Blanchardstown shopping centre 1.5million visits this X mas

January

ThisRegard wrote: »

They might have done this since I was last there, but this afternoon I noticed they have put up that stupid no left turn upon exit restriction at the car park beside the gym. Hey, you know what will really ease traffic congestion, lets force all cars coming out of that carpark into and around the centre again.

That car park always worked well because of the pedestrian lights beside it. Lights go red for traffic coming both ways, several cars will get out of that car park because traffic is stopped and away they go out of the centre.

I just don't get the logic at what sort of traffic management scheme they run there at all.

Surely having a no right turn sign there would be best? They turn left out of the red car park, go up to the roundabout and back around it if they want to head towards other parts of the centre... It makes more sense than having traffic crossing other traffic.

ThisRegard

It's not the red carpark, it's the one opposite, the one beside the gym with Heatons and Argos over the fence behind it. By forcing you left you have to either go up to the roundabout at KFC and come back, or else do a u-turn at the service yard.

With the traffic lights there for the pedestrian crossing, they turn red regularly for pedestrians so traffic is often stopped so turning right is never a hindrance, the vast majority of people leave the entrance/exit clear for you to turn right towards the roundabout at liberty building. They're as good as having a right turn traffic light for coming out of that carpark. In fact if they thought about this logically, a yellow box there would make much more sense.

It's this exit here, so look at the nonsense you have to do if you want to exit towards Blanchardstown Village or the N3.

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/53%C2%B023'30.0%22N+6%C2%B023'12.4%22W/@53.3916748,-6.3873505,143m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

(I realise I put "no left" rather than "no right" in my initial post, I meant no right turn, I corrected that.)

January

Oh I get you now. That's ridiculous given that it's relatively easy to get out of that carpark. It's like they have no clue what they are doing.

A Shaved Duck?

ThisRegard wrote: »

It's not the red carpark, it's the one opposite, the one beside the gym with Heatons and Argos over the fence behind it. By forcing you left you have to either go up to the roundabout at KFC and come back, or else do a u-turn at the service yard.

With the traffic lights there for the pedestrian crossing, they turn red regularly for pedestrians so traffic is often stopped so turning right is never a hindrance, the vast majority of people leave the entrance/exit clear for you to turn right towards the roundabout at liberty building. They're as good as having a right turn traffic light for coming out of that carpark. In fact if they thought about this logically, a yellow box there would make much more sense.

It's this exit here, so look at the nonsense you have to do if you want to exit towards Blanchardstown Village or the N3.

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/53%C2%B023'30.0%22N+6%C2%B023'12.4%22W/@53.3916748,-6.3873505,143m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

(I realise I put "no left" rather than "no right" in my initial post, I meant no right turn, I corrected that.)

There is no right turn on that exit...solid white lines and the arrow indicates traffic should be going left. Always been that way but people happily ignore it to suit themselves.

beauf

That car park shouldn't be allow to exit there at all. Why its not an entrance only and exit via the car park behind I have no idea. You can't even walk through to the shops behind. They should have a car park that exits and enters directly from the N3 and that you can't exit that car park into the other roads. Like a park and ride.

At the moment all traffic that is coming from different directions is forced to merge before entering and leaving.

ThisRegard

A Shaved Duck? wrote: »

There is no right turn on that exit...solid white lines and the arrow indicates traffic should be going left. Always been that way but people happily ignore it to suit themselves.

It suits everyone.

beauf wrote: »

That car park shouldn't be allow to exit there at all. Why its not an entrance only and exit via the car park behind I have no idea. You can't even walk through to the shops behind. They should have a car park that exits and enters directly from the N3 and that you can't exit that car park into the other roads. Like a park and ride.

At the moment all traffic that is coming from different directions is forced to merge before entering and leaving.

Why? As I said the exit causes no hindrance to any traffic, it's the best car park over there in terms of ease of exit and entry coming from the N3 side.

There's a reason why there's never queues to get out of it.

A Shaved Duck?

ThisRegard wrote: »

It suits everyone.



Why? As I said the exit causes no hindrance to any traffic, it's the best car park over there in terms of ease of exit and entry coming from the N3 side.

There's a reason why there's never queues to get out of it.

When the traffic is busy you have people illegaly turning left waiting to get into the far lane and they hold up the flow of people coming up towards the multistory. It doesnt suit everyone in fairness.

ThisRegard

Illegally turning left? If you mean right I already explained why it doesn't hold anyone up.

A Shaved Duck?

ThisRegard wrote: »

Illegally turning left? If you mean right I already explained why it doesn't hold anyone up.

Sorry i meant right, it clearly does hold people up and your explanation doesnt really hold up in my opinion as there is a reason for the solid white line and the large painted arrow on the ground.

ThisRegard

Because there's a white line does not necessarily mean it makes logical sense. Is there one outside the gym, which causes more inconvenience? (genuinely question, I can't remember)

If the pedestrian lights are red for traffic how do people turning right inconvenience any traffic that is already stopped?

The exit at the gym, where people aren't forced to turn left, brings people right into traffic queuing at the roundabout, where there isn't always room for them to cross over, so they potentially block traffic coming into the centre.

beauf

ThisRegard wrote: »

It suits everyone.

Why? As I said the exit causes no hindrance to any traffic, it's the best car park over there in terms of ease of exit and entry coming from the N3 side.

There's a reason why there's never queues to get out of it.

The reason is, it jumps to the top of the queue of the traffic coming down past the multi-story. That does indeed backup, even just for commuting traffic. You just don't see it as you skip out in front. If you are in front, some else is behind. There's potentially 5 car parks using that road.

Personally I avoid that side. I think it is queued far more often than the other side. Same with the lights at Snugborough. Really long change time.

beauf

The solution of course is to go as off peak as you can. Which is when its closed.

ThisRegard

You're not skipping anything, you are part of traffic, and have no entitlement to be ahead of anyone. It's that mentality that makes traffic worse, people blocking junctions and refusing to let people in or out because they feel they're skipping.

What about people coming out of the red carpark, the service yard or the gym, by that logic they're also 'skipping'.

I don't think that carpark is closed any more than the others, it operates the same hours.

beauf

ThisRegard wrote: »

You're not skipping anything, you are part of traffic, and have no entitlement to be ahead of anyone. It's that mentality that makes traffic worse, people blocking junctions and refusing to let people in or out because they feel they're skipping.

What about people coming out of the red carpark, the service yard or the gym, by that logic they're also 'skipping'.

I don't think that carpark is closed any more than the others, it operates the same hours.

I meant when the centre is closed, not the car park

Jeezz I wasn't making a moral judgement. Just pointing out that its obvious why its seems " easy to exit and entry as its physically closer to the roundabout that some of the other car parks.

On the flip side its the further-est away if you follow permanent road markings. The both the gym and other red car park actually have markings that seem to allow a turn to the far lane.

I'm not really interested in that car park specifically. I was making a more general point about having so many junctions and exits, that aren't direct to the exit routes is what slows it down. There is no flow.

I think Iffy Alley flows much better.

fletch

Just a suggestion, not sure if it would work. Why not make all traffic flow in a clockwise direction around the centre? Have one way entrances and exits to each car park. Most of the roads are wide enough to fit 3 or 4 lanes so the outside lanes could be used as merging lanes (entering and exiting the car parks) and the middle 1 or 2 lanes could be for driving around. It would remove problems with queues of cars waiting to turn right/breaking no-right turn restrictions.

beauf

The main problem is they have traffic coming up from different directions all crossing each other at the roundabouts. There is no single flow and and out.

chucknorris

A good image from Sunday

https://twitter.com/CllrMcGuinness/status/678673991335354368

Larbre34

Stuff of nightmares.

I did my entire Christmas gift shopping in Blanch on Monday night between 9-10pm, just enough of a crowd in to make a nice atmosphere, not too busy to be frazzled. Ideal.

jeffk

Was there this morning,madness doesn't sum it up

None or very little resonaiblity taken by the management company, stick loads of turn left signs(people ignore) and send lads who haven't a clue out with lollipop stick stop and go signs

Once the €ssss keep coming in let them battle it out to get in and around our shopping center

fletch

Ah it could be worse
http://www.thejournal.ie/frustration-anger-shoppers-stuck-in-traffic-2517202-Dec2015/

jeffk

fletch wrote: »

Ah it could be worse
http://www.thejournal.ie/frustration-anger-shoppers-stuck-in-traffic-2517202-Dec2015/

Yeah was saying that to herself, id stick car in a space and walk off

Gaspode

Hit the centre last night about 8pm (Dec 22, when blokes finally start to shop!) and it wasn't too bad. Very busy, but traffic moving easily. I could live with that.

handlemaster

Then the sales in January next

Isnt it great people have the money to go shopping...

OldMrBrennan83

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Zaph

Passed by the centre about an hour ago on my way home. The traffic was horrific. Is there an impending apocalypse that I'm unaware of that I should be stocking up for?

January

Zaph wrote: »

Passed by the centre about an hour ago on my way home. The traffic was horrific. Is there an impending apocalypse that I'm unaware of that I should be stocking up for?

Even Charlestown shopping centre was busy today and there's feck all in it.

cython

beauf wrote: »

That car park shouldn't be allow to exit there at all. Why its not an entrance only and exit via the car park behind I have no idea. You can't even walk through to the shops behind. They should have a car park that exits and enters directly from the N3 and that you can't exit that car park into the other roads. Like a park and ride.

At the moment all traffic that is coming from different directions is forced to merge before entering and leaving.

If by "the car park behind" you mean West End, that in itself is your answer - AFAIK the car park being discussed is part of the Blanchardstown Centre, and operated by their management, whereas West End is separately owned and operated, so they are not going to link up their car parks in that manner.

As many others have echoed on this thread, Liffey Valley has far better traffic management, but it also has more direct access (inbound and outbound - the N3 has direct access into the Blanchardstown Centre, but you have to go round the houses and through deprioritised junctions when exiting to it) to and from a dual carriageway/arterial traffic route, as well as a simpler traffic flow (none of this roundabout at each corner crap, never mind the dumbasses who are supposed to be "managing traffic" at them and the car parks). Blanchardstown Centre has a fantastic range of shops, but for the scale of the development to my mind it is second only to Dundrum in terms of the inadequate access, and I have questioned many times how either of them actually got planning permission, but not much to be done about that at this point!

Larbre34

cython wrote: »

Blanchardstown Centre has a fantastic range of shops, but for the scale of the development to my mind it is second only to Dundrum in terms of the inadequate access, and I have questioned many times how either of them actually got planning permission, but not much to be done about that at this point!

Theres a ten year tribunal covering the reasons Blanch Centre was allowed, among other things.

In fairness to Dundrum, it is considered proper level of sustainable development due to the light rail station.

handlemaster

If they ever build the luas as far as Blanch as was planned that whole area would boom. Plus solve much of the traffic issues

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.