrian. A combination of wider footpaths and one way traffic and/or footpath located on one side, parking on the other or complete pedestrianisation can go a long way to achieving this. A clear system of directional signage to the City Centre will be required. The design should be prepared in accordance with the Limerick Public Realm Design Guide and Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets and shall be similar in concept to that described for Parnell Street in terms of public realm.

Jofspring

Badly needed up around the station. The biggest eyesore in one of the first points of contact for people when they arrive in limerick by train or bus.

Cookiemunster

Interesting, but surely O'Connell St. has to be next to be done.

sleepyman

Any date when this is due to start?Also aren't Bus Eireann planning to build a new station beside the Garage?
As other posters have mentioned it's badly needed

Vanquished

They've recently received some funding from the smarter travel pot for this project so that's why it's being progressed.

It's a welcome development as the whole Parnell Street/Davis Street area is a complete mess and badly needs to be reorganised.

Having said that the council really need to get the finger out and get cracking on O'Connell Street! It is an absolute embarrassment and has been for a long number of years! The citys principal artery deserves better than the dismal environment that it's degenerated in to!

It's 7 years since the re-modelling plan for O'Connell Street was published yet there has been no progress towards implementation. It's just gathering dust on a shelf somewhere!

Poxyshamrock

This can only be a good thing for Parnell Street.

With the proposed upgrade to Colbert Station as well as recent improvements such as Parnell Plaza and the sprucing up of the former Shell Station, they could really turn this street around.

Luigi's was also done up recently! :pac:

mgbgt1978

Reading between the lines all I can see is...'this is a fairly important traffic route, let's make it more awkward for traffic without providing any alternative routes'.

grenache

This is all great, but will Annie Fitz & her whino friends be discarded along with the old Parnell St?!!

steveon

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Reading between the lines all I can see is...'this is a fairly important traffic route, let's make it more awkward for traffic without providing any alternative routes'.

Totally agree they bring all the traffic up this way as part of the oribal route now they want to remove half the parking that makes parnell street work in the first place...the street was originally built so wide as the city centre was planned for outside the peoples park.

I would also like to know where they came up with Davis street as being the quickest route into town as its not! I walk there every day and never use Davis street to get into town. Quickest route is via Parnell street and cut down through foxes bow....if it wasn't for the fiasco of a traffic lite system now in place in Parnell street and further along in Wickham street....Parnell street would not be the bottleneck it is today.

If they want to clean up the Street by all means but they should start by tackling all the empty and vacated premises they have along it, and as there is a brand new footpath and newly surfaced roads and pathways already put in place half way down the street and in Davis street I would prefer them to spend the money elsewhere where its much more needed...

And lastly they should reinstate the disabled parking space on the corner of Mallow and Parnell street which they turned into a bus stop without any consulatation which is insane and is an accident waiting to happen now!

Totally Tropical

I was around that area in the late evening (around 5 30 pm) before Christmas.It has such a different vibe and atmosphere to the streets just off it.That area would give you the wrong impression because Limerick is actually a very nice city but for first time visitors the Parnell/Davis Street area would give out the wrong impression of the city.I normally feel safe when i walk around Limerick but there was a lot of really dodgy types around.However there are areas like that in any city but it was just the contrast in atmosphere between that area and tht William Street/Thomas Street areas which are just off that street.Those streets had a very nice atmosphere but the area around Parnell Street especially around Davis Street was just so dreary.Davis Street in particular is a very dark and uninviting street and it's the main route between the station and the city centre.On the other hand i find Parnell Street to be grand in the daytime but the street badly needs a revamp.

sleepyman

Yeah it's a pretty negative impression of the city when you step off the bus/train.I take it this is currently at tender stage?
Any idea when work is due to begin?
Let's hope it doesn't drag on like the quays!!

Cookiemunster

sleepyman wrote: »

Yeah it's a pretty negative impression of the city when you step off the bus/train.I take it this is currently at tender stage?
Any idea when work is due to begin?
Let's hope it doesn't drag on like the quays!!

There's a lot of "The design should" in the document, so it still hasn't a final design. Definitely not anywhere near ready to go to tender. I'd say it's a long way away from being done.

Vanquished

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Reading between the lines all I can see is...'this is a fairly important traffic route, let's make it more awkward for traffic without providing any alternative routes'.

In fairness a city's primary function isn't just to facilitate cars, it's to facilitate people. A balance has to be struck to make the city a safer and more attractive place for pedestrians, cyclists etc while also accommodating access by car.

In my experience Limerick is far easier to navigate by car than any other Irish city. The grid street pattern means that all areas of the city centre are readily and easily accessible.

On the other though and despite some improvements and progress conditions in the city centre for pedestrian traffic leave a lot to be desired. Pavements are narrow, poorly surfaced and are often littered with obstacles like crude, ugly ESB poles, excessive signage and pointless bollards. You can add inadequate pedestrian crossing facilities in to the mix as well!

On Parnell Street there is a large amount of space available and it's fair to say that this is not being exploited to its fullest potential. A reconfiguration of the available space is necessary to achieve this. The road width is generous so this could be rationalised without impacting severely on traffic. Currently double parking occurs frequently on the street which in itself is a traffic hazard.

Wider footpaths, car parking, traffic lanes and suitable pedestrian crossing points could all be easily accommodated within the existing footprint.

I wonder will they consider re-aligning the Hyde Road junction, possibly running it across the edge of existing green triangle to link up with Upper Mallow Street. The current arrangement causes a lot of confusion!

steveon

Vanquished wrote: »

In fairness a city's primary function isn't just to facilitate cars, it's to facilitate people. A balance has to be struck to make the city a safer and more attractive place for pedestrians, cyclists etc while also accommodating access by car.

In my experience Limerick is far easier to navigate by car than any other Irish city. The grid street pattern means that all areas of the city centre are readily and easily accessible.

On the other though and despite some improvements and progress conditions in the city centre for pedestrian traffic leave a lot to be desired. Pavements are narrow, poorly surfaced and are often littered with obstacles like crude, ugly ESB poles, excessive signage and pointless bollards. You can add inadequate pedestrian crossing facilities in to the mix as well!

On Parnell Street there is a large amount of space available and it's fair to say that this is not being exploited to its fullest potential. A reconfiguration of the available space is necessary to achieve this. The road width is generous so this could be rationalised without impacting severely on traffic. Currently double parking occurs frequently on the street which in itself is a traffic hazard.

Wider footpaths, car parking, traffic lanes and suitable pedestrian crossing points could all be easily accommodated within the existing footprint.

I wonder will they consider re-aligning the Hyde Road junction, possibly running it across the edge of existing green triangle to link up with Upper Mallow Street. The current arrangement causes a lot of confusion!

When they brought in the newly aligned footpath on the junction of sexton street and Parnell street a friend of mine was knocked down on the footpath and almost killed, and as a result they realigned it a second time.

As I said earlier half of Parnell street has already gotten new footpaths the only let down with Parnell street is the ugly petrol station that they recently made even more of an eyesore with the ugly paint job and the large amount of empty and run down property's and as the bus station is set to be realigned with an entrance onto the roxboro rd they don't need any adjustments to the roadway which is the only reason the street works in the first place as people can double-park briefly and do a quick pickup and still there is plenty of space for passing cars...remove this and put in another unnecessary bus lane and the street will be worse not better.....

Nobody uses the re-aligned baker place square so when will they learn in this town to stop wasting money, fix the outer ring roads and the traffic will be able to avoid the town in the first place...its simple logic.

Vanquished

steveon wrote: »

When they brought in the newly aligned footpath on the junction of sexton street and Parnell street a friend of mine was knocked down on the footpath and almost killed, and as a result they realigned it a second time.

As I said earlier half of Parnell street has already gotten new footpaths the only let down with Parnell street is the ugly petrol station that they recently made even more of an eyesore with the ugly paint job and the large amount of empty and run down property's and as the bus station is set to be realigned with an entrance onto the roxboro rd they don't need any adjustments to the roadway which is the only reason the street works in the first place as people can double-park briefly and do a quick pickup and still there is plenty of space for passing cars...remove this and put in another unnecessary bus lane and the street will be worse not better.....

Nobody uses the re-aligned baker place square so when will they learn in this town to stop wasting money, fix the outer ring roads and the traffic will be able to avoid the town in the first place...its simple logic.

How exactly has "half of Parnell Street already gotten new footpaths"? A small section at the corner with Sexton Street was repaved as part of that phase of this fabled orbital route. The rest of the street hasn't been touched in decades!

There is still going to be access to the station from Parnell Street along with Roxboro Road and possibly Careys Road. The latter will probably have to be the subject of another planning application.

I'm not talking about double parking outside the station either. It happens all the way along the street. It's not just drop offs or pick ups by the way. Many motorists totally abuse the road space by double parking even though there's an actual space only metres away. They're just too lazy to walk the extra distance to the particular business or wherever they're going. I've often seen clowns impeding the left turn on to Roches Street! Inconsiderate and downright rubbish parking on that street is a complete nuisance and I'm glad they're going to tackle it!

I totally disagree with the sentiments regarding Baker Place too. By that logic what's the point in bothering to improve any of the streets in town and make them more attractive places to walk, shop or spend some time? Sure tis all just a waste of money!

steveon

Vanquished wrote: »

How exactly has "half of Parnell Street already gotten new footpaths"? A small section at the corner with Sexton Street was repaved as part of that phase of this fabled orbital route. The rest of the street hasn't been touched in decades!

There is still going to be access to the station from Parnell Street along with Roxboro Road and possibly Careys Road. The latter will probably have to be the subject of another planning application.

I'm not talking about double parking outside the station either. It happens all the way along the street. It's not just drop offs or pick ups by the way. Many motorists totally abuse the road space by double parking even though there's an actual space only metres away. They're just too lazy to walk the extra distance to the particular business or wherever they're going. I've often seen clowns impeding the left turn on to Roches Street! Inconsiderate and downright rubbish parking on that street is a complete nuisance and I'm glad they're going to tackle it!

I totally disagree with the sentiments regarding Baker Place too. By that logic what's the point in bothering to improve any of the streets in town and make them more attractive places to walk, shop or spend some time? Sure tis all just a waste of money!

From Davis street all the way to Luigis has just had a brand new footpath put in place by the crowd who developed the newly build plaza building! There is nothing wrong with the rest I live 2 mins from there and walk down the street everyday. The only problem with Parnell street is the vacant building many which have been there for yrs.

Also I again stand by my comments regarding baker place a complete waste of money a square that has never been used and has since been left to deteriorate yet again, the blue lights in the ground haven't worked for yrs. If they want to improve the city provide the ring road hence removing half the traffic having to come through the city who dont and shouldnt have to pay a toll and then u can start by utilising the SPACE freed up as a result. Squashing more into the spaces we have is not a solution its simply adding to the problem and causing more bottlenecks as is the case with The Parnell and Roches street junction creating by the useless ring road they created there.

Jofspring

The new footpath only covers the plaza, luigis and Charlie's. It's only about 40 yards of new path, a tiny part when you consider the length of Parnell street. The rest is the old path that's been there for years. Davis street had the road re-surfaced but the paths are cracked and falling apart. They haven't been done in about 20 years despite requests from the business's in the area. I'm shocked there hasn't been a bad fall there. In front of the newsagents there is actually a hole which the shop puts a mat over it to stop people tripping.

mgbgt1978

Jofspring wrote: »

I'm shocked there hasn't been a bad fall there.

.....obviously never seen Annie's 'tuck and roll' technique. Pure Ballet it is....and never spills a drop.

Vanquished

steveon wrote: »

From Davis street all the way to Luigis has just had a brand new footpath put in place by the crowd who developed the newly build plaza building! There is nothing wrong with the rest I live 2 mins from there and walk down the street everyday. The only problem with Parnell street is the vacant building many which have been there for yrs.

Also I again stand by my comments regarding baker place a complete waste of money a square that has never been used and has since been left to deteriorate yet again, the blue lights in the ground haven't worked for yrs. If they want to improve the city provide the ring road hence removing half the traffic having to come through the city who dont and shouldnt have to pay a toll and then u can start by utilising the SPACE freed up as a result. Squashing more into the spaces we have is not a solution its simply adding to the problem and causing more bottlenecks as is the case with The Parnell and Roches street junction creating by the useless ring road they created there.

It's a condition of planning that the footpath is rebuilt/re-instated after a construction project. In this case cheap paving bricks have been laid outside the new development. This was a private initiative and was not implemented by the council.

Whether you like it or not a high quality public realm is vital in first of all drawing people in to the city centre but also in influencing their perceptions of the city as a place to shop, visit and spend some leisure time. We've seen the benefits that have accrued on the back of the revamping of Bedford Row, Thomas Street, Little Catherine Street, William Street and the quays on both sides of the river.

Sadly though much remains to be done and there is still a widely held perception out there that Limerick city centre is a dingy, run-down and generally unappealing place. The likes of Patrick Street, O'Connell Street, Roches Street, Catherine Street, Parnell Street etc hardly dispel or refute such impressions! These must be tackled in order to continue the improvement of the city's urban environment.

If by "ring road" you are referring to this mysterious orbital route that seems to have fallen off the radar completely. Then it is a red herring and is in no way an impediment to the remodelling of city centre streets. There are numerous routes for both long distance and local traffic that facilitate access around the city without the need to plough through O'Connell Street!

Limerick is a small city with what is now a very well developed and extensive road network. Any suggestions to the contrary are utter nonsense! Galway has implemented a range of city centre pedestrianisation and pedestrian priority schemes in recent years despite having no where near as extensive a road network. It's long promised outer bypass has been delayed indefinitely due to legal issues yet it hasn't been deterred from re-ordering the city centre and is reaping the benefits.

Vanquished

A public information evening on this takes place tomorrow at the Railway Hotel from half four to half seven.

The project is to consist of;

• The realignment of Hyde Road and the construction of a new signalised junction at the intersection of Upper Mallow Street, Parnell Street and the realigned Hyde Road,
• A raised platform and new pedestrian crossing across Parnell Street at the entry to Colbert
• Station, providing connectivity between Colbert Station and Limerick City Centre
• A landscaped carpark with short dwelling time within the redevelopment of Russell Park,
• Introduction of one way vehicular traffic movement along Davis Street, with contra-flow cycle track from Parnell Street toward Perry Street,
• Introduction of on-road cycle facilities along the extents of the scheme,
• Improved pedestrian measures with the provision of high quality paved footpaths, street trees, upgraded public lighting including new bespoke public lighting and CCTV.

steveon

Vanquished wrote: »

A public information evening on this takes place tomorrow at the Railway Hotel from half four to half seven.

It would be nice if they actually told us the residents of the area of this and provided adequate notice of it, where did you find out about this?

Jofspring

steveon wrote: »

It would be nice if they actually told us the residents of the area of this and provided adequate notice of it, where did you find out about this?

I work on Davis Street and there was a leaflet left into us on Monday morning with all the information. All the businesses on the street got it and I presume the residential properties too.

It really only specific to Davis Street. Some info about Parnell Street also.

stefanovich

Vanquished wrote: »

A public information evening on this takes place tomorrow at the Railway Hotel from half four to half seven.

Davis Street will be one way? Taking a right there by fine wines is my usual route.

Cookiemunster

Vanquished wrote: »

A public information evening on this takes place tomorrow at the Railway Hotel from half four to half seven.

I assume that this is a council project and is seperate to the CIE redevelopment of Colbert Station?

Jofspring

stefanovich wrote: »

Davis Street will be one way? Taking a right there by fine wines is my usual route.

Ya one way going towards the station.

There are works going to take place at the green area across from the station and the start of Mallow Street (where FAS was) will have traffic lights now so maybe you will be able to turn right there instead.

Poxyshamrock

Anyone have a link to the plans or more of the images like the one Vanquished posted?

Cookiemunster

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Anyone have a link to the plans or more of the images like the one Vanquished posted?

I'd say he took it from this pdf.

Hopefully someone who went down can scan and upload any other drawings.

sonyair

Now up on council website http://www.limerick.ie/council/parnell-davis-wickham-street-upgrade-improvement-works

stefanovich

sonyair wrote: »

Now up on council website http://www.limerick.ie/council/parnell-davis-wickham-street-upgrade-improvement-works

Are they going to knock all the boarded up council flats next to the station? That would make it a little less ghetto.

Jofspring

stefanovich wrote: »

Are they going to knock all the boarded up council flats next to the station? That would make it a little less ghetto.

They were supposed to but one of the staff in the post office told me recently that they are not anymore and are now looking at re-opening them.

Mc Love

sonyair wrote: »

Now up on council website http://www.limerick.ie/council/parnell-davis-wickham-street-upgrade-improvement-works

They have a plan for Russell Park but isnt that out beside the Condell rd?