Do you think we should rebuild the roundabout at the Moneenageisha Junction??

_ZeeK_ · 04-09-2009, 00:40

I refer to this issue because there was an article in todays galway advertiser concerning this issue. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...d=119845166055

Traffic has definitely been made worse since the installation of this new traffic light system. Cllr. Walsh suggest it has costed over €320,000 to complete. However, it would no doubt cost another 6figure sum to reinstate the roundabout.

In these tough times, we might not be able to justify spending such money. Do you feel it would be worth the cost to decrease traffic waits? Or are you happy to bear out the extra long waits and just put it down to another traffic management lesson learned by City Council?

I read a brilliant suggestion in another thread about perhaps turning traffic lights off at night, as they do in Germany. Perhaps this would help slightly? But it wouldn't fix the core problem of peak hour traffic volumes.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

jenno86 · 04-09-2009, 00:54

Maybe if it was fully functional all the time it wouldn't be so bad. Half the time I pass through it some of the lights are turned off and you have eejit from the council directing the traffic through.

_ZeeK_ · 04-09-2009, 01:09

when they were initially set up, yeah that was the case. but tbh, they seem to think they're fully functional now. which definitely isn't the case. they could definitely do with some tweaking.

but even then, the lights just back up cars. by the time the light turns green, people are slow to put their cars into gear and get going. roundabouts, by their nature, tend to process cars much faster, and from all directions rather than just one side of a junction at a time.

pg633 · 04-09-2009, 09:13

No - we need more traffic lights and less roundabouts in this city not the other way round.

I posted an aerial photo of where I live on a different global forum and they laughed at the number of roundabouts you could see in the shot. (I'm on the Headford road)

**Magnus** · 04-09-2009, 09:18

The RB was ****e. No solution will handle that amount of traffic, unless you force some cars to take alternate routes before they reach the junction.

ceepeedee · 04-09-2009, 09:37

I've had the good fortune not to have to use that junction much of late, but I did watch it being reworked and my experience of using it shortly after it opened wasn't much to rejoice about. IMHO, the roundabout worked slightly better, but was far from ideal. I reckon we should allow the new system of allowing two lanes of traffic to turn right from College Road direction onto Dublin Road direction, plus allowing two lanes of traffic to progress straight through from Cemetery Cross to the Dublin Road, to bed in. If things don't improve then we can blow the whole thing up and build a flyover (that's a joke btw!).
In the current economic climate etc, etc, it's going to look downright awful if they spend another six figure sum reworking a junction they spent six figures reworking already less than a year previosuly.
And I'm trying not to think of what might ensue if the traffic lights are turned off at night....

death1234567 · 04-09-2009, 09:45

€320,000 spent to make a big important junction in the city much less efficient. Of course nobody will be held accountable for this shambles, they'll just sit in their highly paid, secure for life job then get early retirement at 62/63 and collect a massive pension that poor normal joe 12 packs like me pay for. This country is a joke.

merchant08 · 04-09-2009, 10:12

traffic lights at a very busy juction dont work where every approach is allowed to turn right. it simply takes too long.

Sconsey · 04-09-2009, 10:14

I think they should change back to the roundabout if the lights don't work...oh and by the way, the lights don't work

It seems like getting through that junction now takes a lot longer and anecdotal evidence is that there are less people using the junction now. In the meantime they could do with painting one of those yellow cross hatch boxes at the junction between college road and Lough Atalia road, it's been a complete snarl up there every morning this week.

galah · 04-09-2009, 10:29

it's not the junction that's the problem, it's the traffic....seriously, can noone remember that the tailbacks were just as bad before they put in the traffic lights? You were stuck on Dublin road inbound forever, and on Lough Atalia outbound. Ther are certain bottlenecks in the town, and that's part of the problem.

At peak times, traffic will always be bad. You could increase bus routes, make them more reliable, increase school busses or use catchment areas instad of a free for all so that mammy doesn't have to take the SUV to bring little Chloe to school cause little fat Chloe could walk to the NEAREST school, reeducate drivers not to be soo flipping stupid anymore (sleeping at the lights, breaking the lights, general muppetry). Intelligent lights all over the town (back home, on the town's bypass, the have little lights telling you how fast you 'should' go so that the lights at every junction will be green..now that's smart)

They *could* also introduce a scheme I saw in Sydney - where they have special lanes for cars with more than 2 passengers in it (and it was reinforced with fines, so no cheating) - which sped up traffic, and encouraged people to carpool.

So many things Galway could implement with a little more cop-on and a look to our neighbours across the world. yet, all they probably will do, is throw more money at it, bitch and moan, and nothing will change.

snubbleste · 04-09-2009, 11:29

I have my car and i'll go where i want when i want in a certain timeframe too and if i can't then i'll bítch about it. This is my entitlement so it is

jenno86 · 04-09-2009, 11:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by galah

it's not the junction that's the problem, it's the traffic....seriously, can noone remember that the tailbacks were just as bad before they put in the traffic lights?

It is true. Spending another €300,000+ is not an option. Would a road running behind the Huntsman be an option? Connecting the Dublin Rd to the Lough Atalia Rd? Take a bit of pressure off the junction.

churchview · 04-09-2009, 11:46

How many multiples of €320,000 will have to be spent fighting the nutjobs who are taking spurious cases against the bypass?

The members of "Hands across the Corrib", Mr. Sweetman and their ilk, should be made to sit in the traffic at that junction every day for a month and then we'd see if they think the bypass is still be a bad idea.

Different types of junction, whether roundabouts, lights, whatever, won't work when all traffic crossing town is bottlenecked through an old narrow road network.

snubbleste · 04-09-2009, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by churchview

How many multiples of €320,000 will have to be spent fighting the nutjobs who are taking spurious cases against the bypass?

The members of "Hands across the Corrib", Mr. Sweetman and their ilk, should be made to sit in the traffic at that junction every day for a month and then we'd see if they think the bypass is still be a bad idea.

Different types of junction, whether roundabouts, lights, whatever, won't work when all traffic crossing town is bottlenecked through an old narrow road network.

You should read the views of one councillor in today's Tribune. I actually agree with her on the issue.

galah · 04-09-2009, 12:44

I still think that a big bridge from Oranmore across the bay to Salthill would solve a good few problems of inner-city congestion...wouldn't be pretty, but hey..

(or maybe even just another relief road into town from Renmore, fowllowing the path of the train bridge...)

But yeah, it's pretty annoying that they only have park and ride for christmas, and that it doesn't work 'the other way' round - as in, that normal commuters living in town but working in Parkmore can't use the busses to go in and out - you HAVE to have a car in Parkmore, first.

View Poll Results: Do you think we should rebuild the roundabout at the Moneenageisha Junction??
Yes, reinstate the roundabout.	39	41.94%
No. I think the new traffic lights are fine as they are.	11	11.83%
No. I don't think we could justify spending that money.	12	12.90%
I don't care.	6	6.45%
Debug the traffic light timings.	25	26.88%
Voters: 93. You may not vote on this poll

04-09-2009, 00:40	#1
_ZeeK_ Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Shadows. Posts: 225 Adverts \| Friends	Do you think we should rebuild the roundabout at the Moneenageisha Junction?? I refer to this issue because there was an article in todays galway advertiser concerning this issue. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...d=119845166055 Traffic has definitely been made worse since the installation of this new traffic light system. Cllr. Walsh suggest it has costed over €320,000 to complete. However, it would no doubt cost another 6figure sum to reinstate the roundabout. In these tough times, we might not be able to justify spending such money. Do you feel it would be worth the cost to decrease traffic waits? Or are you happy to bear out the extra long waits and just put it down to another traffic management lesson learned by City Council? I read a brilliant suggestion in another thread about perhaps turning traffic lights off at night, as they do in Germany. Perhaps this would help slightly? But it wouldn't fix the core problem of peak hour traffic volumes. Thoughts? Suggestions?

04-09-2009, 00:54	#2
jenno86 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: The Wesht! Posts: 796 Adverts \| Friends	Maybe if it was fully functional all the time it wouldn't be so bad. Half the time I pass through it some of the lights are turned off and you have eejit from the council directing the traffic through. __________________ Sure if there wasn't something wrong with ya, there'd be something wrong with ya!! Is Jade really dead?

04-09-2009, 09:18	#5
Magnus Rollin' with Saget Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Galway City Posts: 15,992 Adverts \| Friends Mod: After Hours, Galway City, Nordic, Things To Do In..., West	The RB was ****e. No solution will handle that amount of traffic, unless you force some cars to take alternate routes before they reach the junction. __________________

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04-09-2009, 01:09	#3
_ZeeK_ Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Shadows. Posts: 225 Adverts \| Friends	when they were initially set up, yeah that was the case. but tbh, they seem to think they're fully functional now. which definitely isn't the case. they could definitely do with some tweaking. but even then, the lights just back up cars. by the time the light turns green, people are slow to put their cars into gear and get going. roundabouts, by their nature, tend to process cars much faster, and from all directions rather than just one side of a junction at a time.

04-09-2009, 09:13	#4
pg633 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Galway Posts: 748 Adverts \| Friends	No - we need more traffic lights and less roundabouts in this city not the other way round. I posted an aerial photo of where I live on a different global forum and they laughed at the number of roundabouts you could see in the shot. (I'm on the Headford road)

04-09-2009, 09:37	#6
ceepeedee Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Galway City Posts: 62 Adverts \| Friends	I've had the good fortune not to have to use that junction much of late, but I did watch it being reworked and my experience of using it shortly after it opened wasn't much to rejoice about. IMHO, the roundabout worked slightly better, but was far from ideal. I reckon we should allow the new system of allowing two lanes of traffic to turn right from College Road direction onto Dublin Road direction, plus allowing two lanes of traffic to progress straight through from Cemetery Cross to the Dublin Road, to bed in. If things don't improve then we can blow the whole thing up and build a flyover (that's a joke btw!). In the current economic climate etc, etc, it's going to look downright awful if they spend another six figure sum reworking a junction they spent six figures reworking already less than a year previosuly. And I'm trying not to think of what might ensue if the traffic lights are turned off at night....

04-09-2009, 09:45	#7
death1234567 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,086 Adverts \| Friends	€320,000 spent to make a big important junction in the city much less efficient. Of course nobody will be held accountable for this shambles, they'll just sit in their highly paid, secure for life job then get early retirement at 62/63 and collect a massive pension that poor normal joe 12 packs like me pay for. This country is a joke.

04-09-2009, 10:12	#8
merchant08 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 7 Adverts \| Friends	traffic lights at a very busy juction dont work where every approach is allowed to turn right. it simply takes too long.

04-09-2009, 10:14	#9
Sconsey Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: Galway Posts: 334 Adverts \| Friends	I think they should change back to the roundabout if the lights don't work...oh and by the way, the lights don't work It seems like getting through that junction now takes a lot longer and anecdotal evidence is that there are less people using the junction now. In the meantime they could do with painting one of those yellow cross hatch boxes at the junction between college road and Lough Atalia road, it's been a complete snarl up there every morning this week.

04-09-2009, 10:29	#10
galah Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Galway Posts: 1,099 Adverts \| Friends	it's not the junction that's the problem, it's the traffic....seriously, can noone remember that the tailbacks were just as bad before they put in the traffic lights? You were stuck on Dublin road inbound forever, and on Lough Atalia outbound. Ther are certain bottlenecks in the town, and that's part of the problem. At peak times, traffic will always be bad. You could increase bus routes, make them more reliable, increase school busses or use catchment areas instad of a free for all so that mammy doesn't have to take the SUV to bring little Chloe to school cause little fat Chloe could walk to the NEAREST school, reeducate drivers not to be soo flipping stupid anymore (sleeping at the lights, breaking the lights, general muppetry). Intelligent lights all over the town (back home, on the town's bypass, the have little lights telling you how fast you 'should' go so that the lights at every junction will be green..now that's smart) They could also introduce a scheme I saw in Sydney - where they have special lanes for cars with more than 2 passengers in it (and it was reinforced with fines, so no cheating) - which sped up traffic, and encouraged people to carpool. So many things Galway could implement with a little more cop-on and a look to our neighbours across the world. yet, all they probably will do, is throw more money at it, bitch and moan, and nothing will change.

04-09-2009, 11:29	#11
snubbleste Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 1,805 Adverts \| Friends	I have my car and i'll go where i want when i want in a certain timeframe too and if i can't then i'll bítch about it. This is my entitlement so it is

04-09-2009, 11:46	#13
churchview Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 549 Adverts \| Friends	How many multiples of €320,000 will have to be spent fighting the nutjobs who are taking spurious cases against the bypass? The members of "Hands across the Corrib", Mr. Sweetman and their ilk, should be made to sit in the traffic at that junction every day for a month and then we'd see if they think the bypass is still be a bad idea. Different types of junction, whether roundabouts, lights, whatever, won't work when all traffic crossing town is bottlenecked through an old narrow road network.

04-09-2009, 12:44	#15
galah Registered User Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Galway Posts: 1,099 Adverts \| Friends	I still think that a big bridge from Oranmore across the bay to Salthill would solve a good few problems of inner-city congestion...wouldn't be pretty, but hey.. (or maybe even just another relief road into town from Renmore, fowllowing the path of the train bridge...) But yeah, it's pretty annoying that they only have park and ride for christmas, and that it doesn't work 'the other way' round - as in, that normal commuters living in town but working in Parkmore can't use the busses to go in and out - you HAVE to have a car in Parkmore, first.