Waterford becoming Munsters second city.

WillieMason

With Cork streaming rolling ahead and now uncatchable as top dog in Munster will Waterford overtake limerick as number two in the province? Waterford city is getting a lot of investment with the re-development of the North Quays and Michael Street along with other developments. Waterford looks like a place on the up.

tototoe

WillieMason wrote: »

With Cork streaming rolling ahead and now uncatchable as top dog in Munster will Waterford overtake limerick as number two in the province? Waterford city is getting a lot of investment with the re-development of the North Quays and Michael Street along with other developments. Waterford looks like a place on the up.

In terms of population, investment, jobs and lots of other metrics it's a long way off.

nim1bdeh38l2cw

WillieMason wrote: »

Waterford looks like a place on the up.

To be fair, that ain't hard. It could hardly get any worse

Mc Love

Not by a long shot. Limerick continues to progress and while Waterford is getting some much needed investment, they're a long way off the level of Limerick

Vanquished

WillieMason wrote: »

With Cork streaming rolling ahead and now uncatchable as top dog in Munster will Waterford overtake limerick as number two in the province? Waterford city is getting a lot of investment with the re-development of the North Quays and Michael Street along with other developments. Waterford looks like a place on the up.

While Limerick is sorely lacking private investment in the city centre in particular. Quite a lot of economic activity has been generated by the significant employment growth over the last number of years. Much like here they've been talking about big ticket projects in Waterford for ages. What exactly is under construction?

Being realistic, Waterford is half the size of Limerick. That's not going to change any time soon. Although one area in which it does put Limerick to shame is in terms of the quality of its city centre public realm.

Harry Palmr

Don't worry you've got 20k more people with a strong IT and University of Limerick. Not been in Limerick for 10 years and I never rated it when I was a weekly visitor but I'd understood it had got a fair bit of development in recent years. We also have zero political clout in Dublin due to 4 seats which not critical to power mathematics.

dave 27

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Don't worry you've got 20k more people with a strong IT and University of Limerick. Not been in Limerick for 10 years and I never rated it when I was a weekly visitor but I'd understood it had got a fair bit of development in recent years. We also have zero political clout in Dublin due to 4 seats which not critical to power mathematics.

Theres 105k in the immediate city and suburbs, I dont think Waterford has 85k, Galway doesnt have that i dont think! :cool:

damowill

WillieMason wrote: »

With Cork streaming rolling ahead and now uncatchable as top dog in Munster will Waterford overtake limerick as number two in the province? Waterford city is getting a lot of investment with the re-development of the North Quays and Michael Street along with other developments. Waterford looks like a place on the up.

i sense this is Click bait and looking for a reaction

Irish_rat

Waterford is a nice little town, has the Greenway going for it. How it got a motorway to Dublin no one knows, it's more comparable in size with Dundalk, Drogheda and Ennis really.

First Up

Vanquished wrote: »

WillieMason wrote: »

With Cork streaming rolling ahead and now uncatchable as top dog in Munster will Waterford overtake limerick as number two in the province? Waterford city is getting a lot of investment with the re-development of the North Quays and Michael Street along with other developments. Waterford looks like a place on the up.

While Limerick is sorely lacking private investment in the city centre in particular. Quite a lot of economic activity has been generated by the significant employment growth over the last number of years. Much like here they've been talking about big ticket projects in Waterford for ages. What exactly is under construction?

Being realistic, Waterford is half the size of Limerick. That's not going to change any time soon. Although one area in which it does put Limerick to shame is in terms of the quality of its city centre public realm.

I was in Limerick recently for the first time in a few years and was pleasantly surprised at some of the renewal. I even sensed a bit of sophistication in the cafe/bar scene that I never noticed before. No question the UL- business dynamic has helped and that end of town is impressive.

There's a few eyesores alright but hopefully they are in the process of being replaced.

Its miles ahead of Waterford anyway.

yop

Mod Note: OP - If you want to make this a proper discussion then maybe interact on it, I've seen some similar posts there on the Waterford and Galway threads, so if you're instigating a proper discussion then fair enough.

Harry Palmr

Irish_rat wrote: »

Waterford is a nice little town, has the Greenway going for it. How it got a motorway to Dublin no one knows, it's more comparable in size with Dundalk, Drogheda and Ennis really.

It got a motorway to Dublin as it was logical to have one taking in Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford rather than the half arsed B road which was the case. Or are you the type of person who thinks actively holding a region back is a good thing.

WillieMason

yop wrote: »

Mod Note: OP - If you want to make this a proper discussion then maybe interact on it, I've seen some similar posts there on the Waterford and Galway threads, so if you're instigating a proper discussion then fair enough.

Is this directed at me? i posted at 20:00 last night your message is at 14:00 today i dont sit in a office im working all day and have other responsibilities.

WillieMason

Guys Waterford is being targeted for major development the region needs A lot of services to take pressure off Dublin and Cork. Look at Galway the population almost doubled in 20 years and when it gets the outer ring road will easily surpass limericks population because of its regional importance. I imagine something similar can happened with Waterford

zulutango

I think it's possible that Galway will surpass Limerick in the next few decades if we don't get our house in order down here, but I don't see Waterford catching up any time soon. In time Limerick may become a small city, nestled half way between the bigger cities of Cork and Galway. Having said that, Galway is mired with challenges, and the proposed ring road is a big mistake. Galway's fumbling might give Limerick a chance to stay ahead, but I don't think we're a particularly well managed city and we could be doing a lot better.

WillieMason

zulutango wrote: »

I think it's possible that Galway will surpass Limerick in the next few decades if we don't get our house in order down here, but I don't see Waterford catching up any time soon. In time Limerick may become a small city, nestled half way between the bigger cities of Cork and Galway. Having said that, Galway is mired with challenges, and the proposed ring road is a big mistake. Galway's fumbling might give Limerick a chance to stay ahead, but I don't think we're a particularly well managed city and we could be doing a lot better.

I agree that In time Limerick may become a small city, nestled half way between the bigger cities of Cork and Galway. Lets not forgot Limericks reputation has been damaged by some sections of the city even abroad people have heard bad stories. Waterford on the sunny south east could gain ground is all im saying. Galway needs a ring road the place has carnage traffic it badly needs another bridge crossing over the corrib.

Vanquished

WillieMason wrote: »

I agree that In time Limerick may become a small city, nestled half way between the bigger cities of Cork and Galway. Lets not forgot Limericks reputation has been damaged by some sections of the city even abroad people have heard bad stories. Waterford on the sunny south east could gain ground is all im saying. Galway needs a ring road the place has carnage traffic it badly needs another bridge crossing over the corrib.

Ah yeah, the large numbers of people from a whole range of diverse countries and cultures that have moved to Limerick in recent years were clearly petrified by its reputation.

Keep trying though.

zulutango

WillieMason wrote: »

Galway needs a ring road the place has carnage traffic it badly needs another bridge crossing over the corrib.

It's off-topic, but that's the last thing Galway needs. It needs to put that money into transport infrastructure that actually works. It's Limerick's gain if Galway goes down this road though, so I don't mind.

Silentcorner

Vanquished wrote: »

Ah yeah, the large numbers of people from a whole range of diverse countries and cultures that have moved to Limerick in recent years were clearly petrified by its reputation.

Keep trying though.

I reckon the house prices will be next!!

We live in a region where probably about 250,000 - 300,000 people can get from home to parked up in the city centre/industrial estates in no more than 45 mins at most times of the day or night.

We enjoy some of the best standards of living in the country, we'll be alright!

The same thing that is keeping Waterford small, is the same thing that is keeping Limerick and Galway indeed Cork small.

Cookiemunster

WillieMason wrote: »

Guys Waterford is being targeted for major development the region needs A lot of services to take pressure off Dublin and Cork. Look at Galway the population almost doubled in 20 years and when it gets the outer ring road will easily surpass limericks population because of its regional importance. I imagine something similar can happened with Waterford

There are a lot of plans for Waterford, but nothing has been built yet. There are also a lot of plans for Limerick (Opera centre, Bishops Quay, Rugby museum, Parkway Valley) but as with Waterford, nothing has been built yet.

The most important thing for Limerick right now though is that large multinationals are already locating here creating thousands of jobs. Can the same be said for Waterford?

I honestly can't see Galway surpassing Limerick either seeing as it's possibly the worse run city in the country.

WillieMason

Vanquished wrote: »

Ah yeah, the large numbers of people from a whole range of diverse countries and cultures that have moved to Limerick in recent years were clearly petrified by its reputation.

Keep trying though.

Keep try what?

WillieMason

zulutango wrote: »

It's off-topic, but that's the last thing Galway needs. It needs to put that money into transport infrastructure that actually works. It's Limerick's gain if Galway goes down this road though, so I don't mind.

I dont know i think the limerick tunnel n18 was a good idea galways is just going down the same route

snotboogie

dave 27 wrote: »

Theres 105k in the immediate city and suburbs, I dont think Waterford has 85k, Galway doesnt have that i dont think! :cool:

The CSO actually records the populations of all of the urban areas in Ireland as well as the far less relevant and outdated council and county figures they put front and centre at every press release and on their website. They record each city and town individually but somebody compiled them on Wikipedia (you can check, all of the sources are from the CSO and 2016 census) and it’s about as close as you are going to get to the actual city populations in Ireland: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_urban_areas_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland_by_population

Limerick is 95k, Galway is 80k and Waterford is just under 55k.

mdmix

WillieMason wrote: »

With Cork streaming rolling ahead and now uncatchable as top dog in Munster will Waterford overtake limerick as number two in the province? Waterford city is getting a lot of investment with the re-development of the North Quays and Michael Street along with other developments. Waterford looks like a place on the up.

Waterford has a very good plan to develop and may even become the fastest growing urban area in Ireland (in % terms), but as mentioned earlier its just over half the size of Limerick so its not going to become Munsters second city. Waterford even has a decent public transport plan, although there are no plans for bus connects yet. Limerick on the other hand has a half baked plan to develop which will see growth, but this growth will stop sharply when we hit infrastructure limits - which will take years to fix - while the rest of the country grows.

zulutango wrote: »

It's off-topic, but that's the last thing Galway needs. It needs to put that money into transport infrastructure that actually works. It's Limerick's gain if Galway goes down this road though, so I don't mind.

Galway are due to install dedicated bus lanes on the preexisting roads once the ring road is complete, possibly before. Any city that invests in a proper public transport system is rewarded with private investment. Galway will get a double boost in private investment along the ring road and along the bus routes, so yes Galway will likely become Irelands 3rd city, possibly before 2030, which would at least be a little ironic.

When the Limerick tunnel was built, a bus lane should have been added on the Ennis road from Coonagh onwards to the city centre, the is more than enough space for it and it would have reduced traffic and improved journey times from Shannon, Coonagh and Caherdavin to the city. It could still easily be done but there is no ambition or will.

Dublin, Cork and Galway all have plans in motion (&funding) for bus connects and while Limerick was mentioned in the plan, there is no commitments. The only reason i can imagine for Limerick being left out is because of resistance from the council, but this is just speculation on my part.

Cookiemunster

mdmix wrote: »

Galway are due to install dedicated bus lanes on the preexisting roads once the ring road is complete, possibly before. Any city that invests in a proper public transport system is rewarded with private investment. Galway will get a double boost in private investment along the ring road and along the bus routes, so yes Galway will likely become Irelands 3rd city, possibly before 2030, which would at least be a little ironic.

I'd just point out that even if ABP give permission, the Galway ring road is likely to be stuck in the courts for years. The road is optimistically unlikey to be open before 2025 and that's if we don't have another crash. It's all well and good having plans, but until something is built, it's all pie in the sky.

And Limerick has been far from short of private investment in recent years. FDI in recent years has been huge. Public transport is important, but it isn't the be all and end all. I very much doubt that Galway will have overtaken Limerick by 2030.

Bandana boy

Is top city in Munster not akin to a tallest dwarf in the village contest ?

damowill

Bandana boy wrote: »

Is top city in Munster not akin to a tallest dwarf in the village contest ?

Waterford is really in Leinster anyway. Have ye heard them talk down there. Tis a Leinster accent..........

zulutango

mdmix wrote: »

Galway are due to install dedicated bus lanes on the preexisting roads once the ring road is complete, possibly before.

If they do it before then they have a chance. But that ain't going to happen.

mdmix wrote: »

Dublin, Cork and Galway all have plans in motion (&funding) for bus connects and while Limerick was mentioned in the plan, there is no commitments. The only reason i can imagine for Limerick being left out is because of resistance from the council, but this is just speculation on my part.

It's because we haven't had a Transport Strategy completed, unlike the other cities. But that's kicking off around now I believe.

rebs23

Bandana boy wrote: »

Is top city in Ireland not akin to a tallest dwarf in the village contest ?

Fixed the above there for you.

WillieMason

mdmix wrote: »

Waterford has a very good plan to develop and may even become the fastest growing urban area in Ireland (in % terms), but as mentioned earlier its just over half the size of Limerick so its not going to become Munsters second city. Waterford even has a decent public transport plan, although there are no plans for bus connects yet. Limerick on the other hand has a half baked plan to develop which will see growth, but this growth will stop sharply when we hit infrastructure limits - which will take years to fix - while the rest of the country grows.



Galway are due to install dedicated bus lanes on the preexisting roads once the ring road is complete, possibly before. Any city that invests in a proper public transport system is rewarded with private investment. Galway will get a double boost in private investment along the ring road and along the bus routes, so yes Galway will likely become Irelands 3rd city, possibly before 2030, which would at least be a little ironic.

When the Limerick tunnel was built, a bus lane should have been added on the Ennis road from Coonagh onwards to the city centre, the is more than enough space for it and it would have reduced traffic and improved journey times from Shannon, Coonagh and Caherdavin to the city. It could still easily be done but there is no ambition or will.

Dublin, Cork and Galway all have plans in motion (&funding) for bus connects and while Limerick was mentioned in the plan, there is no commitments. The only reason i can imagine for Limerick being left out is because of resistance from the council, but this is just speculation on my part.

Great post very good points made

diusmr8a504cvk

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Not been in Limerick for 10 years and I never rated it

Harry Palmr wrote: »

We ... in Dublin

Now it adds up.