N84 commute - Cloonboo traffic

tobdom

I've been driving the N84 from Headford to Galway (turning off at Ballindooley cross) daily for work since late April this year. Up until last week, I've found that the traffic was never too bad (apart from with the N84 realignment road works) and I had assumed that this was a decent gauge of traffic given that this was before schools/colleges were off for the Summer.

Since last week however, and today in particular, there has been a massive slowdown & tailback of traffic coming into Cloonboo (from Headford side), which seems to free up a bit and move better once through Cloonboo. The only reason for this slowdown/tailback seems to be the traffic joining at Cloonboo (which must be significant) with cars already on the road letting people join from the side-roads. There's just a huge amount of cars using this road.....

I'm just wondering, is this pretty normal and what I should expect now going forward through until Spring/Summer next year? I mean, it is what it is, there's no avoiding it and I haven't let it upset me :-) just curious if I should be resetting my expectations!

MBSnr

^^^

Yeah I noticed it as well. The 1st time I initially thought they'd been a smash someplace as it was surprising. Of late it's not been so bad as I go through anytime between 8.45am and 9.15am, so the traffic is better by then I think.

From my memory of last year, it did the same and then calmed down a bit again. These early weeks in Sept seem to be the busiest as everyone is back at work and the kids at school, before getting better again as people settle into a routine.... although I could be wrong!

tobdom

Fingers crossed it may settle down a bit & improve. When I started my commute (end April) I was actually pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't worse, normally taking me no more than 30min max to get to work (Parkmore) from Headford, which is good going.

Kazooie

It's N17 motorists coming accross to avoid Claregalway. Combined with the time of year, schools back etc,..
I can't complain, since like you I cross over to their road at Ballindooley to avoid the traffic at the Menlo roundabout. I haven't noticed it this bad for a few years but hopefully it will settle down alright.

tobdom

Yea, I guess those diverting over from Claregalway to the N84 will probably soon realise that it's not worth their while (I'm guessing, if it was to stay like this) and it might lighten up again a bit. Here's hoping anyway!

MBSnr

^^^
Virtually no traffic at 8.50am this morning...

tobdom

Went through earlier than usual (about 7:30 or so) myself today and it was much lighter too.... I guess my normal time (around the 8 mark) is peak traffic time

MBSnr

^^^

Bad this morning at 9.15am... 15 mins queue but not due to the traffic at Cloonboo joining... oh no.

It was drivers slowing down to look at the people fishing next to the bridge over the river...FFS

tobdom

Ah now see you just can't account for that kinda s***e!

I was very early on the road this morning so now I have a test case for a best case scenario, with virtually no traffic on the road..... About 20 - 22 mins to work (without any real speeding)

WildWater

It's just volume and this time of year it takes time to settle down. The traffic joining at Cloonboo is rarely the primary cause of the tailback before the village. Evidenced by the fact that on bad morning one queues out of the village and well down the curraghline. If traffic joining at Cloonboo was the problem there would be no queue after the village. But, obviously, that traffic does contribute to the overall volume on the N84 and in that sense it definitely exasperates the situation.

Unfortunately, due to the volume, the slightest thing is enough to create a tailback right the way back the curraghline to Cloonboo and beyond. The usual cause is the Ballindooley junction. If you have a number of cars that want to turn right at Ballindooley but can't due to outgoing traffic and/or drivers being accommodating and letting traffic cross the N84 (or turn towards Headford) at the same junction then traffic behind them build up in seconds. Even when the traffic moves off at the junction it just takes to long for the whole line to get moving again. Only for the whole thing to repeat maybe 30seconds later!

At peak times, I would estimate that the time it takes for a tailback to build from the Ballindooley junction to Cloonboo to be as little as two to three minutes. Then it just take time for it all to get moving again.

As for rubbernecking, I wouldn't say that wasn't the issue this morning but last year the farmer near Curley's decorated his round bales for the Hurling and Football finals. It was well done but sweet Jesus the tailbacks in the days after, morning and evening, due to that!:eek:

jkforde

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263125/Phantom-traffic-jams-cause-misery-hundreds-motorists-caused-just-ONE-driver.html

if people just drove a constant slow speed and gave themselves enough space to slow down without braking it would help... have noticed that female drivers are particularly brake happy ... any braking in a queue rapidly ripples back through the line of cars until eventually one car is forced to stop >>> tailback

MBSnr

jkforde wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263125/Phantom-traffic-jams-cause-misery-hundreds-motorists-caused-just-ONE-driver.html

if people just drove a constant slow speed and gave themselves enough space to slow down without braking it would help... have noticed that female drivers are particularly brake happy ... any braking in a queue rapidly ripples back through the line of cars until eventually one car is forced to stop >>> tailback

Ah those comfort brakers... Foot goes on the pedal enough to light the rear brake lights but the car barely slows. Happens when they pass a truck coming the other way and more so at night when the road of course magically narrows from the daytime width.. ;-)

There are some road users that drive so close that I can't see their number plate in the rear view mirror. That happens for both male and female drivers, although the male driver will normally overtake quickly to do it again to another car two ahead - so it appears to be less obvious than the female driver sitting a few metres from the rear bumper for kms...

tobdom

Still no sign of this 'settling down', I guess this is maybe a new normal (for me at least). From my experience over the last number of weeks, the cause certainly seems to be almost solely due to volume of traffic joining at Cloonboo, as usually once you're through the village (out of the speed limit) it moves much more freely and at a decent pace.....

MBSnr

tobdom wrote: »

Still no sign of this 'settling down', I guess this is maybe a new normal (for me at least). From my experience over the last number of weeks, the cause certainly seems to be almost solely due to volume of traffic joining at Cloonboo, as usually once you're through the village (out of the speed limit) it moves much more freely and at a decent pace.....

Just luck I guess. I was earlier today and noticed the queue before Cloonboo. It then queued again crossing the Clare River - probs due to bunching and braking. Prior to that, it hasn't been so bad, but I've been later travelling through.

tobdom

Traffic unusually light in Cloonboo since the New Year, even this week with the school backs etc. Wonder why that is?

False sense of security..... I don't want to get used to it cause I'm sure it won't last!

the-island-man

The question has to be asked if the traffic volume is so big then how is it not financially viable for someone like Burkes bus or Bus Eireann to run a service later than 5:30 in the evening. It renders the service completely useless for commuters.

tobdom

Looking forward to the Tuam Bypass & M17/M18 opening this week...... Traffic on the N84 has been pretty chronic since the schools started back in earnest, with the worst of it (on my commute) being a tailback to get through Cloonboo.

This tailback has recently been frequently starting just after the 1st turn-off for Corrandulla (at the barracks) - that's a 3km tailback with no other cause that I can see than the volume of traffic joining from Corrandulla/Claregalway at the cross-roads there in Cloonboo. Most often once you get through Cloonboo things move well up the Curraghline.

My expectation (HOPE) is that with the new roads open, those who divert to the N84 to avoid the Claregalway logjam will no longer feel the need, thereby making it better for all of us...... Fingers crossed!!

MBSnr

^^^
The traffic lights for road works at the beginning of the Curraghline caused some issues tonight.... Took me 30 mins to get from the Tuam road across to Ballindooley.

What exactly they were doing though wasn't clear...

tobdom

MBSnr wrote: »

^^^
The traffic lights for road works at the beginning of the Curraghline caused some issues tonight.... Took me 30 mins to get from the Tuam road across to Ballindooley.

What exactly they were doing though wasn't clear...

Some kind of survey on the road, I passed it but luckily wasn't held up for too long. Ridiculous time of the evening for them to go at it......

lyda

What is the surveying near Cloonboo about? Any chance that they'd think about widening the road; adding a second lane?

MBSnr

lyda wrote: »

What is the surveying near Cloonboo about? Any chance that they'd think about widening the road; adding a second lane?

I wondered that same think this morning! They were just South of Corrandulla Cross and I can't think of any other obvious reason they'd be surveying, since the road was raised and re-surfaced to reduce the chance of flooding.

Probably find it's for a rare species of newt that has started living there and needs to cross the road to breed.....

tobdom

MBSnr wrote: »

I wondered that same think this morning! They were just South of Corrandulla Cross and I can't think of any other obvious reason they'd be surveying, since the road was raised and re-surfaced to reduce the chance of flooding.

Probably find it's for a rare species of newt that has started living there and needs to cross the road to breed.....

Will be interesting to see what it's about alright, would be no harm if they could widen it, but if they do I can't imagine it would be by much...... Just as we thought the commute might improve (M17 etc. opening), it would be typical that some new works would start on the N84!!

lyda

Nothing shows up here. Shame, that straight stretch would be great to add a passing lane to.

Magic ]=)

lyda wrote: »

What is the surveying near Cloonboo about? Any chance that they'd think about widening the road; adding a second lane?

Rumor has it that next year they will be resurfacing surveyed stretch of the road. Survey was done all the way from old barracks to Ballindooley.
No mention about adding hard shoulder.

lyda

'Magic wrote:

;105074777']Rumor has it that next year they will be resurfacing surveyed stretch of the road. Survey was done all the way from old barracks to Ballindooley.
No mention about adding hard shoulder.

Hard shoulder would be nice, but even just stopping the bouncing would be good at this point.

tobdom

I heard the survey was related to assessing flooding risks........ resurfacing shouldn't really be a priority, it's not bad as it is.

Traffic is still chronic, as all have witnessed by now, I believe the Claregalway tailback has just moved on a little further past Claregalway, so there's still a lot diverting over to the N84 via Corrandulla. Can't see it changing until something is done about Galway traffic (outer ringroad), which is years down the line....... :-(

jkforde

lyda wrote: »

What is the surveying near Cloonboo about? Any chance that they'd think about widening the road; adding a second lane?

I emailed them on roads@galwaycoco.ie and they said..
"received a reply from the Engineer to say that they intend doing resurfacing work in 2018"

I asked them to clarify 'resurfacing' but they haven't gotten back to me to date

tobdom

So, considering "everyone would be back by now" after Christmas, everyone back at work, college etc..... traffic has been unusually light in Cloonboo.

Delighted and hope it stays as such, but you'd have to wonder what has changed? Clearly there are less cars joining in Clonboo from Corrandulla, I wonder if people have been avoiding those smaller roads due to the weather? Or perhaps people who's most logical route would be through Claregalway and into town on the N83 (old N17), have stuck to that after Christmas and have realised that it's not as bad as it used to be so are sticking to it instead of diverting to the N84?...... Perhaps the motorway is finally having some kind of an impact?.....

Whatever the reason, long may it continue!