New traffic layout on Parkmore Road

spurscormac

ELCAT2009 wrote: »

I was wondering this too. Only way i could see it would be to have an electronic overhead gantry with lane directional signage that can change for differnet times of the day. I remember seeing something similar in Melbourne 10 years ago where the middle lane of a 5 lane road would change direction to suit rush hour in the morning or evening ie 2 permanent lanes in and 2 permanent lanes out with middle lane changing direction (illuminated by over head electronic gantry ever couple of hundred meters) depending on traffic.

Have also seen it done almost 20 years ago in Vancouver, but I can't honestly imagine it working in Ireland, where obedience to the rules of the road is lax enough.

what_traffic

Zzippy wrote: »

The electronic sign is far too close to the lights, cars are already in lane 2 wrongly before they can read the sign. The only way to keep lane 2 for left only would be to install a curved traffic island to guide cars left and block access to Briarhill.

Would there be any way of having 2 lanes for left only in the evening, when Parkmore is emptying, and 1 lane in the morning, when traffic from Carnmore direction is heading to town and needs more lanes?

This would at least protect people who are cycling in the cycle lane who are going straight ahead and not having people who drive illegally undertaking them through the junction in the 2nd lane.

johndeff2017

Do the cyclists have an option to go straight on or turn right ?

joeKel73

johndeff2017 wrote: »

Do the cyclists have an option to go straight on or turn right ?

The cycle lane is straight on only. There is the option of pulling into the turning box across the junction and wait for the light sequence to continue on to the dual carriageway.

OR

The cyclists can just use the regular lanes the same as motorists.

I'd recommend the latter!

Curly head

Are there any cyclists brave enough to actually use the new set up?

johndeff2017

Are there enough cyclists to justify this lane.....especially when an alternative bike lane underground is already in place :unsure:

merson316

Curly head wrote: »

Are there any cyclists brave enough to actually use the new set up?

Watched a guy going through it yesterday during rush hour. No surprise but he nearly got wiped out by merging motorists from lane 2 who were in la la land and weren't paying any attention. Unfortunately, my dash cam didn't pick it up as he was too far ahead of me in the queue.

Mrs OBumble

johndeff2017 wrote: »

Are there enough cyclists to justify this lane.....especially when an alternative bike lane underground is already in place :unsure:

There need to be, if we're serious about addressing the traffic issues.

I'mnot sure how suitable the pedestrian underpass is for cyclists - i haven't been out there for a while but seem to remember a bit of broken glass about. Also i cant remember if theres a cycle specific area in it.

Craftylee

Was just on the 409 and a driver in the wrong lane almost crashed into the bus. I watched her stop at the light and when it went green for left only she didn't move - she was playing with her mobile the entire time (literally the huge digital sign was right in front of her...). If a cyclist was along side her she would have crushed them

The bus driver was none too happy, ha.

I think at this point with the corrected markings and digital sign there is no excuse being in the wrong lane.

ELCAT2009

Yes i think the bike lane here really is pointless. There is no safe way to get on to it or off it so i don't really see whats its there for at all except maybe to try and create a divide between the left turning lane and the straight on / right turning lane. I don't think a cycle lane is the appropriate way to do this though!
Im all for cycle lanes where they are suitable and link from A-B but this really makes no sense and cyclists are safer to just stay in the lane of traffic for which ever direction they are going.

joeKel73

johndeff2017 wrote: »

Are there enough cyclists to justify this lane.....especially when an alternative bike lane underground is already in place :unsure:

The underpass is only really of use when travelling from the old Monivea Road (Clayton entrance) across the junction. If travelling from Parkmore there's no natural way of getting to that underpass without getting off the bike, crossing the road and walking. And if you do, and want to continue down the dual carriageway, you'll have to turn back back to the junction again to take a left-turn.

johndeff2017

J o e wrote: »

johndeff2017 wrote: »

Are there enough cyclists to justify this lane.....especially when an alternative bike lane underground is already in place :unsure:

The underpass is only really of use when travelling from the old Monivea Road (Clayton entrance) across the junction. If travelling from Parkmore there's no natural way of getting to that underpass without getting off the bike, crossing the road and walking. And if you do, and want to continue down the dual carriageway, you'll have to turn back back to the junction again to take a left-turn.

Is there a bicycle lane on the left hand side on going from Parkmore to the Parkmore Lights ? or is the cycle lane only on the other side ?

johndeff2017

Interesting article .... on cycling road safety and cars
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/new-laws-to-target-drivers-who-overtake-cyclists-too-closely-1.2985220
Does't fit in with the junction layout at any level

joeKel73

johndeff2017 wrote: »

Is there a bicycle lane on the left hand side on going from Parkmore to the Parkmore Lights ? or is the cycle lane only on the other side ?

Neither

what_traffic

Curly head wrote: »

Are there any cyclists brave enough to actually use the new set up?

Only at Off Peak times.
What we really need is a pedestrian and cyclist route via the Racecourse to avoid junctions at Parkmore/Brierhill. Would be more direct to the city centre as well.
Would cost peanuts in comparison with the same car provision.

jjpep

what_traffic wrote: »

Curly head wrote: »

Are there any cyclists brave enough to actually use the new set up?

Only at Off Peak times.
What we really need is a pedestrian and cyclist route via the Racecourse to avoid junctions at Parkmore/Brierhill. Would be more direct to the city centre as well.
Would cost peanuts in comparison with the same car provision.

This by a million. Would make my cycle commute safer and a lot more pleasant. I imagine it would also encourage others to cycle to park more also. Which would help the car traffic problems a bit.

joeKel73

Got the bus through this junction earlier today. Decided to throw on the camera and sure enough several cars used the 2nd lane to go straight ...

Edit: Just noticed the left-turner going through the red light @ 1:15 too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIiRuksc5N4

Craftylee

Nice, this was taken just before they put the anti-skid surface down.

This happened everyday for me when finishing work:

joeKel73

what_traffic wrote: »

What we really need is a pedestrian and cyclist route via the Racecourse to avoid junctions at Parkmore/Brierhill. Would be more direct to the city centre as well.

If the path that already exists around the racecourse is used, this would actually need very little work to join Parkmore to Ballybrit business park (near the Driving Licence Centre).

Zzippy

J o e wrote: »

If the path that already exists around the racecourse is used, this would actually need very little work to join Parkmore to Ballybrit business park (near the Driving Licence Centre).

Except that path is off limits to the public during July, when they're getting ready for the races, but the rest of the time it would be ideal.

ELCAT2009

This morning was particularly bad coming over from park more direction. Had to wait for 3 cycles of lights to get on to the airport road where as before the changes i would have to wait for just one typically (sometimes none). I know i have said here before that lanes 1 and 2 are virtually empty in the morning (apart from those who choose to go in the 2nd lane and still go straight through) but ive also noticed now that lane 4 is being impacted and can sometimes be half empty as lane 3 is full and backed up to parkmore road so cars cant join lane 4 as there is no room to access it.
So essentially we have gone from 3 lanes being available in the morning to accommodate traffic to 1 and a half...no wonder traffic is backing up on the airport road and motorway :-(

joeKel73

Yeah never saw traffic backing up to Parkmore in the morning before the junction changes. Grabbed a screenshot about 8:30 this morning;

rabjoshu

Does the new traffic layout only take motorists into account?
http://connachttribune.ie/pedestrian-hit-car-n6-briarhill-022/

Gadgetman496

rabjoshu wrote: »

Does the new traffic layout only take motorists into account?
http://connachttribune.ie/pedestrian-hit-car-n6-briarhill-022/

No, they offer a Russian roulette service for cyclists too!

ELCAT2009

Just wondering if peoples experiences have got better or worse both in the mornings and evenings at Park more / Briarhill? My own experience is that it is now worse in the mornings and on quiet a few mornings in the past week i have seen the Bus Eireann bus sitting in the right lane on parkmore road waiting to join the 3rd lane but going know where and eventually just giving up , moving over to the left lane on parkmore rd to join the 2nd lane and then ploughing straight through as do all other cars in that 2nd lane.
I have also seen several cars in the 3rd lane cut out into the on coming traffic to skip up to empty space in the 4th lane to turn right
Im shocked there hasn't been an accident.
I have been emailing the council weekly with my experiences (with no response now in 3 weeks i might add) and would urge other users to do the same as they will just leave it as it is which is a disaster without feedback.

joeKel73

It seems to be much worse now in the mornings, there are big tailbacks to the roundabout at Parkmore now in the mornings that weren't there before.

Another issue I spotted is there is a Bus Stop just before the junction on the left when approaching from Parkmore. The buses now have to try and get into the right-land (backed up) when leaving the bus stop and is blocking the left lane when doing so.

aw

I come from the Monivea/Carnmore directions and mornings are a disaster. Last week, 50 mins were added to my journey on Monday morning - which is unacceptable.
Some mornings I have come in via the motorway instead which, although slow, is still quicker.
Maybe that's an aim of the work - push more cars to the motorway route as the primary route which would take cars away from the Parkmore junction bottleneck.

J.pilkington

My bug bearer with this junction is if you are either coming from carnmore and turning right to parkmore or coming from parkmore and turning left to carmore that you have to wait for a green filter. It's daft and makes no sense, I have spent a crazy amount of time stopped at a red light when I could have safely made my turn. Then the lights have to give me my filter which in turn delays everyone else. It's a sequence which is not needed especially outside the 2 peak periods of the day.

Personally, I think it's been great. No difference in the morning when coming from the M6, but it's saving me almost 20 minutes every evening

Someone was talking about this on Radio Galway this morning.

The lights at Briarhill will be switched off this Saturday to install a new controller.

They also said a survey showed that 9/10 people who work in Parkmore drive there on their own.