Galway's traffic issues

grbear

I think a huge part of the problem is that people/planners bought into the idea that the bypass/ringroad was going to fix everything decades ago when the idea was first floated and there's been a cowardice since then to make potentially unpopular decisions even if they will ultimately benefit the city and county.

Maybe that's harsh on my part but that's what I believe.

Ashleigh1986

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Exactly .... Last year over 50 oaps arrived at train station wanting to go to salthill hotel .
Each had to pull their luggage over 100 yards on a wet galway day down to eyre square to get taxis .
They couldn't beleive it .
What a welcome to our city and we try to say we're a tourist city .
Get me a break the idiots in city hall haven't a clue how to welcome people to our city .

100 yards isn't that far.
Are we supposed to rip up our infrastructure and put taxis back through there like years ago to suit a group of OAPs presumably out on the free travel pass once a year?

We have a medieval core with the lake, river and sea defining everything else. No amount of car based schemes are going to resolve that.

We're lucky the station is where it is - the original proposal was to end it in Renmore.

Ashleigh1986

Deleted User wrote: »

100 yards isn't that far.
Are we supposed to rip up our infrastructure and put taxis back through there like years ago to suit a group of OAPs presumably out on the free travel pass once a year?

We have a medieval core with the lake, river and sea defining everything else. No amount of car based schemes are going to resolve that.

We're lucky the station is where it is - the original proposal was to end it in Renmore.

But it's not just OAPS .... It's everyone that arrives at the train station by train or bus .
It's about 100 yards to the bottom of the square add on another 300 if you have to go to the top .
Not a pleasant thing to do when it's raining.
Train station and new bus station are both a joke regarding dropping off and picking up and not just for taxis .

youngrun

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

I drive all over the country .
There's no place as bad for traffic as galway city at the wrong times for the population it has .
It's all down to poor planning .
The clowns in city hall couldn't run a village nevermind a city .
Having a mixture of roundabouts and traffic ( sequenced) lights is a recipe ( proven ) for disaster .
8 sets of lights from huntsman lights to galway clinic.
One set sequence not changed in over 20 years .
3 of the 8 sets hocked up ( not even half ) to a so called traffic light system in city hall .
a bus station / train station that's nearly impossible to pick up people to continue their journey onto .
This city goes from one fxxk up to the next regarding infrastructure / organising events .
How these clowns are in the jobs they are in is a disgrace !!!

Plenty of good suggestions
Your local councillors should be putting these to the city officials
You should contact them all with a detailed proposal
I would suggest a monthly traffic summit in Galway to sort out issues one by one and Action plans. Chaired by Mayor . With expert input each meeting

The real crux is too many cars in too small an area, the high propensity to drive and the spread of Galway population, and the lack of effective PT and or Park and rides.

Ashleigh1986

youngrun wrote: »

Plenty of good suggestions
Your local councillors should be putting these to the city officials
You should contact them all with a detailed proposal
I would suggest a monthly traffic summit in Galway to sort out issues one by one and Action plans. Chaired by Mayor . With expert input each meeting

The real crux is too many cars in too small an area, the high propensity to drive and the spread of Galway population, and the lack of effective PT and or Park and rides.

Youngrun ... What's needed most is someone put in charge of galway traffic management that knows what they are at .
Not a politican / not a civil servant ... Someone that knows the city .
It's obvious where the issuses are .
Same roads / same times / same issuses .
Every single day it's chaos and the people paid by our taxes haven't the ability to do a thing about it .
Yes the ring road will help but that's at least 10 years away .
By that time with all the new building projects ( docks / Mervue / etc) galway will need a 2nd ring road .
Galway bay fm should do a show for a few days in a row and discuss what's required to sort out galways main issue .... The traffic... It's killing business and having a huge effect on people's lives.

youngrun

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Youngrun ... What's needed most is someone put in charge of galway traffic management that knows what they are at .
Not a politican / not a civil servant ... Someone that knows the city .
It's obvious where the issuses are .
Same roads / same times / same issuses .
Every single day it's chaos and the people paid by our taxes haven't the ability to do a thing about it .
Yes the ring road will help but that's at least 10 years away .
By that time with all the new building projects ( docks / Mervue / etc) galway will need a 2nd ring road .
Galway bay fm should do a show for a few days in a row and discuss what's required to sort out galways main issue .... The traffic... It's killing business and having a huge effect on people's lives.

Who would you propose to take this on? You should mail the councillors as they represent the people with your suggestion and can determine policy and influence the paid exec
Agree with you but mindset also needs to change Galway is a small city and has too many cars in too small an area.
Cars banned from the city ring area and 6 new Park and rides + double school+ college buses numbers would be some tough measures

fergiesfolly

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

But it's not just OAPS .... It's everyone that arrives at the train station by train or bus .
It's about 100 yards to the bottom of the square add on another 300 if you have to go to the top .
Not a pleasant thing to do when it's raining.
Train station and new bus station are both a joke regarding dropping off and picking up and not just for taxis .

There's a taxi rank and bus stops all along the Eastern side of the Square. It's not a long walk, even in the rain, even for OAPs.
Galway's got a lot of traffic issues, but that's not one of them.

Ashleigh1986

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

It's obvious where the issuses are.

"Obvious" is a matter of perspective, viewpoint, bias and objective.

Pedestrians, PT users, cyclists, car drivers, delivery drivers, disabled, business owners etc

The "obvious" issue is different for each of those in each location

Mrs OBumble

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

But it's not just OAPS .... It's everyone that arrives at the train station by train or bus .
It's about 100 yards to the bottom of the square add on another 300 if you have to go to the top .
Not a pleasant thing to do when it's raining.
Train station and new bus station are both a joke regarding dropping off and picking up and not just for taxis .

Anyone who can read knows that to get a taxi from the train station, you go UP towards the band hall. Well less than 100 yards. And anyone who is fit enough to get onto the train is fit enough to pull their wheelie bag that far.

The drivers don't use the rank as it was designed. But they do hang out there.

Agree it's not as well signposted from the coach station. And that it should have had a taxi rank designed into it. But again, well less than 100 yards.

DuckSlice

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

But it's not just OAPS .... It's everyone that arrives at the train station by train or bus .
It's about 100 yards to the bottom of the square add on another 300 if you have to go to the top .
Not a pleasant thing to do when it's raining.
Train station and new bus station are both a joke regarding dropping off and picking up and not just for taxis .

You're adding about 150 yards to the walk there. if they walk the 400 yards they would be browsing the fancy sunglasses in Brown Thomas.
How do these people manage at airports if its terrible for them to walk 200-250 yards when they get off a bus? Not sure how people having to walk is adding to the traffic issues tbh.

Storm 10

I was picking up family at the Coach Station on Saturday evening and it was total chaos there with taxis and private cars all including me parked on double yellow lines even coaches were parked on double yellow lines, cant understand how it got built in a congested are with no space to collect and drop off its a joke as is the whole traffic problem in Galway and no one seems to give a damn in the Council or else they don't have a clue about how to handle it.

zell12

Storm 10 wrote: »

I was picking up family at the Coach Station on Saturday evening and it was total chaos there with taxis and private cars all including me parked on double yellow lines even coaches were parked on double yellow lines, cant understand how it got built in a congested are with no space to collect and drop off its a joke as is the whole traffic problem in Galway and no one seems to give a damn in the Council or else they don't have a clue about how to handle it.

Should a public transport hub be built in the middle of nowhere, surely to facilitate private motor cars?
Or adjacent Eyre Square which is the Galway hub?

Ashleigh1986

zell12 wrote: »

Should a public transport hub be built in the middle of nowhere, surely to facilitate private motor cars?
Or adjacent Eyre Square which is the Galway hub?

Is it to much to ask .... THAT IT IS PLANNED.
Mother of sweet god some countries can put a man on the moon .
Ireland can't plan a bus station or train station that people can pick up without chaos been caused .

I know my comment hasn't a thing to do with traffic but it's just another example that city hall hasn't a clue how to plan anything .
With that shower it's always an afterthought .
Book intelligence and street stupid at its best .

zell12

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Is it to much to ask .... THAT IT IS PLANNED.
Mother of sweet god some countries can put a man on the moon .
Ireland can't plan a bus station or train station that people can pick up without chaos been caused .
I know my comment hasn't a thing to do with traffic but it's just another example that city hall hasn't a clue how to plan anything .
With that shower it's always an afterthought .
Book intelligence and street stupid at its best .

But it is clearly planned.
It is not designed to facilitate the private motor car.

Mrs OBumble

zell12 wrote: »

But it is clearly planned.
It is not designed to facilitate the private motor car.

It is.

There is a fast drop off point immediately outside the coach station and another one by the band hall. These would be adequate if people used them as designed, ie driver pauses, passenger gets out and grabs luggage immediately, driver leaves immediately.

Anyone who wants to stop for longer needs to use the multi-storey car park with hundreds of spaces in it, which is FIVE minutes walk away, by the Galmont.

DuckSlice

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It is.

There is a fast drop off point immediately outside the coach station and another one by the band hall. These would be adequate if people used them as designed, ie driver pauses, passenger gets out and grabs luggage immediately, driver leaves immediately.

Anyone who wants to stop for longer needs to use the multi-storey car park with hundreds of spaces in it, which is FIVE minutes walk away, by the Galmont.

ah come one, that's a ridiculous amount of time to expect someone to walk for.

Ashleigh1986

5 minutes walk when your just walking is one thing.
When you have arrived in a city with large suitcases is another matter.
The best cities I've visited their bus stations/ airports / train stations ....ARE organised in such a way that makes it easy for new arrivals to continue their journey .

The Lost Sheep

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Is it to much to ask .... THAT IT IS PLANNED.
Mother of sweet god some countries can put a man on the moon.
Ireland can't plan a bus station or train station that people can pick up without chaos been caused.

I know my comment hasn't a thing to do with traffic but it's just another example that city hall hasn't a clue how to plan anything.
With that shower it's always an afterthought.
Book intelligence and street stupid at its best.

Ireland can do it but moving anything outside the city centre isnt the answer and doesnt help things or traffic problems.

The car park is below the coach station and is accessible by lift from within the lobby area as far as I remember.

Discounted rates are available for bus passengers.

Walking outside would be a few minutes.

Mrs OBumble

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

5 minutes walk when your just walking is one thing.
When you have arrived in a city with large suitcases is another matter.
The best cities I've visited their bus stations/ airports / train stations ....ARE organised in such a way that makes it easy for new arrivals to continue their journey .

There is nowhere in the world where your mammy can park at the door and wait for 15 minutes.

I'd actually forgotten that there was a direct entry to the carpark from the coach station. But as noted, there is.

And from observation most arrivals don't get into cars or taxis. They walk to their inner-city accommodation or to the city bus stop. Yes, including people with suitcases.

Ashleigh1986

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

There is nowhere in the world where your mammy can park at the door and wait for 15 minutes.

I'd actually forgotten that there was a direct entry to the carpark from the coach station. But as noted, there is.

And from observation most arrivals don't get into cars or taxis. They walk to their inner-city accommodation or to the city bus stop. Yes, including people with suitcases.

Really ????
So what about the tourists staying at
Connacht hotel / flannerys hotel/ Maldon hotels / salthill hotel/ menlo park /
Galway bay / ardilaun / the 12 / the g / etc etc etc.
Are they all expected to get a bus !!!
The reason they want a taxi is because they haven't a clue where the bus stop is or where the hotel is .

Mr_A

There used to be taxis allowed into the bus part of the station. It was a disaster as some would inevitably gum the place up cause delays.

I see loads of visitors using the 409 to get to and from the likes of the Connacht and Flannery's.

DuckSlice

So is your issue with the traffic or the fact you have nowhere to park your taxi in the bus stations?

Ashleigh1986

etxp wrote: »

So is your issue with the traffic or the fact you have nowhere to park your taxi in the bus stations?

My issue etxp is GALWAY PLANNING or lack of it for everything especially the traffic chaos .
I know I'm gone off topic when I brought pick up at train station/ bus station but it was to point out that city hall haven't he ability to plan anything in this city .
Not everyone wants to use a bus .
Many just want to get on with their holiday and get to their hotel ASAP with no stress .

donvito99

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Not everyone wants to use a bus .

At a bus station???

Only in Ireland

Ashleigh1986

donvito99 wrote: »

At a bus station???

Only in Ireland

They have just got off a bus .
Sometimes over 2 and half hours .
Do you honestly think ALL OF THEM want to walk to get on another bus ???
A lot just want to get to their hotel and relax and start their holiday .

donvito99

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

They have just got off a bus .
Sometimes over 2 and half hours .
Do you honestly think ALL OF THEM want to walk to get on another bus ???
A lot just want to get to their hotel and relax and start their holiday .

That is exactly the attitude which is accommodated all over this country which has lead to traffic BEDLAM

I don't like buses, let me drive and park where I want. Then give out when EVERYBODY does this and propose massively expensive solutions (huge ringroad for small city) when it would be easier and cheaper to stop incentivising people for being LAZY. The vast majority of motorists are not OAPs and the disabled, they are able bodied and ignorant

DuckSlice

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

etxp wrote: »

So is your issue with the traffic or the fact you have nowhere to park your taxi in the bus stations?

My issue etxp is GALWAY PLANNING or lack of it for everything especially the traffic chaos .
I know I'm gone off topic when I brought pick up at train station/ bus station but it was to point out that city hall haven't he ability to plan anything in this city .
Not everyone wants to use a bus .
Many just want to get on with their holiday and get to their hotel ASAP with no stress .

I understand that not everyone wants to use a bus, I myself hate buses so would probably get one if I had bags, but there is a taxi rank right beside the bus/train station if me/they so wish to take a taxi. the walk of a few hundred yards to get that taxi is not that long, it would take less than 2 minutes.
Anyway the issue with Galway traffic is not the buses or people getting from the bus stations.

cdgalwegian

zell12 wrote: »

But it is clearly planned.
It is not designed to facilitate the private motor car.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It is.

There is a fast drop off point immediately outside the coach station and another one by the band hall. These would be adequate if people used them as designed, ie driver pauses, passenger gets out and grabs luggage immediately, driver leaves immediately.

Anyone who wants to stop for longer needs to use the multi-storey car park with hundreds of spaces in it, which is FIVE minutes walk away, by the Galmont.

The drop-off point must have been dreamed up by a German, or aspires to have German efficiency. The "ah, sure it'll be grand" Irish attitude, which serves us so well in many ways, clearly wasn't factored in here- some people think that rules just ain't for them. In all honesty, for it it to work properly, it needs someone to be paid to horse people on, like they do at many drop-off points, like some airports.

flazio

Well, if the one way system comes into play, it'll leave space for a drop-off and taxi rank.
Also, what is this space for at the moment? Looks like a good spot for a joint use taxi rank. Just needs better a better pedestrian crossing point
https://goo.gl/maps/zBiMPDiw3ugzBc6W6