Cause of traffic chaos

RobAMerc

I have spent the last few days in and about Dublin city and have began to notice the real reason
why the traffic is so bad about this city. Bad driving is probably the biggest factor.
Would you believe that I saw at least 3 cases in one hour where a person caused a huge tail back for no reason other
than to gain - maybe 5 inches in road space ?
I saw one person enter a roundabout that was not clear blocking traffic from another direction
crossing the roundabout causing total chaos for all cars from both directions.
I also saw a woman edge across the road to join a queue of traffic turning next right and totally block all traffic coming from her right therefore stopping the queue she was joining
from being able to get room to move - gridlock - caused by one stupid b*tch and the best part is a cop on a bike came along and squeezed past her without saying a word!

People here really have no clue - if we insist on using traffic lights on every junction then we must enforce
obeying of them and the yellow box rule at junctions and roundabouts or lets just dump the lights
at all slow moving junctions and let the free flow run its course ( a much better idea in my opinion )

And could people for gods sake think before they enter a roundabout or inch forward into an junction
if your going to impede others DONT F*KIN DO IT !

Rant over -thanks for your time

Mick L

The yellow paint they use for painting the 'boxes' should be corrosive to rubber, if you stay on it too long your tyres get eaten away.


Ok, maybe not practical but unless the gardai actually enforce the rules what's to stop people breaking them. It's not like it's difficult to catch them. Park a bike at the junction of the longmile road/Naas road any evening and you can witness the combination of impatience+stupidity in action.

craichoe

Its absolute pure bloody impatience and a me fein attitude.

Look at what their doing in Germany and its already been proven to work in Drachten in the Netherlands
http://carzine.blogspot.com/2007/09/german-town-scraps-road-signs-to.html

Quote from page:
"The many rules strip us of the most important thing: the ability to be considerate. We're losing our capacity for socially responsible behavior," says Monderman. "The greater the number of prescriptions, the more people's sense of personal responsibility dwindles."

Being socially responsible is the main thing here, if theres rules there that impede the flow of traffic people break them.

Tails142

The lights were out at a junction I regularly get held up at on the way home from work yesterday. On the way to trinity halls from rathmines, near L.A. fitness.

Instead of being stuck at the lights for 5 mintues as a half dozen cars get through on each cycle I was able to just sail through; and traffic wasnt backed up in any direction either, it was completly free flowing. Now I did get stuck in traffic at the next lights further down the road near dodder park; but it just makes you wonder sometimes - all that time wasted at junctions stopping cars, starting cars, keeping all lanes stopped at red waiting for junctions to clear etc. I wonder if traffic would be far better without lights at certain junctions.

dade

Tails142 wrote: »

Instead of being stuck at the lights for 5 mintues as a half dozen cars get through on each cycle I was able to just sail through; and traffic wasnt backed up in any direction either, it was completly free flowing.

kinda like operation free flow, the traffic works pretty well 11 moths of the year then some copper comes along and messes it all up. just look at places like the Malahide road junction at Fairview

galactus

Tails142 wrote: »

I wonder if traffic would be far better without lights at certain junctions.

That's what I have observed and this chap agrees.

I am all in favour of switching off unnecessary lights and this is well worth a try. We have "cycle to work/use public transport" days so the Dept. of Transport could give it a go.

ednwireland

i always find there's a garda at the front of any traffic jam therefore it must be their fault:rolleyes:

pete4130

There is a computerised traffic signal management system in operation in Dublin by the council (think its called SCAT {no puns please!} ).
As far as I'm aware it can work out where traffic problems are arisig and can slightly alter the traffic signals to try to compensate and get traffic flowing again. It generally does the best job it can with the colume of traffic on the streets but it DOES go haywire when a cop stops at a junction and starts directing traffic as the flow of traffic is not going with the signal alterations it has put in place....that is seemingly a good explaination why there is usually some gridlock where a Garda is directing traffic?

Yeah, add in inconsiderate and selfish driving to that combination too.

wet-paint

Every Race Week they turn off the traffic lights at the courthouse i nGalway as it's well acknowledged that traffic moves better with them off.

chris85

We actually have one of the best traffic light systems in Europe that can monitor everything but there are some major problems on smaller roads which are causing massive amounts of traffic

For instance the road from Saggart village joining the N81, 20 mins sitting to get through a couple of hundred metres. Also citywest is terrible. Citywest is becoming very built up with businesses and a huge amount of residential setup there.

So my view is that there is very poor planning of roads to cope with future volumes of traffic. New estates and apartements are being built and the roads not being altered to reflect this.

stovelid

I approach the same roundabout every day and queue for the first exit like most people. Loads of people approach the roundabout in the right-hand lane, pretending to take one of the other exits, so they can skip the queue.

Also, I think many people actually believe it's OK to "get stuck" in the yellow box, so they can beat the light. :mad:

chris85 wrote: »

For instance the road from Saggart village joining the N81, 20 mins sitting to get through a couple of hundred metres. Also citywest is terrible. Citywest is becoming very built up with businesses and a huge amount of residential setup there.
s.

They're putting in another set of traffic lights just before Jobstown, so the traffic will be even slower...

The drivers parked outside Saggart school don't help matters either.

prendy

as with alot of things the system in most cases works well its the people using the system that mess it up.

ballooba

People taking off at a snail's pace at lights do not help. In other countries I visit you just don't see this. Even in Kenya they have amber before green. Why can't we?

Altreab

wet-paint wrote: »

Every Race Week they turn off the traffic lights at the courthouse i nGalway as it's well acknowledged that traffic moves better with them off.

I totally agree here ....that and when the lights are faulty and are turned off ...then there is never any delays there.

G Luxel

when a small accident occurs, ie maybe a ding from bumper to bumper, the drivers concerned usually pull in or else just park at the spot, and wait for a garda to arrive but usually as you are passing sometimes there is no visible sight of 'damage' or 'a tip'. Onlookers is the buzz word from AA roadwatch when trying to find someone or something to blame for bumper to bumper traffic. I also notice how they refer to a major accident which to me , is a pc way of saying 'people are seriously injured/dead'.

ballooba

G Luxel wrote: »

Onlookers is the buzz word from AA roadwatch when trying to find someone or something to blame for bumper to bumper traffic.

Onlookers equals rubber neckers. Slow down to gawk at an accident casuing more problems than the accident itself.

G Luxel wrote: »

I also notice how they refer to a major accident which to me , is a pc way of saying 'people are seriously injured/dead'.

Yes, where disruption is justified for preservation of accident scene for investigation and also to allow access for emergency crews and investigators.

daedalus2097

chris85 wrote: »

We actually have one of the best traffic light systems in Europe that can monitor everything but there are some major problems on smaller roads which are causing massive amounts of traffic

Hmmm... That may be true on a small proportion of junctions, but most of the junctions I come to are fixed timing and are badly planned. Johnstown Road is ok for traffic at the moment but it gets bad from time to time at the two junctions that have fixed timings, and it'll only get worse with two new apartment complexes opening soon along a short stretch...

Another thing we sorely need to borrow from most other countries is junctions that turn off and just flash amber at off-peak times. No waiting around for 5 or 6 minutes while no cars go by during the night...

galactus

daedalus2097 wrote: »

(snip) ...turn off and just flash amber at off-peak times...

I'm sure people posting here know this but its "Proceed with caution" (see the Rules of the Road) NOT that they are broken!

And don't get me started on people in the yellow box. Bring back Micheál Angelo!

wil

galactus wrote: »

I'm sure people posting here know this but its "Proceed with caution" (see the Rules of the Road) NOT that they are broken!

And don't get me started on people in the yellow box. Bring back Micheál Angelo!

I think most Irish drivers think they mean "Proceed with speed"

If youve ever seen the film "Cube", thats the sort of technology I'd like to see in yellow boxes. (eg enter at the wrong time and the yellow lines turn in to cheesewire shredders)

Ah "Micheál Angelo", can I beat you to the retro forum with that.
Speaking of, they did a lot of the how to drive stuff better years ago, I think people could do with regular reminders on how to drive, seem to think we are above all that now. I cant remeber seeing any Safe Cross Code on recently, kids back in school and getting dark- this should be a perennial. Bring back Judge.

chris85 wrote:

We actually have one of the best traffic light systems in Europe that can monitor everything but there are some major problems on smaller roads which are causing massive amounts of traffic

WHERE? Like to point it out, SCATTER is that what it was called. Clueless is what came to mind.
Note to self must start a scrapbook of all the lights that should be scrapped in Dublin - way too many, way too many that make no sense.

As for minor knocks that block traffic for hours while they wait for the gardai to check their paint scratch - get a grip, the gardai dont care a hoot if no one is hurt. Get your details, get your witnesses details, get a few pics, shake hands, then get out of there - 10 mins max.
Should be points if you delay longer.

As for the gardai, some are brilliant, but what about the dozy ones who see nothing in front of them, is garda rage acceptable under any circumstances.

I heard of a system in Germany which keeps the main routes lights at green for longer periods if people keep to the speed limit, go above and red, red, red. Wouldnt like to be the speeder who stopped the lights for everyone:eek:
/pause rant

Guy:Incognito

Tails142 wrote: »

The lights were out at a junction I regularly get held up at on the way home from work yesterday. On the way to trinity halls from rathmines, near L.A. fitness.

Instead of being stuck at the lights for 5 mintues as a half dozen cars get through on each cycle I was able to just sail through; and traffic wasnt backed up in any direction either, it was completly free flowing. Now I did get stuck in traffic at the next lights further down the road near dodder park; but it just makes you wonder sometimes - all that time wasted at junctions stopping cars, starting cars, keeping all lanes stopped at red waiting for junctions to clear etc. I wonder if traffic would be far better without lights at certain junctions.

It might be an all or nothign thing tbh, but the all wouldnt work. Allowing traffic to sail through junctions would be great in parts. but would cause build up elsewhere due to the volume coming through so quick. Plus at certain junctions (smaller roads onto bigger ones) the cars coming from the smaller road would be totally dependant on good will of people on the bigger one to let them out. In otherwords thered be huge tailbacks on the smaller road.

zilog_jones

I think getting rid of traffic lights and signs and junk would be a great idea. The only times I've ever been able to get through town remotely quickly were when the lights were out (happened a couple of times in Limerick this year). It was truly amazing. But what's really happening? They're just adding more feckin lights everywhere!

The lights have been out at the main entrance to UL for a good while recently (seem to be working again today), and there was no trouble at all.

Alun

wil wrote: »

I heard of a system in Germany which keeps the main routes lights at green for longer periods if people keep to the speed limit, go above and red, red, red.

You're probably thinking of the Gruene Welle, or green wave. It's not that the lights stay green for longer, it's just that on a long section of road with multiple lights, they're synchronised in such a way that if you stick to the speed limit as you go through one green light, you'll hit green all the way along. Go too fast, and you'll constantly have to stop and then start again. They have them in Holland too.