Council to ban cars from O'Briens & Salmon Weir bridge, and 7 streets

Discodog

The park & ride buses in Oxford have a system that changes the lights to green as the bus approaches giving an almost non stop run into the City.

Mrs OBumble

ben.schlomo wrote: »

The route of the 407 hasn't changed in years, maybe you went out the wrong road. The stop is also at the same place since the Eyre Square revamp!!!

Last change was in 2013, and that was only the inward route. http://news.galwaytransport.info/2013/02/bus-eireann-galway-city-bus-changes.html


The problem with 30minute frequency is that if one bus slips up (breakdown, driver sickness, etc), it's a long time until the next one.

I'm convinced that theres something causing the electronic signs to tell lies. 403 is the only route that they're regularly accurate on.

Wompa1

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Last change was in 2013, and that was only the inward route. http://news.galwaytransport.info/2013/02/bus-eireann-galway-city-bus-changes.html


The problem with 30minute frequency is that if one bus slips up (breakdown, driver sickness, etc), it's a long time until the next one.

I'm convinced that theres something causing the electronic signs to tell lies. 403 is the only route that they're regularly accurate on.

Interesting. I left in 2012 but we were going out, alright.

The signs are complete BS. Whatever happened to the tracking site that used a phone to show where the bus is in realtime?

ben.schlomo

Wompa1 wrote: »

Interesting. I left in 2012 but we were going out, alright.

The signs are complete BS. Whatever happened to the tracking site that used a phone to show where the bus is in realtime?

Realtime app, same as the displays as far as i can see, it doesnt take traffic into account either, ill often see a 405 pass on its outward journey toward the end/start point, it will say due in two minutes then often just disappear off the app a couple of minutes later with the next scheduled one now the next on the list.

talking_walnut

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Realtime app, same as the displays as far as i can see, it doesnt take traffic into account either, ill often see a 405 pass on its outward journey toward the end/start point, it will say due in two minutes then often just disappear off the app a couple of minutes later with the next scheduled one now the next on the list.

I thought the buses didn't have the transmitters necessary to provide real-time location feedback? I heard that a few years ago so it could have changed since. At the time the electronic signs were just displaying the times according to the normal timetable

Chuchote

talking_walnut wrote: »

I thought the buses didn't have the transmitters necessary to provide real-time location feedback? I heard that a few years ago so it could have changed since. At the time the electronic signs were just displaying the times according to the normal timetable

Bus driver in Dublin explained the system to me.

talking_walnut

Chuchote wrote: »

Bus driver in Dublin explained the system to me.

Ya but my understanding is that the Galway buses didn't have the transmitters installed when the electronic signs went live. I'm not sure if they've been added since.

Chuchote

talking_walnut wrote: »

Ya but my understanding is that the Galway buses didn't have the transmitters installed when the electronic signs went live. I'm not sure if they've been added since.

Ah, interesting. As I understand it, the drivers in Dublin fought against the system for several years; I'm not sure if the transmitters were added once they'd made the agreement or if they were there but unused before.

talking_walnut

Chuchote wrote: »

Ah, interesting. As I understand it, the drivers in Dublin fought against the system for several years; I'm not sure if the transmitters were added once they'd made the agreement or if they were there but unused before.

They fought against getting the live update system added? That's interesting. I wonder why they were so against it. From a users point of view, I'd definitely use the bus more if I knew exactly when the next one was going to arrive. But the drivers have understandably different priorities. I'm sure the powers-that-be will have no problems making those differing priorities align

Chuchote

talking_walnut wrote: »

They fought against getting the live update system added? That's interesting. I wonder why they were so against it. From a users point of view, I'd definitely use the bus more if I knew exactly when the next one was going to arrive. But the drivers have understandably different priorities. I'm sure the powers-that-be will have no problems making those differing priorities align

It makes an incredible difference in Dublin — it's so much more relaxing to walk out to the bus stop at 5:45 knowing that the bus is due at 5:49.

Mind you, you do have to give it four minutes rather than two, because if the driver has forgotten to click the gadget for a couple of stops, the bus can easily be two minutes early. And it does occasionally happen that a bus simply disappears from the list — presumably having broken down. But it's a whole different experience waiting for a bus and knowing when it's supposed to come, and being able to check on the electronic screens (at the busier stops) or the Dublin Bus app for others, and know how long you have to wait. It's really been a game-changer.

I can understand that drivers were paranoid of the management knowing where they were at all times; I don't know if this has been fixed, but at one stage a driver told me that they got no toilet breaks, for instance, and if they had an arrangement to stop and race into a particular shop and dive into its loo, this was against the rules and they could be sanctioned for it. Their meal breaks weren't great either, and a lot were on swing shifts. And it's still the case that drivers are regularly moved from route to route, which is bad enough when they're Dubs and have some notion of the city's geography, but God help the poor embarrassed African drivers, blushing and saying "I'm sorry, I have no idea, it's my first time driving this route" when you ask when you'll pass Carrickmines.

Galway will do it better, though, having the chance to learn from Dublin's initial mistakes.

tenacious-me

FortySeven wrote: »

Cycling is not popular in Galway because it is almost constantly raining in Galway. I have never once struggled to find somewhere to lock my bike in Galway. This argument is rubbish.

This argument is rubbish, there are feck all proper places to park a bike in Galway city, i.e. bike racks, not chaining it to a lamp post etc.

I frequently cycle into the city centre and I can count on one hand the number of times there's been space available in one of the few bike racks around the city.

Mrs OBumble

talking_walnut wrote: »

They fought against getting the live update system added? That's interesting. I wonder why they were so against it. From a users point of view, I'd definitely use the bus more if I knew exactly when the next one was going to arrive. But the drivers have understandably different priorities. I'm sure the powers-that-be will have no problems making those differing priorities align

The same reason that commercial drivers all over the world have fought against GPS tracking: it lets the management know where they are at any time.

Other types of drivers tend to have gotten over it more quickly, because the safety / security benefits outweigh the downsides. But buses operate in urban environments, so there are people around to see if the driver has a heart attack etc. And buses don't tend to get hijacked.

In this case, the benefits are mainly for the passengers and customers (not the same on subsidised routes) and management, and not so obvious for the drivers.

joeKel73

Wompa1 wrote: »

Whatever happened to the tracking site that used a phone to show where the bus is in realtime?

I built an app 5 years ago (as part of a small college group project) that gave the live positions of buses based on the app users themselves sharing location. We tried it out on the 409 and 403 routes. Several of you contributed to a thread on it.

At the time data coverage was very patchy and slow and location service on phones was poor... as a result is wasn't very usable. Bus Eireann then launched their own wheresmybus.ie site and we assumed they would progress that well and fill the gap in Galway. So after submitting the project we didn't progress it any further.

Since Bus Eireann are still dragging their feet and mobile data and location services are much improved, maybe there is a niche now to solve this again?...

what_traffic

More 30 kph roads to be introduced in Dublin.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/dublin-speed-limits-face-cut-to-30km-h-under-council-plan-1.2719625
Galway Zone proposal in this document looks very small in comparison.

snubbleste

The closing date for public submissions is actually 1600 Thursday 14th July.

Make a submission or forever more quit yer whingeing.

_Whimsical_

snubbleste wrote: »

The closing date for public submissions is actually 1600 Thursday 14th July.

Make a submission or forever more quit yer whingeing.

Are you sure, it does say July 11th on the flier.

snubbleste

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Are you sure, it does say July 11th on the flier.

GCC did a booboo twice. They said Mon 11th and Thu 16th.
This ad should have stated the closing date as Thursday July 14th @ 4pm. gtu@galwaycity.ie

Chuchote

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Are you sure, it does say July 11th on the flier.

Pfft, a flyer for the Battle of Aughrim expo I got last week in the council offices said Louis III was one of those whose political future was involved; I figure he must have had a time machine to get him from AD 832 to AD 1691. Leaflets are subject to a written version of Chinese Whispers.

_Whimsical_

snubbleste wrote: »

GCC did a booboo twice. They said Mon 11th and Thu 16th.
This ad should have stated the closing date as Thursday July 14th @ 4pm. gtu@galwaycity.ie

It doesn't seem to be just leaflets. I spoke to someone living in the area that the proposed plans concern and she told me she rang to confirm the date of the submission period and was told there was no point sending one in, that they weren't going to be accepted until late aug/sept!

snubbleste

Can someone call GCC and ask the correct date?

Mrs OBumble

snubbleste wrote: »

Can someone call GCC and ask the correct date?

See the post before yours - I don't think it will help!

cgcsb

cgcsb wrote: »

The scheme overall will mean faster public transport and slower private car access. The same thing has been done in cities all over the world and generally the result is a shift towards public transport as it becomes the more fastest and more convenient mode. The trick will be having sufficient bus capacity and frequency to accommodate the shift.

That's all well and good, but what about the rest of Connemara trying to travel to points further East, and vice versa? ("vice" being the operative word here...) All well and good having a land-locked city with space all around to give bypass options, but there's 6km of river available to cross. That's it.

This need to tie in with the bypass.

Chuchote

I can never understand why Galway doesn't upgrade its river a bit; imagine Bateau Mouche tours up the Corrib, and little free ferries for cars like you get in Amsterdam.

talking_walnut

Deleted User wrote: »

That's all well and good, but what about the rest of Connemara trying to travel to points further East, and vice versa? ("vice" being the operative word here...) All well and good having a land-locked city with space all around to give bypass options, but there's 6km of river available to cross. That's it.

This need to tie in with the bypass.

I think it does tie in. There was a big write up about it in one of the local papers recently (Galway Independent maybe). They outlined the plans and it said that the bypass was still going to be one of the cornerstones of the development plans.

Hopefully this part of it will result in less city folk driving so there'll be more room on the roads for people that actually need their car.

cgcsb

Deleted User wrote: »

That's all well and good, but what about the rest of Connemara trying to travel to points further East, and vice versa? ("vice" being the operative word here...) All well and good having a land-locked city with space all around to give bypass options, but there's 6km of river available to cross. That's it.

This need to tie in with the bypass.

They will be accommodated on the existing quincentennial bridge and later on the new bypass.

Mrs OBumble

cgcsb wrote: »

They will be accommodated on the existing quincentennial bridge and later on the new bypass.

Or, for south Connemara people, the Wolfe Tone bridge.

Chuchote wrote: »

I can never understand why Galway doesn't upgrade its river a bit; imagine Bateau Mouche tours up the Corrib, and little free ferries for cars like you get in Amsterdam.

The Corrib Princess does cruises every summer, including catered ones.

Various people have tried river tours from the docks, but it seems to be hard to get a viable business model. I suspect the weather makes it very difficult: berthing in the docks area is costly (I guess), and there are quite a few days when no trips would be safe.

El_Dangeroso

Chuchote wrote: »

I can never understand why Galway doesn't upgrade its river a bit; imagine Bateau Mouche tours up the Corrib, and little free ferries for cars like you get in Amsterdam.

Imagine a ferry from Oranmore to Bearna with stops in Renmore, lough Atalia, the city, south park and salthill. Would be a viable commuting option for some!

We'd need to build piers and stuff but disruption would be minimal and it would pay dividends in the long run.

gordongekko

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Imagine a ferry from Oranmore to Bearna with stops in Renmore, lough Atalia, the city, south park and salthill. Would be a viable commuting option for some!

We'd need to build piers and stuff but disruption would be minimal and it would pay dividends in the long run.

Ya it would be great. Bring your bike or have the coke bikes and off you go.

galwaycyclist

snubbleste wrote: »

The closing date for public submissions is actually 1600 Thursday 14th July.

Make a submission or forever more quit yer whingeing.

Done

To whom it may concern

I wish to make some short observations on the proposed Galway Transport Strategy Submission.

Orbital Ring Road

The need for such a road is not established. Further it is clear that many of the measures needed to restore access by foot or bicycle - particularly filtered permeability - do not require an orbital route first. In the GTS there are proposals for park and ride. It seems reasonable to assume that constructing a ring road would be fatal for the park and ride proposals particularly those west of the Corrib. This is because a ring route would abstract the potential passengers needed to make such a service viable.

Classification of Cycle Routes

All main roads in the vicinity of the University should be treated as "Primary" links. This includes the N59, Old Seamus Quirke Rd., Upper and Lower Newcastle roads and Thomas Hynes Road.

Urban Traffic Management System (UTMC)

It is clear that at the moment the UTMC is being used to remove road capacity from cyclists at various junctions across the city. The UTMC should be removed and/or sensor based traffic signal actuation should be removed and traffic signals upgraded to timer activation.

Mrs OBumble

galwaycyclist wrote: »

In the GTS there are proposals for park and ride. It seems reasonable to assume that constructing a ring road would be fatal for the park and ride proposals particularly those west of the Corrib. This is because a ring route would abstract the potential passengers needed to make such a service viable.

You misunderstood the document. There is a proposal for Park, and some roads (but not sites) identified. But the ride is slated to be provided by the regular city buses. So I would expect that the services are already viable.

(Ironically there is already an almost perfect P&R site in Roscam, which is already used by some people in that capacity.)

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Urban Traffic Management System (UTMC)

It is clear that at the moment the UTMC is being used to remove road capacity from cyclists at various junctions across the city. The UTMC should be removed and/or sensor based traffic signal actuation should be removed and traffic signals upgraded to timer activation.

Eh - how can the UTMC "remove road capacity from cyclists"???

How could timer activation, with no consideration of the actual traffic volumes, be better?