NRA pulling funding for Sarsfield/Bandon RD roundabouts in Cork?

bk wrote:

As I have clearly pointed out with official statistics from the CSO, it is quiet clear that Cork City is at least twice the size of Limerick and probably serves a population 3 times larger then Limerick when you take into account the commuter towns and hinterland of both cities.

This excellent map quiet clearly shows the size of both Cities and the surrounding areas they serve:
http://www.ireland.com/timeseye/whoweare/poster.htm

From this map it is blindingly obvious that Cork city serves a much larger population and surrounding area.

but there is a certain flair of exaggeration of Corka population, that is density, take a look on roscrea in that map, and it looks like it's bigger than kilkenny. That is population density. So it's not entirely suited to this, It just not three times the size full stop. Cork constantly view's itself a rather large cosmopolitican capital.it might be spreading into other towns but the city is actually shrinking. Limerck city population back in the 60s was over 60,000 within the boundary just thought i'd point this out.

Again Your right about Cork being twice the size, both cities have a rather large few towns within a 20 miles radius. Limerick is more evenly spreaded to Ennis/shannon direction and spreads more sparsly between. With cork being a bigger city of course it will have more spilling of suburban towns. Limerick population is still an issue and is still not defined it's now spreading into Tipperary. but this is not the topic of course.

bk wrote:

Man you are so wrong on this, I know for a fact that all the retailers want to get into Cork, but the problem for them is simply lack of space. There simply isn't enough large box retail space in the Cork city island area (between the two forks of the river).

Cork City Council is currently trying to rezone areas of the city to try and make space for these retailers (for instance on the Grand Parade). Trust me on this, it has nothing to do with population size.

well than both cities have simular problems, Limerick has rezoning problems, Boundary issue,high rents, high commercial rates and major competition from the suburbs alot more so than Cork. I know retailers want to get into Cork, but it seems that regardless as to what part of Limerick city/suburbs, retailers seem to get into Limerick first. Though Cork had Mark and spencers, limerick had Zara? TK max?, B&Q, PC world and Currys before it got into Cork... I could mention many more.


As for Mahon point, Cresent SC is fairly up there in size to Mahon. The Ennis road SC is goint to take the title I believe as the biggest centre, what about all the new retailers in the Jetland??

bk wrote:

Just look at the new Mahon Point shopping Centre, the biggest shopping centre in the country, outside of Dublin. Or just take a look at the massive development going on in Blackpool in Cork, a US style strip mall type of thing is developing there.

You couldn't be more wrong about this, the retailers are crying out for good locations in Cork. Patrick St has some of the highest retail rental rates in the country. Just look at all the retailers trying to squeeze into Roches Stores.

That's is because Limerick has major problems with national route traffic having to use O'Connells street. Pedestrianisation and tunnel delays are also hindering the city attract big retailers, but still retailers are still coming to Limerick. Now the Opera centre which will have more retail space than current Mahon Point for example. Magnificent buildings along the Main street has being burnt down in the 50s and 60s, Cruises street is to small to gain footfaill and the take in of bigger retailers, Limerick has the same problem with rezoning as Cork but for different reasons of course.
Cork is not the only city with problems Bk..

bk wrote:

Mallow is 20 miles on an excellent, high quality new road, I have lots of friends who live in Mallow and commute into work (or for drinks) in Cork City

Point being? Its still not a suburb, I can say the same about Ennis if I wanted to make a comparison.

bk wrote:

BTW you are also wrong about the hinterland, if you bothered to look at the map I linked to above, you can clearly see that Corks hinterland is by far, larger and more populous then Limerick

I already explained this, I asked you a question about that map you posted, if your bothered to look at the above post again?. Population of Cork is bigger, yes, again, and again I have agreed with you on this, I don't agree with your IMO of the hinterland population. The hinterland population of Limerick is not much lower than Cork, that map identifies the pop density, not the amount. Look at Roscrea its bigger than Kilkenny this is far from true........... Please explains this, since you know this map clearly.

bk wrote:

In fact the population of Cork County is larger then Limerick, Clare and Tipperary put together.

Well the fact is Limericks hinterland touches Cork;) take Charleville for example. No one is arguing Co. Corks pop, maybe because it is by far the largest county in Ireland? no? it is by far not the most densiest...

nordydan wrote:

That'll go down well for the inhabitants of loyalist Coleraine.

yeh, Since Cork is so Big you are never 2foot away, the mighty metropolis of Cork that is. since the Fermoy bypass is opening ( no harm in being positive every now and then) bring Cork even closer to the rest of the country, now what is the next thing that Cork isn't getting enough investment on :rolleyes:

Bogger77 wrote:

Note: I said Major N class roads. N20 in Cork and N18 in Limerick are the only roads I consider major, that are not on the Ring road. N69 and N7? (road to West Cork) are n ot major compared the the cross country inter city routes. the N69 road is merely the more scenic road to Tralee, while the road to West Cork is just that, a road to a rural area.

Since the other roads are linked to the ringroads, the missing link is N7 to N18 in Limerick, N20 to N25. N69 to N20 via the link road is more than capable of handling the volume, esp once the N18 traffic is taken of that route. Considering the situation of the Ports in both. heavy traffic will always be in or near the city centers. The placing of the shopping centers near the junctions, Mahon Point and Wilton in Cork, B&Q and Ennis Road in Limerick will create bottle necks.
as for the roundabouts, only the one on the N7 at Annacothy (?) cause any sort of major hold up, and I'm presumming that it'll be replaced when the DC from Nenagh is finished. the N20 meets N7 roundabout is Limerick CC's fault, I've been told as they wish to add a 4th road to that junction.

I travel the P'laiose to Cork via Fermoy and P'loise to Cork via Limerick routes twice a week, I'm well used to the hold ups on those routes.

One of Limericks reasons for continuing traffic via city center or close to it, is the old relief road/childers road from Parkway to Roxboro and onto the N21, unless there's heavy traffic, ie rush hour or Saturday shopping madness, it's usually as quick to head that route than the loop of the ring road.

It's a matter opinon since you said that All the National routes are doing fineconverging the city that are not properly interchanged at the unfinished Southering ring.
Cork and Waterford traffic have to enter the city to enroute to let's say N18 Shannon and Galway.

It's at a stage now where all the three bridges are congested at rush hour, it's crazy. You tell me it's able to handle the traffic, le't not make it personal to Limerick, but It's choking the city as it is.

The city centre remodiling cannot go ahead until this heavy traffic is removed.

Finally the N69 is a scenic route of course, but it's also connected to Foynes Port, which is booming, I know it looks like a heap of sheds:D But still. There is a large amount of H.G.V that could be taken off the streets off the city, don't you think. I'm just amazed as how the reaction that Sure Limerick is doing ok maybe 10 years time when they get NRA asses in gear.