Galway traffic

See, here we go, the sidekicks have been alerted.

The convoy will land now.

The point of me posting is to share experiences, I mean Andrew says thousands of people are travelling to Blackrock and Dunlaoghaire spending money.

They arent, Dunlaoghaire is on its knees, literally dying day by day.

Its completely gridlocked as are all the roads leading to it, you take your life in your hands cycling unless you use the new cycle lane. The traffic diverted from this route is now causing gridlock and we arent even back to pre pandemic traffic yet.

Blackrock is not thriving either, wetherspoons is leaving, both the shopping centres have empty unitsas its easier to go to Dundrum than try and negotiate you way around one way streets.

The outdoor dining in Blackrock consists in one spot of barstools were traffic used to be. Some of the restaurants have placed tables and chairs on the pavement alongside sandwich boards which makes life for the elderly and disabled difficult.

There is a constant traffic jam in Blackrock village as its one way now so traffic heading to the Dart and the seafront has to do a tour first, some of the tour is down narrow residential roads.

So if you like eating chips and pizzas with buses, lorries, vans and cars spewing fumes inches from your face come to Blackrock.

You better like pidgeons at your feet too.

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566118#Comment_118566118

Blackrock is NOT a village - its a diving tower!

https://thisisgalway.ie/the-history-of-blackrock-diving-tower/

Mav11

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566126#Comment_118566126

Some posters sense of direction, North, South, East or West was never the best!

Theres more than one Blackrock but only one Blackrock that matters.

I do own a property in Galway though,rented, havent set foot in it for years.

I dont think you have to live in a place to comment, that minor matter ever stops the cycling lobby commenting.

Mrs OBumble

Dublin forums are over there ====>

9320

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118565793#Comment_118565793

I have no problem with you posting here - I'm not a mod - I just found it odd that you would do so when you're not living here and the decision won't impact you in the slightest.

Did you bother reading the link to the TU Dublin review of the Coastal Mobility Route? 67% of businesses in the area in support of it and happy that the interventions in Blackrock (Dublin) and the Cycle Track assisted in increasing business.

You keep stating things as if they're facts - they're not, they're observations by you, someone who has deliberately started commenting on a thread about Galway Traffic only when it's included a proposed temporary Cycle Track.

John_Rambo

Just a bit of balance from a Dublin perspective... if you believe that Blackrock & Monkstown are dying you're a fool. If you want to check out the constant traffic jams have a look on google street view.

They don't exist. Don't believe the hype.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566118#Comment_118566118

It's a shame that I rarely get out to DL or Monkstown in daytime, but maybe those who can would like to share some photos or videos of 'grid locked Monkstown' and 'grid locked approach roads'. We may well have different definitions of 'grid locked'.

As usual, your posts are sprinkled with factual errors and exaggerations. Let's just clarify;

1) DL has been 'dying' to use your term long before the CMR was a glint in Robert Burns eye, since Dundrum TC and Carrickmines opened, and even before that.

2) Blackrock business is flying, from what I've seen and all reports I've read. There are no sandwich boards on the main pathway. If you see any sandwich boards on the pathway, you could possibly think about doing something constructive like moving them, or having a word with the business, or having a word with the Council. You'll see these sandwich boards all over the place, so I hope you get equally animated about them elsewhere, not just near cycle lanes.

3) It isn't really 'outdoor dining' in Blackrock, more like outdoor snacking or picnicking - a slightly different approach. There are no examples of tables and chairs blocking the main part of the pavement, though again, you will often see cars, vans and trucks blocking pavements all over the place, so there's a great opportunity to show your concern for older people and disabled people by helping to eliminate that.

4) Some Blackrock traffic may have to 'do a tour' first, but not all traffic by any means. And that's got nothing to do with 'the traffic jam in the village'. Maybe the traffic is backed up because of the number of people who choose tank-sized vehicles to do the school run or a coffee run?

5) Dundrum village is one-way!

You're making a great argument for full pedestrianisation of Blackrock there, to get rid of the buses, lorries, vans and cars spewing fumes.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566674#Comment_118566674

Just walked past a line of traffic after getting off a bus from the city centre, it wasnt even 5 PM and the traffic is building up.

Blackrock is dead at night time, I walk around it all the time, i should know. It doesnt have a single decent shop, you cant even buy a handtowel and if Marks and Spencers leaves the Frascati shopping centre it might as well close down.

Monkstown is basically a carpark,roads have been narrowed to the extent that they are dangerous for pdestrians, cyclists and car drivers, there is going to be a bad accident there shortly.

Anyway thats my tuppence worth, Dublin is thataway...........................

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566717#Comment_118566717

Dundrum village has a by pass with traffic that moves,not that I think making the village one way added anything to the environment either, same situation as Blackrock,queue of cars spewing fumes all day instead of efficiently going from A to B.

Not a cyclist in sight so again more road space left idle.

And if you call eating chips and pizza washed down with litres of coke picnicking, well thats were we must disagree.

There are sandwich boards on the pavements, made my way around one yesterday,why would I waste my time complaining,it wasnt my idea to set up tables on streets people need to walk on.

And if you want to access the Dart or the seafront you cant turn left onto main street, you either have to detour down narrow residential roads to bring you to Merrion Avenue and across the by pass or else you get stuck in a traffic jam on Carysfort Avenue waiting for lights to change while traffic both ways has come to standstill.

I dont know why you need reports or photos and you dont have an informed opinion if you are rarely in Monkstown/ DL during the day. That would be like me never visting wherever you live and then telling you wnat your environment is like, that would be ridiculous, wouldnt you agree.

Now I could chat you to for longer but it isnt fair, this is the Galway thread,it kind of annoys me when you post re the happy sunlands we would all enjoy if only we got hopped on our bikes, its as untrue for Galway as it is for DL/Monkstown. Its dishonest of you to pretend there are no downsides to changes imposed.

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118563985#Comment_118563985

This is where I would spend a bit of money wisely...

Millar's lane backs on to the 15th but has a road to the 13th green...

Thee is an opportunity to get the driving range and swap land to get a bike lane down as far as Brooklawn, just short of Joyces... With the driving range there could be also some extra space to put some limited parking down that side of the prom... There are options..

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564861#Comment_118564861

I would expect it to be segregated initially with some roadside parking developed later on if needed...

Taking the parking from the Prom is the problem, I have said the solution is to build a sea wall which creates space for cycling......

Galway doesn't have enough uptake of cycling at the moment to justify more cycling lanes... Field of Dreams solutions is irresponsible but we should be willing to expand where we can...

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118565477#Comment_118565477

Imagine a trial being a total failure and the executive proclaiming a success on a photo from fine day in the summer...

Residents spending the summer with clogged up areas and old people have limited access...

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566831#Comment_118566831

You're hilarious, really. You say that people are going to Dundrum instead of Blackrock because of the one-way system in Blackrock, and when I point out that Dundrum has its own one-way system, you say it is because Dundrum has a bypass. Well, I hate to break it to you, but Blackrock has had a bypass since the 1980s. There's just no logic to your moaning at all at all.

For someone who won't' 'waste my time complaining' about sandwich boards, you seem very happy to waste your time here complaining about a very small amount of road space given over to make cycling safe for lots of those older people, people with disabilities, low paid people that you tell us you're everso concerned about.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564238#Comment_118564238

Have you heard of raincoats at all?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118564055#Comment_118564055

Why would people expect free storage space for their private property on public space?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118567373#Comment_118567373

You're just trying to cover yourself in the event of the temp cycleway going ahead and being a success.

ratracer

Did I hear correctly that there were 7,000 submissions from the public on this project?

For or against, that is a pretty remarkable level of interest in the proposals!

Yup, 7,000,wow

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/city-council-working-through-7-thousand-submissions-on-controversial-salthill-cycleway/

Let's see what happens next

AndrewJRenko

Can't wait for the cycle lanes to be blamed for causing this kind of traffic chaos

https://twitter.com/FHmediastuff/status/1488799892302667778?t=VXhI_1fWdkAlEzeUM_EsSA&s=19

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118569848#Comment_118569848

Nearly all from school runs too - so the bypass certainly would not alleviate this.

That said, 1 way system would exacerbate those tailbacks

Unrealistic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118569915#Comment_118569915

In what way do you see a 1 way system exacerbating those tailbacks?

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118566264#Comment_118566264

True - Galway Blackrock is all that matters in this forum, no issue with you posting here; you dont need to own a property here in Galway to post, just stick with the Galway stuff

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118570061#Comment_118570061

Agree, Option two is one-way Inbound from here anyhow, it is the evening car traffic

I think going to see two way traffic been retained here at Gentian Hill for the trial and we will get a modified option 2 with the Prom cycleway(2 way) stopping and starting from Blackrock.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118570061#Comment_118570061

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118570256#Comment_118570256

A lot of that traffic would be drop-offs to schools in Salthill, and a decent bit of that traffic would turn around and come back afterwards. The 1 way system will cause more traffic outbound on threadneedle, which will in turn delay drop offs and delay that tailback further/

Unrealistic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118570378#Comment_118570378

I see what you mean but I'd wonder about the numbers and whether they'd really have a noticeable impact. Parents dropping off at Enda's, Salerno, Enda's primary, Scoil Ide, etc. won't have to go back to the roundabout to go up Threadneedle Road and down Kingston. Maybe parents going to city centre might normally come back via Salthill but, if Option 2 gets implemented, are they not more likely to go up Taylor's Hill to get to Kingston Road rather than coming out through Salthill and up Threadneedle Road?

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118570437#Comment_118570437

That roundabout gets backed up at peak morning time from all the drop offs along threadneedle, and traffic trying to turn at top of threadneedle + traffic trying to turn onto Dr Mannix rd. Even if a small amount of traffic that used to go back out towards the Barna road now has to go up threadneedle, that will have big delays at peak because its already very congested.

The real problem here is the massive amounts of school drop offs going on, you dont see that level of car traffic for schools anywhere else. Why do so many Galwegians insist on driving the kids to school?

CowboyTed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118569848#Comment_118569848

Thanks for pointing this out... This actual traffic back up won't helped or hindered by the cycleway unless you think Galway is suddenly have a huge increase in cycling on cold wet winter mornings who choose to cycle along an exposed seafront...

Compo82

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118569848#Comment_118569848

That traffic is most likely coming from Connemara and Barna. Cycling won't solve the problem of traffic.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118570841#Comment_118570841

Cycling would solve some of it. Those getting driven to school from knocknacarra might be more likely to cycle instead if there were a safe route to do so.

serfboard

I can't see why the section from Blackrock to Knocknacarra Cross has to be one-way at all. If you look at a map, a tiny CPO slice on the left-hand-side of the road (mostly through the Golf Club and a Caravan Park), could easily create your two-way cycle lane on that side while keeping two-way car traffic.

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118570641#Comment_118570641

Yes very true - check out that junction when the Schools are off the next Bank Holiday; but this is not unique to Galway City, happens all over the Country.