Public Meeting re. Kirwan Roundabout

16-03-2012 11:34AM #1

There will be a public meeting about the proposed changes to the Kirwan roundabout (the one by the Menlo Park hotel/Pillo Hotel/Ford Garage)

14 March 2012
Notice is hereby given that Galway City Council will host a Public Meeting on the proposed changes to the N6 Kirwan Roundabout on Tuesday, 20th March, 2012 at 7.30p.m. in the Pillo Hotel, Headford Point, Headford Road, Galway.
Members of the public are welcome to attend.

http://www.galwaycity.ie/GeneralNews/140312_03.html

I went to a previous one of these and found it interesting - all the views expressed on here were present along with some others.

snubbleste · 16-03-2012 12:34PM

Will it be an on-site event?
We will sit at the window looking at the speeding motorists and the pedestrians trying to cross at night as we listen to the presentation..

antoobrien · 16-03-2012 12:40PM

snubbleste wrote: »

Will it be an on-site event?
We will sit at the window looking at the speeding motorists and the pedestrians trying to cross at night as we listen to the presentation..

FFS don't start that you'll get the thread locked.

snubbleste · 16-03-2012 12:44PM

Last time I attended a Council meeting in the Pillo, it was on the upper floors with floor to ceiling windows and you had a panoramic view of the surrounding transport network.
Interesting location choice.

Sponge Bob · 16-03-2012 12:44PM

Kirwan = Sandyvale. The work is not scheduled to begin until the mid-late autumn...around the same time as the work on the Corrib Park roundabout which latter project will probably be the subject a separate public meeting quite soon ( hopefully not before the first of June lads.)

Schedule

http://www.galwaycity.ie/N6/130212_04.pdf

snubbleste · 20-03-2012 01:03PM

This meeting is on tonight

ben.schlomo · 20-03-2012 04:45PM

Ya heard about it at the weekend, interesting that the road up by The Menlo will be gone(as such) and a new t junction put in opposite St Anthonys b&b which will be the new route for anyone currently turning left going out the Headford Road.

galwaycyclist · 21-03-2012 01:07AM

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Ya heard about it at the weekend, interesting that the road up by The Menlo will be gone(as such) and a new t junction put in opposite St Anthonys b&b which will be the new route for anyone currently turning left going out the Headford Road.

Strong opposition to this arrangement at the meeting. Seems to be a view that Menlo was getting shafted to facilitate Liosban estate. Some of the claims being made by the engineers were hotly disputed. I suspect its back to the drawing board.

Sponge Bob · 21-03-2012 01:21AM

The corpo is far more likely to simply try to railroad their plans through as a Part 8 motion in a monthly meeting to accept the plans as they stand. The officials will bleat that they will lose their funding and that a yes vote is urgent and cannot be put back to a later meeting. Once the councillors pass it it will be their fault not the officials fault.

Its off with the residents to their councillors if the locals want to change the layout and prioritisation. If the Part 8 is not passed then it is back to the drawing board as you say.

You would be surprised how fast they can work when they have to.

galwaycyclist · 21-03-2012 05:39AM

There is a fly in the ointment for the officials because to get to the part eight process they have to get the elected city council to approve changes to the city development plan first. When they put their plans together it would seem the officials neglected to tell the councillors they were planning to put roads through lands zoned recreation and amenity.

Sponge Bob · 21-03-2012 09:01AM

Again it is up to those affected in the general area to chase their own councillors. The Castlelawn and Menlo traffic is to come out here is it??

Does Hildegaarde not live near that roundabout too...I know she represents the west part of the city.??

21-03-2012 09:51AM

The council want to have a four arm junction. To allow this they considered options on how to close one of the arms.

At the start of the meeting they outlined lots of other options and explained why they aren't suitable.

The proposed solution is to move the Menlo exit north up the Headford road to about here maps.google.ie

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Strong opposition to this arrangement at the meeting. Seems to be a view that Menlo was getting shafted to facilitate Liosban estate. Some of the claims being made by the engineers were hotly disputed. I suspect its back to the drawing board.

I'm not so sure - the other options were already considered.

The strong opposition was because the audience was almost entirely residents of Menlo, Castlelawn and Crestwood. They feared that it would be dangerous for them to have to turn right across the Headford road to get to the new junction.

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Again it is up to those affected in the general area to chase their own councillors. The Castlelawn and Menlo traffic is to come out here is it??
Does Hildegaarde not live near that roundabout too...I know she represents the west part of the city.??

No - this was decided against as the it would create another junction on a small stretch of the N6 (there would then be lights at the galway shopping centre, dun na coiribe/dunnes, circus field and new junction). It would also involve taking lots of private land.

Sponge Bob · 21-03-2012 10:16AM

We shall see. I'd say one arm of the Corrib Park Roundabout is for the chop too...once that goes to public display over the next few months. The lower part of the Old SQR will be sent 'via' the Hospital I reckon.

antoobrien · 21-03-2012 10:17AM

galwaycyclist wrote: »

There is a fly in the ointment for the officials because to get to the part eight process they have to get the elected city council to approve changes to the city development plan first.

That's hardly a problem - remember when bertie's burners were rejected 15-0? The govt councilors were told in no uncertain terms to change their vote. 6 months later it was passed 9-6.

21-03-2012 10:38AM

Sponge Bob wrote: »

We shall see. I'd say one arm of the Corrib Park Roundabout is for the chop too...once that goes to public display over the next few months. The lower part of the Old SQR will be sent 'via' the Hospital I reckon.

Yes - it was confirmed last night.

antoobrien · 21-03-2012 11:41AM

Are there any maps/drawings of the proposals (here and corrib park) available - can't see any on the city council website?

21-03-2012 12:11PM

Not that I am aware - the meeting last night was for a change to the city plan to rezone the land being used.

Once this is approved it will move onto planning and detailed maps will be made available.

Corrib park was only mentioned as being another five arm roundabout that will be reduced to a four arm crossroads - no other detail was given.

Separately - from what I could see there wasn't much argument over the benefit of roundabouts over signalised junctions - the debate was over the moving of the Menlo exit.

The Briarhill junction carries 30% more traffic at peak hours now it seems with shorter queues.

biko · 21-03-2012 12:53PM

antoobrien wrote: »

FFS don't start that you'll get the thread locked.

Thread moved to Infrastructure from Galway city.
Once work is about to commence on this specific roundabout a thread in Galway is welcome as it will inform the commuters of the work as it progresses.
At the moment this is something planned and may yet not happen and it also deals with traffic work generally all over the city.

Sponge Bob · 21-03-2012 02:41PM

You must have seen this Biko

http://www.galwaynews.ie/24893-public-shows-opposition-removal-city-roundabout

Up to 300 city residents have shown their opposition to the planned removal of the Kirwan roundabout at the Menlo Hotel.

It follows a public meeting in the Pillo Hotel last evening where a large group of local residents voted to reject the planned traffic light changeover.

The gathering was also attended by city officials Cairán Hayes and Joe Tansey who were asked to reconsider the proposal.

Of the seven councillors in attendance, five declared their opposition to the changeover.

City Fine Gael Cllr Frank Fahy says a solution is needed which considers the needs of the local residential area.

That's enough councillors to block a rezoning I think.

Irish and Proud · 22-03-2012 02:26PM

I think this thread should be moved over to roads and expanded to include all the improvements concerning Bothar Na dTreabh - this would probably lead to a change in the title.

A thread like this is needed!

22-03-2012 11:52PM

mad to think the locals objecting to this are the same ones who take their lives into their hands when trying to cross on foot

this will end up going ahead regardless. It's been stated plenty of times, all these RAB's are for the chop, just a matter of when and what form it will take, but they'll all be gone within 12-18 months

antoobrien · 23-03-2012 10:39AM

Deleted User wrote: »

mad to think the locals objecting to this are the same ones who take their lives into their hands when trying to cross on foot

That might tell you that the locals don't consider it as bad as the blowins who just drive past.:rolleyes:

In fairness the objection is to do with closing off access to the Menlo area north of the RAB because they've no reasonable alternative. the other access roads to Menlo are the Dyke rd (other side of the Headford Rd RAB/Bodkin & all the shopping centers) and some country lanes from Ballindooley cross.

I'd much rather see sandy Rd be made a cul de sac at the rear entrance to Dunnes, if all they're worried about is the traffic flow, then they should put their trust in the lights they're saying is going to solve all Galway's traffic ills (after saying 20 years ago that RABs will do it).

23-03-2012 10:55AM

Closing the Sandy road and keeping Menlo would put all the arms on the one side of the junction.

Article from galwaynews.ie

City Council backs down to ‘power of the people’
Plans to replace Galway’s roundabouts with a series of coordinated signalised junctions across the city received a fresh set-back this week when city officials bowed to public pressure by abandoning their proposals for the Kirwan Roundabout on the Headford Road.

I'm not sure what the alternative would be - putting lights at the Menlo/Headford road junction or moving the junction further up and joining it with the Tirellan exit?

antoobrien · 23-03-2012 12:41PM

Is that drawing available anywhere, the only place I've seen it is in the article?

emptybladder · 23-03-2012 12:43PM

OK, remember the last time Mr Ciaran Hayes, Director of Services for Roads admitted a balls-up with two roundabouts:

Traffic plan to miss Volvo race deadline by months

October 28, 2011 - 6:15am

Red-faced City Council officials admit new junctions will not be ready in time

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM
Red-faced City Council officials are facing their second major roads debacle in a fortnight, after it emerged their plan to remove city roundabouts is facing delays of up to seven months and will not be completed ahead of the Volvo Ocean Race next summer.
The Galway City Tribune can reveal that potential problems with two of the roundabouts have arisen because of the Council’s own City Development Plan, and they may not be replaced by junctions until November 2012.
It’s now likely that variations to the Development Plan will have to be drawn up and voted on by councillors because the junctions will encroach on open space and possibly even privately-owned land.
The issues have arisen because there are five exits off the Corrib Park and Menlo Park roundabouts, which have to be reduced to four-way junctions.
It means Galway is facing traffic chaos during the Volvo Ocean Race – which will attract more than 600,000 visitors to the city – and the Galway Races because the new €6m Urban Traffic Control system will not be fully in place.
Director of Transport and Infrastructure, Ciarán Hayes admitted this week that there would be an impact on traffic because of the delays, but insisted that motorists will be able to see the benefits from the removal of the first four (of six) roundabouts in the scheme.
The new high-tech ‘intelligent’ traffic light system was supposed to be in place by April, but is now highly unlikely to be finished before November next year.
The embarrassing realisation for the Council comes just a fortnight after it admitted the Seamus Quirke Road project will be delayed by at least six months, and it does not know what the final cost of that scheme will be.
Just eight weeks ago, the Council maintained the new traffic light system – which will be linked to a manned control centre in City Hall and includes CCTV at all junctions on the N6 route into the city – would be in place by Easter, and any teething problems would be ironed out well in advance of the Volvo Ocean Race finale.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/22370-traffic-plan-miss-volvo-race-deadline-months

Well..... look at what's gone and happened to him now:

City Council backs down to ‘power of the people’ ]

March 23, 2012 - 7:15am Proposals for key city roundabout abandoned after public meeting

BY CIARAN TIERNEY
Plans to replace Galway’s roundabouts with a series of coordinated signalised junctions across the city received a fresh set-back this week when city officials bowed to public pressure by abandoning their proposals for the Kirwan Roundabout on the Headford Road.
Local residents expressed vehement opposition to the plans to convert a five-exit roundabout into a four-lane junction at Menlo Park during a heated meeting which was attended by more than 200 people from the area.
City officials, who organised the public meeting at the Pillo Hotel on Tuesday night, took heed of ‘people power’ and agreed to revisit the plans. They caused huge controversy because they would not have allowed traffic from the Menlo and Tirellan direction direct access onto the main junction on the Headford Road.
The about-turn by officials looks set to further delay the implementation of the €6 million Urban Traffic Control System, monitored from a control room at City Hall, which was originally due to be up-and-running by next month.
The delay is set to turn the new control system into disarray, as five of the six roundabouts along the route will be converted into signalled junctions – preventing staff at the nerve centre in City Hall from improving traffic flow across the N6.
“The plans are now out-of-date and we are going to have to go back to the drawing board, having regard to the strong feelings which were expressed by local residents at the meeting,” admitted Director of Transport and Infrastructure Ciaran Hayes yesterday.

Seriously. I think it's hilarious now. I've given up being infuriated with that guy. He and his department are a comedy of errors.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/24935-city-council-backs-down-%E2%80%98power-people%E2%80%99

23-03-2012 12:57PM

It was shown at the meeting but I haven't found it anywhere else until it popped up on Galwaynews.

Edit: As this is now in infrastructure for those who aren't familiar with it the roundabout being replaced is here:
maps.google.ie

It is where the cross town N6 meets the N84 Headford/Ballinrobe road.

There are also roads leading to a commercial/retail area off the Sandy Road (Dunnes and the Liosbaun estate aswell as to council yards) and another leading to a residential area.

antoobrien · 23-03-2012 01:02PM

Deleted User wrote: »

It was shown at the meeting but I haven't found it anywhere else until it popped up on Galwaynews.

As this is now in infrastructure the roundabout being replaced is here:
maps.google.ie

Thanks, I know the existing layout, its the new one I'm looking for.

Oh well just have too wait for them to get the finger out.

23-03-2012 03:01PM

I don't see what your point is. One thing has nothing to do with the other

They held a public meeting to get feedback, they got the feedback and are going to alter the plans based on that same feedback

Seriously, no pleasing some people :rolleyes:

yer man! · 23-03-2012 05:26PM

I can't see how they could improve on the current plans much more. it has to be a four arm junction and they can't just get rid of the sandyroad exit......

snubbleste · 23-03-2012 09:35PM

600k visitors to visit Galway during the VOR :eek:

dubhthach · 24-03-2012 02:07PM

Mod

Merged threads and moved them to Roads as it's more relevant then parent Infrastructure forum

Public Meeting re. Kirwan Roundabout

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