What happened to the traffic?!

Mrs OBumble

AFAIK, the HSE already runs a shuttle-bus between Merlin Park and Newcastle.

Whereisgalway

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

AFAIK, the HSE already runs a shuttle-bus between Merlin Park and Newcastle.

A very poor one imho

ScumLord

flynnlives wrote: »

The bypass needs to be started asap. Its becoming a farce at this stage. Business is suffering.

I used to go into Galway regularly to make business purchases. I won't go near Galway now and I've resourced a lot of what I used to get in Galway from other places. I'm beginning to feel the same about Tuam, the whole county is a mess.

bobbyss

gordongekko wrote: »

To be fair that's I'm not sure you know the meaning of anecdotal.

That's a strange thing to say.

Your response to what statistics you have for the amount of tickets being issued was that you saw a 's....... of tickets' being issued over a 'few hours''.

And I don't know the meaning of anecdotal because...

Mrs OBumble

youngrun wrote: »

Probably true
But not going to happen for a couple of years yet

I understand that the costs benefit is lower than that of the yet-to-be-built Limerick to Cork motorway. So I suspect it will be well more than "a couple".

youngrun wrote: »

In the meantime why don't the City council and chamber etc get together with all the big employers and provide low cost or free buses to staff certain times ..... It's not big enough for all the cars to fit into in the periods they want to

I totally agree with you.

But the reason they don't is that some people, and indeed some companies, have a illogical horror of shared transport. And because doing anything to reduce the demand would decrease the cost benefit of the by-pass (sic), and so reduce the chance of it being built.

fyi, there are some cross city buses:

The 402 goes between Lower Knocknacarra and Merlin Park, via the university and hospitals and Renmore.

The 405 goes between Upper Knocknacarra and Ballybrit Industrial, via the university/UHG, Liosban and GMIT. (It's a very busy bus, and on weekdays anyway getting busier).

The real gaps IMHO are
1) a cross city going to Parkmore (probably to/from Salthill and Barna - I think that's a big market) and
2) an Outer Orbiter: Barna / Knocknacarra / university / Quin bridge / Liosban / Ballybrit / Parkmore / Oranmore

thebackbar

flynnlives wrote: »

The bypass needs to be started asap. Its becoming a farce at this stage. Business is suffering. Fridays are now a day where i and others i know simply don't do business meetings cause the traffic is so bad. Sure a few more people on bicycles is fine but its not going to help.

We need the bypass. Jobs and growth are going to stagnate if this isnt addressed sooner rather then later.

Not sure if the bypass will improve the situation very much for those people whose final destination is the city, but i don't intend on arguing that point. But i would say that it seems ridiculous that the council spent millions on a traffic management center and its not fully manned.

BeardySi

youngrun wrote: »

Probably true
In the meantime why don't the City council and chamber etc get together with all the big employers and provide low cost or free buses to staff certain times .

Dunno if they still do, but when I worked in Medtronic many moons ago there was a bus from the station and from parkmore back to town. I can't quite remember, but I think it was even free....

dastardly00

Traffic was at a standstill on the Monivea Road (near the Warehouse Gym) heading in the direction of the city centre at around 6pm yesterday (Monday). I barely moved for about 15 minutes so I ended up turning around and headed for Bothar na dTreabh. Anyone know why traffic was so bad? It's normally free flowing until you are on Wellpark Road.

Webbs

Whereisgalway wrote: »

A very poor one imho

Why is it a poor one? I thought it ran with about 20-30mins intervals all through the day?

what_traffic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The real gaps IMHO are
1) a cross city going to Parkmore (probably to/from Salthill and Barna - I think that's a big market) and
2) an Outer Orbiter: Barna / Knocknacarra / university / Quin bridge / Liosban / Ballybrit / Parkmore / Oranmore

Good idea.
Would also need regular bus services from Moycullen, Claregalway and Headford etc etc to link with this Outer Orbiter.

The CAR traffic issue will continue to be with us for many many years irrespective of what the City and County Council do as they have continually failed to address the real problem for decades now

City Council gears up to tackle increasing traffic problems
http://galwaybayfm.ie/city-council-gears-up-to-tackle-increasing-traffic-problems/

youngrun

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I understand that the costs benefit is lower than that of the yet-to-be-built Limerick to Cork motorway. So I suspect it will be well more than "a couple".




I totally agree with you.

But the reason they don't is that some people, and indeed some companies, have a illogical horror of shared transport. And because doing anything to reduce the demand would decrease the cost benefit of the by-pass (sic), and so reduce the chance of it being built.

fyi, there are some cross city buses:

The 402 goes between Lower Knocknacarra and Merlin Park, via the university and hospitals and Renmore.

The 405 goes between Upper Knocknacarra and Ballybrit Industrial, via the university/UHG, Liosban and GMIT. (It's a very busy bus, and on weekdays anyway getting busier).

The real gaps IMHO are
1) a cross city going to Parkmore (probably to/from Salthill and Barna - I think that's a big market) and
2) an Outer Orbiter: Barna / Knocknacarra / university / Quin bridge / Liosban / Ballybrit / Parkmore / Oranmore

Yes the last two are those I meant re cross city

youngrun

Treadhead wrote: »

Dunno if they still do, but when I worked in Medtronic many moons ago there was a bus from the station and from parkmore back to town. I can't quite remember, but I think it was even free....

Not sure either, used to be one from Knocknacarra early also ,stopped due to no demand - or maybe not scheduled right times??

There are enough smart people working in galway to devise a workable traffic management plan that fits in the main users , staff and employers , school and colleges . Get the ten biggest and start there, one person to coordinate in each along with Council, transport cos and guards, and put in place for next two years

joeKel73

what_traffic wrote: »

City Council gears up to tackle increasing traffic problems
http://galwaybayfm.ie/city-council-gears-up-to-tackle-increasing-traffic-problems/

From above link...

The City Council is working to introduce a raft of measures to tackle growing problems with traffic in the city.

The initiatives include real time parking information, a park by text system, and stricter enforcement of parking bye-laws.

Solve the traffic problems by improving parking options which in turn will encourage more cars into the city center... * bangs head against desk *

ronnie3585

dastardly00 wrote: »

Traffic was at a standstill on the Monivea Road (near the Warehouse Gym) heading in the direction of the city centre at around 6pm yesterday (Monday). I barely moved for about 15 minutes so I ended up turning around and headed for Bothar na dTreabh. Anyone know why traffic was so bad? It's normally free flowing until you are on Wellpark Road.

Yeah been a disaster all week. The sequencing of the lights at Wellpark has been changed. The duration of green light from the Monivea Road side going towards Lough Atalia has been cut in half. With no obstructions only about 10 cars will get through per cycle, however given the amount of clowns coming from the Lough Atalia side who block the junction and most drivers' glacial reaction speed to a green light, it's usually only 4-5 cars per cycle. I've no idea what the logic behind changing the sequencing was, it had been running particularly well for the last couple of weeks.

gordongekko

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Yeah been a disaster all week. The sequencing of the lights at Wellpark has been changed. The duration of green light from the Monivea Road side going towards Lough Atalia has been cut in half. With no obstructions only about 10 cars will get through per cycle, however given the amount of clowns coming from the Lough Atalia side who block the junction and most drivers' glacial reaction speed to a green light, it's usually only 4-5 cars per cycle. I've no idea what the logic behind changing the sequencing was, it had been running particularly well for the last couple of weeks.

Im pretty sure they go messing with the sequences just to piss people off. The lights that are all over the shop are never sorted out.

Mrs OBumble

Treadhead wrote: »

Dunno if they still do, but when I worked in Medtronic many moons ago there was a bus from the station and from parkmore back to town. I can't quite remember, but I think it was even free....

That was one of the factory buses that only ran once or twice a day, to coincide with the employer shift times when it was introduced. The usefulness fell as shift patterns changed, and also as route 409 was invented.

I don't know if it was ever free, certainly it wasn't in 2009.

In 2007, there were two buses each day to Parkmore, and two or three each day to Ballybrit industrial. One from Knocknacarra and one from the Railway Station.

All that's left now is one from Knocknacarra to Ballybrit industrial. People predicted that it would fail once route 405 started going closer, but if anything it seems to have gotten busier.

Unrealistic

J o e wrote: »

From above link...

The City Council is working to introduce a raft of measures to tackle growing problems with traffic in the city.

The initiatives include real time parking information, a park by text system, and stricter enforcement of parking bye-laws.

Solve the traffic problems by improving parking options which in turn will encourage more cars into the city center... * bangs head against desk *

The pay by text maybe but the other two could be helpful if actually done properly. If you can see in advance that there are no parking spaces in one part of town but there are in another you won't clog up the first part of town circling looking for a space. And if you know that you are more likely to get ticketed for parking half on the pavement with your flashers on on a double yellow line you are less likely to do it.

joeKel73

dastardly00 wrote: »

Traffic was at a standstill on the Monivea Road (near the Warehouse Gym) heading in the direction of the city centre at around 6pm yesterday (Monday). I barely moved for about 15 minutes so I ended up turning around and headed for Bothar na dTreabh. Anyone know why traffic was so bad? It's normally free flowing until you are on Wellpark Road.

Same again this evening, approached about 7pm and it was well backed up, cut across to the Dublin road which was clear.

Zzippy

gordongekko wrote: »

Im pretty sure they go messing with the sequences just to piss people off. The lights that are all over the shop are never sorted out.

If one was of a suspicious mind, one might infer that slowing up the traffic for everyone suits the council's agenda of building an outer bypass, by creating an artiificially inflated demand for more road space...

Curious Geroge

Reply from City Council

"Traffic has increased generally in Galway City. This is not evenly distributed throughout the network and is more significant at some locations than others. The increase from last year is between 5% and 10% on different parts of the network. The signals along this stretch are fully adaptive and adjust to traffic volumes from the information they get from the detector loops in the carriageway. The signals also communicate to each other and make changes to suit the traffic. Sometimes the loops can have faults in them due to others carrying out works in the area and we will check to make sure there are no faults there.

However driver behavior does play a part also. Signals and loops can get false information due to vehicles not pulling away on a green and also driving through red lights. There is also an impact when vehicles block junctions. This is something we cannot design out the system. "

Sconsey

J o e wrote: »

Same again this evening, approached about 7pm and it was well backed up, cut across to the Dublin road which was clear.

Unreal how slow that road is moving in the evening, took about 15 minutes to get from Eircom building to the set of lights about 200 metres down the road, from what I could see about two cars were getting through per cycle (I turned left into Mervue at that stage and out onto the Dublin road which was moving freely). Someone has really made a balls somewhere, I assumed there had been an accident on Monday evening but the same craic yesterday. I'm going to give the council a call to vent, hope others do the same.
Update: They were all too polite when I rang them, I couldn't give out too much anyway they said they were not aware of any issue and would get an engineer to see if anything has been changed.

ronnie3585

Sconsey wrote: »

Unreal how slow that road is moving in the evening, took about 15 minutes to get from Eircom building to the set of lights about 200 metres down the road, from what I could see about two cars were getting through per cycle (I turned left into Mervue at that stage and out onto the Dublin road which was moving freely). Someone has really made a balls somewhere, I assumed there had been an accident on Monday evening but the same craic yesterday. I'm going to give the council a call to vent, hope others do the same.
Update: They were all too polite when I rang them, I couldn't give out too much anyway they said they were not aware of any issue and would get an engineer to see if anything has been changed.

The lights have definitely been changed. It's extra infuriating given how well it had been moving before Monday!

joeKel73

It's even more infuriating that it's been backed up for 2 days and they were unaware of it, clearly nobody monitoring the cameras.

ScumLord

J o e wrote: »

It's even more infuriating that it's been backed up for 2 days and they were unaware of it, clearly nobody monitoring the cameras.

Going off the replay from the council above it doesn't sound like it is monitored by people. It sounds like an automated system that changes between a few different pre programmed light sequences depending on what the traffic sensors say.

The reply even suggests that they don't know whether it's working or not, fobbing off problems on a number of possible issues and then saying they'll look into it. Then more excuses and blaming bad drivers.

Are we paying a million a year for an automated system (unmonitored) that no one in the council knows how to check if it's even working?

what_traffic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

In 2007, there were two buses each day to Parkmore, and two or three each day to Ballybrit industrial. One from Knocknacarra and one from the Railway Station.

All that's left now is one from Knocknacarra to Ballybrit industrial. People predicted that it would fail once route 405 started going closer, but if anything it seems to have gotten busier.

Would help if 403,409 and 405 ventured into the respective industrial estates themselves. I guess that's why it has not failed as the 405 drops one off at the entrance to the Ballybrit Industrial estate?

On a side note.
A direct pedestrian and cycling route between the Ballybrit Industrial estate and Parkmore West Industrial estate (behind the racecourse) would be of great benefit.

thesandeman

what_traffic wrote: »

Would help if 403,409 and 405 ventured into the respective industrial estates themselves. I guess that's why it has not failed as the 405 drops one off at the entrance to the Ballybrit Industrial estate?

Possibly some insurance/planning/NTA/union issue. You don't really see any busses going into shopping centres or private car parks etc unless they have been privately hired. Race Week is the only time I can think of and I presume there is some kind of a business deal there.

what_traffic

thesandeman wrote: »

Possibly some insurance/planning/NTA/union issue. You don't really see any busses going into shopping centres or private car parks etc unless they have been privately hired. Race Week is the only time I can think of and I presume there is some kind of a business deal there.

Public Bus does go into Merlin Park (Public) 402 and Galway Clinic (Private Hospital) 410.
IDA is a public body so cannot see an issue for Parkmore Industrial Estate (403/409)
Ballybrit Industrial Estate is a different story.

talking_walnut

Curious Geroge wrote: »

Reply from City Council

However driver behavior does play a part also. Signals and loops can get false information due to vehicles not pulling away on a green and also driving through red lights. There is also an impact when vehicles block junctions. This is something we cannot design out the system. "

That sounds exactly like something you should be able to design out of the system. The traffic light system I mean. Not the dopes driving the cars

Mrs OBumble

what_traffic wrote: »

Ballybrit Industrial Estate is a different story.

But there's already a public bus going in there twice a day, which uses both the road and HP's carpark. So I can't see why it would be a problem.

NB re the road, I believe some is IDA owned (based on a planning app I saw from Boston / IDA) and some is public (the bit going to City East).

And I thought that the 405 goes into the shopping centre at the Rahoon end, too. (Haven't actually caught it, pretty sure I saw a bus stop there, though.)

Overall BÉ seem to have an allergy to going into estates.

Cheshire Cat

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

But there's already a public bus going in there twice a day, which uses both the road and HP's carpark. So I can't see why it would be a problem.

NB re the road, I believe some is IDA owned (based on a planning app I saw from Boston / IDA) and some is public (the bit going to City East).

And I thought that the 405 goes into the shopping centre at the Rahoon end, too. (Haven't actually caught it, pretty sure I saw a bus stop there, though.)

Overall BÉ seem to have an allergy to going into estates.

The 405 doesn't go into the shopping center as such. It turns at the roundabout at the entrance of the car park. The bus stop there is actually the terminus on the Knocknacarra/Rahoon side of the route.