Galway traffic

Mrs OBumble

Johnny_BravoIII wrote: »

The closure of cross street in recent weeks has clearly worked. Middle street, St Augustine St, Abbeygate St, Woodquay, Ravens Terrace, the west end area from St Dominicks Street to Massimos should be looked at.

It would radically change the city as a destination experience post Covid if we built infrastructure to faciliate outside street dining.

Yawn. They are all residential streets. There is no shortage of empty premises in the currently pedestrianised streets.

Thargor

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yawn. They are all residential streets. There is no shortage of empty premises in the currently pedestrianised streets.

Lets get some traffic jams/tiny footpaths/diesel fumes and endless traffic noise in there to revitalise those empty premises!

AndrewJRenko

Just ICYMI

https://twitter.com/galwaycyclist/status/1296075976921821185?s=20

donvito99

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Just ICYMI

https://twitter.com/galwaycyclist/status/1296075976921821185?s=20

Is that [snipped] going to get a coffee and the paper?

CowboyTed

Thargor wrote: »

Lets get some traffic jams/tiny footpaths/diesel fumes and endless traffic noise in there to revitalise those empty premises!

Condescending much...

That was any part of a discussion but a poor attempt at ridicule.

The comment has merit, there is going to be a lot of empty shops when this COVID is over...

Could the people who think Galway is like other cities with 3 and 4 times the population density and mediterranean weather please come back to reality....

We said this pages ago:
Galway has a population density of 1,400 per KM2.
It rains a lot. It has more wind than most cities and less cover.
Usage is 5.5% and targets before were set at 20% and where not achieved.

At the moment private car is carrying far more people with space provided than any other method of transport. The amount of cars has quadrupled since the last bridge was built.

People in Galway have been promised a lot over the years and seen junctions going to roundabout and back again to junctions. Sorry but it all looks like BS gravy train at this stage.

So I am totally against any permeant changes without them being trialed first. I don't give a fiddle how many experts are taken from outside the city. Trial first and then we can see...

There has been very little trust earned by the city council.

Some news out today that the NTA has provided 55 million in funding for towns and cities around the country. Galway gets a slice worth 3 million out of that.

As part of the press release they included a list of the project under each local authority that received funding and how much was allocated. For Galway City that 3 million breaks down across 21 projects as follows

No. Project Name Description Est. 2020 Funding
1 L-5138 Southpark, Galway City Lighting - Southpark cycle & walkway €160,000
2 R336 Blackrock, Galway City Lighting - Blackrock to Caravan park cycle & walkway €150,000
3 L-10041 The Plots, Woodquay Lighting - The Plots Woodquay €25,000
4 L-50020 Westbrook Housing Estate to Ballymoneen Road Lighting - Pedestrian Laneway - Westbrook Housing Estate to Ballymoneen Road €8,000
5 L-50172 Monksfield to Oakland Laneway (Salthill) Lighting - Monksfield to Oakland Laneway (Salthhill) €6,000
6 L-5036 Doughiska to Coast Road Lighting - Laneway - Doughiska to Coast Road €10,000
7 R-336 North end Eyre Square Banning left turning traffic at the north end Eyre Square and allowing buses & taxis only €15,000
8 L-5098 West side of Salmon Weir Bridge Banning the traffic on the west side of the SWB €75,000
9 N6 Ballybane Jn. On N6  to Browne Roundabout Reconstruction / renewal of defective footpaths and cycle tracks.  €250,000
10 N6 Ballybane Jn. On N6  to Browne Roundabout Footpath Repairs to path adj. to cycle lane from Ballybane Jn. On N6  to Browne Roundabout. €80,000
11 L-5103 Dominic St Upper Footpath Replacement on Dominic St Upper (both sides). €220,000
12 NA City Wide Road marking refreshing including cycle lanes (City-wide). €150,000
13 NA City Schools Front of School Approach in selected schools €35,000
14 NA Resurfacing of city junctions incl roundabouts Resurfacing roundabouts and junctions to improve surface quality and improve safety for cyclists €360,000
15 NA River Corrib Crossings - Clifden Railway Line Corrib Bridge and NUIG cycleway and Wolfe Tone Br Proposed new Corrib bridge on old Clifden Railway Line and Cycleway and additional pedestrian cantilever onto Wolfe Tone €65,000
16 L-1000 Letteragh Road Provide new footpath to link with residential estate €120,000
17 L-5143 & L-5142 High Street and Quay Street Resurfacing of pedestrian area €686,000
18 NA City Wide Speed Limit review and implimentation of 30km/h speed limit in city centre €16,000
19 N6 N6 - Bothar na dTreabh, Ballybane to Briarhill Convert Hard Shoulder to Cycleway €350,000
20 R 336 Eyre Square Resurface to improve bus stop access for mobility impaired €155,000
21 NA City Wide Provision of Bus Shelters €65,000

• Projects # 1-6 relate to lighting and are worth 360k.
• The next 2, #'s 7 & 8 are interesting in that they are further confirmation of the upcoming changes in relation to the bus priority corridor through the center of the city. This has an allocation of 90k
• Projects 10-19 relate to pedestrian and cycling improvements either through resurfacing or line marking and has an allocation of 2 million. There's a lot of good stuff in this one for general mobility of active travel in the city but don't get me started on painted cycle lanes (paint is not protection). The new 30km speed limit zone is the city center is a welcome addition. I look forward to seeing this expanded to the surburbs in time
• Projects 20 & 21 relate to bus infrastructure changes, most of which has been completed already.

Full article for those interested.

NTA Allocates €55m to Councils for Cycling and Walking Projects Under July Jobs Stimulus Plan
22/08/20

The National Transport Authority has allocated funding totalling €55m to 547 projects in 11 counties to support pedestrian and cyclist movement and to enhance accessibility in cities, towns and villages.

The funding was allocated under the July Jobs Stimulus Plan announced by the Government last month and is among measures designed to stimulate a jobs-led recovery and build economic confidence in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area and the metropolitan areas of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford were eligible to apply for funding under the scheme. An equivalent funding programme is in place through the Department of Transport for all other local authority areas.

The funding will support local authorities’ response to Covid-19 challenges and assist with their work to equip local communities and businesses with improved walking and cycling infrastructure.

The funding will also allow for changes to traffic management arrangements to facilitate the reallocation of overall road space to improve facilities and safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

Funding allocations have been made solely for design and works which can be completed by the end of November 2020.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said: “One of the priorities for this government when we took office in June was to respond to the economic difficulties brought about by the Covid crisis.

We immediately turned our attention to the putting together a package of measures that would go some way to rebooting the economy.

The projects that the NTA is funding will make a real difference at local level when it comes to improving infrastructure for cycling, walking and will make our cities, towns and villages more accessible and attractive for everyone. That’s good news for local communities, and good news for the economy.

I look forward to seeing these projects coming to fruition in the weeks and months ahead.”

Welcoming the quick action by the NTA to address the needs for cyclists and pedestrians as part of the July Stimulus, Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton said:

“The allocations being made today will go a long way in delivering a safe and sustainable environment for active travel in our villages, towns and cities.

Travel to work, school or the local shop on two wheels instead of four will see an uplift from this much needed and timely financial endorsement by the Government.

I look forward to continuing to work with our local authorities as they continue on their journey to accelerate sustainable travel in the coming weeks and months through this fund and beyond.”

Among the projects to be funded are:

• Installation of parklets in Cork City
• Upgrade of cycle lane infrastructure in Castletroy, Limerick
• Installation of protected cycle facilities in Glenageary, Dun Laoghaire
• Resurfacing of pedestrian area, Galway City
• Creation of ‘slow zone’ in Waterford City Centre
• Pedestrian crossings in Navan, Trim, Mornington and Oldcastle, Co Meath
• Allocations to Councils

• Dublin City Council – €12,065.000
• South Dublin County Council – €2,440,995
• Fingal County Council – €3,890,000
• Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council – €8,986.067
• Meath County Council – €3,105,000
• Kildare County Council – €1,840,000
• Wicklow County Council – €3,342,350
• Limerick City & County Council – €9,988,000
• Galway City Council – €3,001,000
• Waterford City & County Council – €2,347,500
• Cork City Council – €4,000,000
• Total Amount Allocated = €55,005,912

LostDuck

DaCor the cost for lighting looks astronomical - is that normal pricing for a strip of street lights?

zell12

65k for a new bridge across the Corrib?
Bargain! :pac:
15. River Corrib Crossings
Proposed new Corrib bridge on old Clifden Railway Line and Cycleway and additional pedestrian cantilever onto Wolfe Tone Bridge

LostDuck

LostDuck wrote: »

DaCor the cost for lighting looks astronomical - is that normal pricing for a strip of street lights?

I'm no expert but when you consider the ground works, the depth they would be set into, the distance covered etc. it would seem appropriate to me, but again not an expert

ratracer

LostDuck wrote: »

DaCor the cost for lighting looks astronomical - is that normal pricing for a strip of street lights?

On public land -> about right
On private land -> not a hope!!

The Connacht Tribune have clips from prior years (100,75,50,25 years ago) two of which this week and last week are about the same things we are talking about today:
https://connachttribune.ie/galway-in-days-gone-by-155/
A previous week from 1920:

That traffic in Galway is ill-regulated and conducted without the smallest regard to the rules of the road or the interests or safety of those who use them is an assertion that is generally accepted even by those who are the worst offenders.

Yet a little attention to very simple and well-understood rules would enormously add to our comfort and convenience, especially on market days.

Recently there has been a considerable influx of country motors. Youthful drivers have shown almost criminal disregard for the traffic conditions of the City streets, which render driving at a speed of exceeding ten or twelve miles an hour, a dangerous a reckless proceeding.

Moreover, the lumbering military motor...

This week from 1995 isn't online but is about shop owners on Shop Street wanting to keep a lane for traffic on the street rather than full pedestrianisation, arguing that full pedestrianisation would change the character of the street.
They were right in hindsight- the bulky goods in O'connor and Naughtons are long gone - does anyone miss them?
I imagine Boots brings a lot more people in than Naughtons ever did.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

The Connacht Tribune have clips from prior years (100,75,50,25 years ago) two of which this week and last week are about the same things we are talking about today:
https://connachttribune.ie/galway-in-days-gone-by-155/
A previous week from 1920:



This week from 1995 isn't online but is about shop owners on Shop Street wanting to keep a lane for traffic on the street rather than full pedestrianisation, arguing that full pedestrianisation would change the character of the street.
They were right in hindsight- the bulky goods in O'connor and Naughtons are long gone - does anyone miss them?
I imagine Boots brings a lot more people in than Naughtons ever did.

That’s a pretty crap attitude towards a well liked family businesses.

Wouldn’t it be much nicer giving money to a local family business than woodies or b&q etc in the case of Naughton’s?

donvito99

Jazmin Harsh Gold wrote: »

Wouldn’t it be much nicer giving money to a local family business than woodies or b&q etc in the case of Naughton’s?

Woodies, B&Q and other ring road retailers have been ruinous to city/town centres.

Mrs OBumble

Jazmin Harsh Gold wrote: »

That’s a pretty crap attitude towards a well liked family businesses.

Wouldn’t it be much nicer giving money to a local family business than woodies or b&q etc in the case of Naughton’s?

Like McDonagh's in Ballybane? Who are currently planning to move even further out so their current site can turn into offices and a hotel.

MrO is still annoyed about their departure from the city centre and the stuff he has to travel to buy now.

Storm 10

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Like McDonagh's in Ballybane? Who are currently planning to move even further out so their current site can turn into offices and a hotel.

MrO is still annoyed about their departure from the city centre and the stuff he has to travel to buy now.

Be a long time before they move if ever given the conditions caused by the virus

xckjoo

O'Connors are still on the go. They tried the whole mega store on the Headford Road thing but ended up selling that to another company. Now they've a much smaller shop that seems to focus on rentals and repairs. But if they couldn't survive in the big shop with all the parking they could want, they were never going to last in the middle of the city.

LostDuck

There seems to be a problem with how the road or lights are configured on Bishop O'Donnell road between Gort Na Bro and Circular Road. The traffic is always getting clogged up here when the rest of the city is clear.

Yesterday morning (a Sunday) traffic was backed up and the roundabout off Gort Na Bro was locked up. The roads before and after this stretch were free flowing. This is a very common occurrence. Very frustrating if you live in the area.

timmyntc

LostDuck wrote: »

There seems to be a problem with how the road or lights are configured on Bishop O'Donnell road between Gort Na Bro and Circular Road. The traffic is always getting clogged up here when the rest of the city is clear.

Yesterday morning (a Sunday) traffic was backed up and the roundabout off Gort Na Bro was locked up. The roads before and after this stretch were free flowing. This is a very common occurrence. Very frustrating if you live in the area.

Roundabouts and traffic lights don't mix. The traffic is very quick to build up when the lights at BO'D go red, and once that's full, it spills onto the roundabout and blocks traffic in all directions. They should remove that roundabout, and move the entrance to Fort Lorenzo onto one of the adjoining roads. Would help morning rush hour so much when schools are back - that roundabout is usually a nightmare with all the parents driving to schools in taylors hill.

All the RAB's on the distributor rd are going to be removed and replaced with lights.

Every last RAB is slated for removal from the city. They no longer work with the increased volumes of car traffic

McGiver

First of all €55m for the whole country is laughable. If this is supposed to be a "stimulus package" then someone should tell the gov in Dublin that they're deluded. See Germany what is an actual stimulus - reduce VAT by 3% etc etc.

This is the core issue with infrastructure and generally any public services in Ireland - one of the most centralised countries in terms of local government/regional autonomy in Europe. The central gov just swallows everything and then throws only scraps back, out of which Dublin takes more than half and few remaining scraps are for Cork and the rest is for the dogs of Limerick, Galway, Waterford etc to fight about.

So out of the €55m 50% goes to Dublin and surroundings, the first four councils on the list €27.5m exactly.

€3m for Galway is peanuts, you can't do much for that money. Am I the only who thinks Limerick got a better deal?

Limerick City & County Council – €9,988,000
Galway City Council – €3,001,000

Of course any changes/improvements are welcome, but they are quite cosmetic as you can see you can't do much with so little money. The "project #21" is for 5 bus shelters, I mean what can I say. How do you expect people taking up public transport in the most rainiest city in Europe if bus stops aren't sheltered from the elements?

The project #18 speed limit to 30kph in the City centre is welcome and long overdue. I don't understand why it wasn't done long time ago, it costs literally nothing to implement. I always wondered why it's basically 50kph speed limit everywhere in Galway. UK cities and towns have had 20mph (30 kph) speed limit in estates and centres for a long time.

McGiver

Deleted User wrote: »

Some news out today that the NTA has provided 55 million in funding for towns and cities around the country. Galway gets a slice worth 3 million out of that.

As part of the press release they included a list of the project under each local authority that received funding and how much was allocated. For Galway City that 3 million breaks down across 21 projects as follows

No. Project Name Description Est. 2020 Funding
1 L-5138 Southpark, Galway City Lighting - Southpark cycle & walkway €160,000
2 R336 Blackrock, Galway City Lighting - Blackrock to Caravan park cycle & walkway €150,000
3 L-10041 The Plots, Woodquay Lighting - The Plots Woodquay €25,000
4 L-50020 Westbrook Housing Estate to Ballymoneen Road Lighting - Pedestrian Laneway - Westbrook Housing Estate to Ballymoneen Road €8,000
5 L-50172 Monksfield to Oakland Laneway (Salthill) Lighting - Monksfield to Oakland Laneway (Salthhill) €6,000
6 L-5036 Doughiska to Coast Road Lighting - Laneway - Doughiska to Coast Road €10,000
7 R-336 North end Eyre Square Banning left turning traffic at the north end Eyre Square and allowing buses & taxis only €15,000
8 L-5098 West side of Salmon Weir Bridge Banning the traffic on the west side of the SWB €75,000
9 N6 Ballybane Jn. On N6  to Browne Roundabout Reconstruction / renewal of defective footpaths and cycle tracks.  €250,000
10 N6 Ballybane Jn. On N6  to Browne Roundabout Footpath Repairs to path adj. to cycle lane from Ballybane Jn. On N6  to Browne Roundabout. €80,000
11 L-5103 Dominic St Upper Footpath Replacement on Dominic St Upper (both sides). €220,000
12 NA City Wide Road marking refreshing including cycle lanes (City-wide). €150,000
13 NA City Schools Front of School Approach in selected schools €35,000
14 NA Resurfacing of city junctions incl roundabouts Resurfacing roundabouts and junctions to improve surface quality and improve safety for cyclists €360,000
15 NA River Corrib Crossings - Clifden Railway Line Corrib Bridge and NUIG cycleway and Wolfe Tone Br Proposed new Corrib bridge on old Clifden Railway Line and Cycleway and additional pedestrian cantilever onto Wolfe Tone €65,000
16 L-1000 Letteragh Road Provide new footpath to link with residential estate €120,000
17 L-5143 & L-5142 High Street and Quay Street Resurfacing of pedestrian area €686,000
18 NA City Wide Speed Limit review and implimentation of 30km/h speed limit in city centre €16,000
19 N6 N6 - Bothar na dTreabh, Ballybane to Briarhill Convert Hard Shoulder to Cycleway €350,000
20 R 336 Eyre Square Resurface to improve bus stop access for mobility impaired €155,000
21 NA City Wide Provision of Bus Shelters €65,000

• Projects # 1-6 relate to lighting and are worth 360k.
• The next 2, #'s 7 & 8 are interesting in that they are further confirmation of the upcoming changes in relation to the bus priority corridor through the center of the city. This has an allocation of 90k
• Projects 10-19 relate to pedestrian and cycling improvements either through resurfacing or line marking and has an allocation of 2 million. There's a lot of good stuff in this one for general mobility of active travel in the city but don't get me started on painted cycle lanes (paint is not protection). The new 30km speed limit zone is the city center is a welcome addition. I look forward to seeing this expanded to the surburbs in time
• Projects 20 & 21 relate to bus infrastructure changes, most of which has been completed already.

See attached. You omitted the Details column. Some good "details" there, like the "5 bus shelters" :cool:

McGiver

Deleted User wrote: »

All the RAB's on the distributor rd are going to be removed and replaced with lights.

Every last RAB is slated for removal from the city. They no longer work with the increased volumes of car traffic

They must be removed yes. Failed British concept they are. OK for some scenarios, like RABs leading to or going from motorways, but not for city traffic.

McGiver

Deleted User wrote: »

B-b-but rain

Outdoor dining is not physically possible due to the wind and rain. There is literally no solution available that can combat against it.... None at all..... Hasn't been invented...... Will never exist

Some sort of tents?

You know like the ones used by the doctors in the pandemic/virus apocalyptic types of movies just transparent :cool:

Fitz*

I have seen one of the new bus shelters alright. It's not exactly a prominent stop and the stops either side of this one both have shelters, so I find the selection a bit confusing but hey more shelters is better than no shelters.

I do think they missed a trick by not including real time information signs while they got the funding to install the new stops. Especially as it would be easier to install while the whole works were being done. I would not have faith in RTI signs being added retrospectively.

McGiver

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yawn. They are all residential streets.

Essentially all modern cities (or large towns) already have systems to deal with residents parking, some of which are digital/electronic. It's a non-issue.

I know you like to use that argument a lot but there are already solutions for this. It's not a blocker and shouldn't even be mentioned, it is implicit that it will be dealt with in any comprehensive traffic overhaul. Waste of time mentioning this point.

McGiver

Fitz* wrote: »

I have seen one of the new bus shelters alright. It's not exactly a prominent stop and the stops either side of this one both have shelters, so I find the selection a bit confusing but hey more shelters is better than no shelters.

I'm not surprised. As expected GCC is the most incompetent Council in Ireland. They should be awarded by some sort of a prize.
FFS if they have only 5 shots then fúcking select the most important/most frequented bus stops. You don't need to be a genius to do that.

It must have been selected by some sort of an idiot. Or else it's a sabotage to discourage public transport altogether There's no other logical explanation.

gordongekko

McGiver wrote: »

First of all €55m for the whole country is laughable. If this is supposed to be a "stimulus package" then someone should tell the gov in Dublin that they're deluded. See Germany what is an actual stimulus - reduce VAT by 3% etc etc.

Vat has been reduced by 2% here.

LostDuck

McGiver wrote: »

It's not a blocker and shouldn't even be mentioned, it is implicit that it will be dealt with in any comprehensive traffic overhaul.

Yeah, but...

McGiver wrote: »

As expected GCC is the most incompetent Council in Ireland. They should be awarded by some sort of a prize.

Can be dealt with but wouldn't assume it would be!

McGiver

gordongekko wrote:

Vat has been reduced by 2% here.

Oops, Sorry missed that one. You're right.

Anyway, 55m is peanuts And 3m out of that is probably OK (could have been worse) but you can do only 5 bus shelters it seems.

Did Limerick get a better deal or not in your opinion?