Claregalways newest roadworks

ScumLord

Whats the deal with all the work the Galway side of Claregalway?

Footpaths halfway out the country side, at all necessary?

Lighting everywhere but just falling short of the biggest junction.

Why did they waste so much money on fairly non essential works from what I can tell? When there's the hugely obvious traffic problems that urgently needs attention.

How do I officially lodge a kick up the arse with whoever's in charge of this running joke they call the N17.

Pete4779

I don't know why they are doing it, but I got two flat tyres today from the N17 towards Galway at teh roadworks where it directs southbound traffic onto the crumbling hard shoulder.

Left front and left rear tyres both flat with a km. I will be getting a lift out later to photograph and bill Galway CoCo, ****ing useless ****ers.

Either use a single lane on a paved road and use traffic lights or else close the road and get the works done quicker; being directed to drive onto rubble is not acceptable considering there was no detour option.

Oman

well theres a whole pile of pipes going down around my area, its pure annoying, any roads that arent closed have traffic lights that are are red for about 10mins

galwayrush

It's got to do with a new Bus Lane, not Lanes, but Lane:rolleyes: That should be interesting with the way some idiots drive on the N17.:eek:

ScumLord

galwayrush wrote: »

It's got to do with a new Bus Lane, not Lanes, but Lane:rolleyes: That should be interesting with the way some idiots drive on the N17.:eek:

A bus lane? How are they thinking that will work? Adding more lanes just means more traffic problems as those lanes try to merge in Claregalway or Tuam. They just have no clue what they're doing.

galwayrush

ScumLord wrote: »

A bus lane? How are they thinking that will work? Adding more lanes just means more traffic problems as those lanes try to merge in Claregalway or Tuam. They just have no clue what they're doing.

Clueless fits perfectly.Apparently the flow of traffic will alternate on the extra centre lane,It's also costing a lot of money but they can't find a cent for a proper by-pass. ( routing the proposed M17 to near Athenry is never going to help Claregalway)

DeadSkin

Bus lane? Where on the road is it planned to start and end?

Interceptor

DeadSkin wrote: »

Bus lane? Where on the road is it planned to start and end?

On the pavement by the looks of it...

DeadSkin

Ha lol, thought that today myself.

kippy

I've been having the same thoughts about the roadworks on the Galway side of Claregalway as well.
Initially I had thought they were putting in a bus lane however as time has progressed, I've seen the footpath and extra lighting. I cant see where they are going to put a bus lane now. While I agree with making the roadway safer with footpaths and lighting, I had assume the bus lane was the priority.
I think this may just be a very pointless (unsuccessful) attempt to keep residents happy.
There are a lot of (rightly) disgruntled residents and commuters wondering what kind of "approval" was given to the PD politician as part of the programme for government. No one has came out and said what the eventual plan for the Claregalway bypass is or how it is to be implemented.
As written in local press today there have been umpteen towns and villages across the country bypassed in the last few years which have had no where near the traffic issues of Claregalway.
Sadly it looks like nothing will be done until the Galway Dublin motor way and the Galway Limerick Motorway is complete.

ScumLord

kippy wrote: »

While I agree with making the roadway safer with footpaths and lighting, I had assume the bus lane was the priority.
I think this may just be a very pointless (unsuccessful) attempt to keep residents happy.

I wouldn't mind that either if it wasn't for the fact there's **** all houses for the footpath to service. Unless there planing to put another big heap of houses on the road so that traffic gets even worse.

Really they shouldn't have let them build those estates in claregalway without something being done about the roads. Even if they put the entrance to the estates on the headford side it would help.

Someone must be getting backhanders in the Galway CC, there's no way anyone is stupid enough to just let this happen.

tred

ScumLord wrote: »

I wouldn't mind that either if it wasn't for the fact there's **** all houses for the footpath to service. Unless there planing to put another big heap of houses on the road so that traffic gets even worse.

Really they shouldn't have let them build those estates in claregalway without something being done about the roads. Even if they put the entrance to the estates on the headford side it would help.

Someone must be getting backhanders in the Galway CC, there's no way anyone is stupid enough to just let this happen.

I believe a lot of the digging is to do with sewerage. Footpaths and lighting was requested by the people living off the N17 there, so they can walk to village as i recall. good few houses up around there, but i think u hit nail on th head. The back of Sli na bradain is all zoned residental for years and they might be making another entrance out onto N17, which wouldbe a complete joke.

ScumLord

Had to go into Galway the other day and I can see these roadworks are nearing a finish and I have to say they look good. I'll have to eat my words. It's been a while since I've even drove into Galway the traffic seriously puts me off driving there.

Two lanes going into Clairegalway from the Galway side should at the very least help those going straight through to Tuam. Looks like they'll have to rip up the islands to finish it off so more delays in the works but the new layout should really help.

JoeA3

ScumLord wrote: »

Had to go into Galway the other day and I can see these roadworks are nearing a finish and I have to say they look good. I'll have to eat my words. It's been a while since I've even drove into Galway the traffic seriously puts me off driving there.

Two lanes going into Clairegalway from the Galway side should at the very least help those going straight through to Tuam. Looks like they'll have to rip up the islands to finish it off so more delays in the works but the new layout should really help.

I'm not so sure... I think this new lane they've created is actually intended as a Bus lane! God knows why they think a bus lane is a priority, given that Bus Eireann only pass through the village a couple of times a day as far as I know! Even if the lanes are used by cars, I'm not so sure it'll help all that much, cos the cars will still have to merge into one lane as they enter Claregalway. I'm very skeptical.

Anyway, something proper is going to have to be done. The traffic just seems to get worse and worse, with the smallest event in the church/school triggering utter chaos, e.g. during the Lisbon voting last week, the whole village ground to a halt. And then you get utter plonkers taking the rat runs all around the village, speeding over country lanes, nearly running over pedestrians in the process. Recently, some wise guys in the council decided to errect mini-barriers on the hard-shoulder of the N18, as you approach the N17 junction, to prevent cars from driving up the hard shoulder to turn left... every single one of these barriers are bent/dented or half up-rooted already by impatient motorists! Looks really tatty.

It's completely ridiculous, I just don't understand why a bypass hasn't been sorted by now, a few miles from one of the biggest cities in the country.

RANT over!!

tracker-man

JoeA3 wrote: »

Recently, some wise guys in the council decided to errect mini-barriers on the hard-shoulder of the N18, as you approach the N17 junction, to prevent cars from driving up the hard shoulder to turn left... every single one of these barriers are bent/dented or half up-rooted already by impatient motorists! Looks really tatty.

I couldn't believe it when I saw those bloody barriers!! :mad: What exactly were they hoping to achieve by planting them along the inside of the road? It only caused more congestion in that already extremely busy area. At least with that lane there some of the traffic turning left could exit.
And the traffic lights between the church and the shop?? MORE stoppages. The traffic lights should be on the junction. That way at least some of the "flow" of traffic could be controlled. With the amount of people that pass between the Church side and shop side, each time pressing the traffic light button, really holds things up. I can't see the bypass in the near future, with the economy as it is and all. Maybe moving the traffic lights, removing those barriers and putting something like a pedestrian bridge over the road would help relieve some traffic buildups...

JoeA3

tracker-man wrote: »

I couldn't believe it when I saw those bloody barriers!! :mad: What exactly were they hoping to achieve by planting them along the inside of the road? It only caused more congestion in that already extremely busy area. At least with that lane there some of the traffic turning left could exit.
And the traffic lights between the church and the shop?? MORE stoppages. The traffic lights should be on the junction. That way at least some of the "flow" of traffic could be controlled. With the amount of people that pass between the Church side and shop side, each time pressing the traffic light button, really holds things up. I can't see the bypass in the near future, with the economy as it is and all. Maybe moving the traffic lights, removing those barriers and putting something like a pedestrian bridge over the road would help relieve some traffic buildups...

To be honest, although the barriers are completely stupid, some drivers were taking the absolute piss, ripping down the inside on the hard shoulder, basically not giving a toss who they might hit or whatever. Must say I enjoyed witnessing one particular twit tear half the side of his car off trying to squeeze past one of them. But yeah, clearly the barriers are not a help to anyone. And as you say, the pedestrian lights are badly setup too... but if the lights aren't there, idiots speed through the village.

I've lived in the area a few years now, and its just getting worse and worse... one side-effect of the downturn is that hundreds of new houses in newly built estates in the area remain unsold... I can only imagine the increased volumes in traffic if these houses ever become occupied!

tracker-man

i know what you mean, and that newly built industrial estate would add to the traffic big time if the units were being sold. What i proposed was not getting rid of the lights, but moving them to the junction itself and have them control the traffic from all sides.

ScumLord

JoeA3 wrote: »

I'm not so sure... I think this new lane they've created is actually intended as a Bus lane! God knows why they think a bus lane is a priority, given that Bus Eireann only pass through the village a couple of times a day as far as I know! Even if the lanes are used by cars, I'm not so sure it'll help all that much, cos the cars will still have to merge into one lane as they enter Claregalway. I'm very skeptical.

A bus lane would be utterly pointless every one's going to use the lane and like you say there isn't enough buses going through to justify it.

I reckon they'll rip up the island at the junction and put in some traffic lights. It would be an improvement but too little too late.

tracker-man

ScumLord wrote: »

A bus lane would be utterly pointless every one's going to use the lane and like you say there isn't enough buses going through to justify it.

I reckon they'll rip up the island at the junction and put in some traffic lights. It would be an improvement but too little too late.

I agree but now that you mention it i remember reading somewhere claregalway is supposed to be linked up with some 'bus corridor', maybe this is plans for it?

JoeA3

JoeA3 wrote: »

God knows why they think a bus lane is a priority, given that Bus Eireann only pass through the village a couple of times a day as far as I know!

Even if the lanes are used by cars, I'm not so sure it'll help all that much, cos the cars will still have to merge into one lane as they enter Claregalway.And then you get utter plonkers taking the rat runs all around the village, speeding over country lanes, nearly running over pedestrians in the process. Recently, some wise guys in the council decided to errect mini-barriers on the hard-shoulder of the N18, as you approach the N17 junction, to prevent cars from driving up the hard shoulder to turn left...

There are about 11 Bus Eireann buses from Galway from 16.00 to 19.00 that stop in Claregalway, and about 6 or 7 Burkes ones in the same period, and some other ones that go to Mountbellew and other places.

I understand that the traffic lights and islands will be ripped up, the footpaths pushed back and an extra lane put in the centre. Outside of the village this will be used as a buslane, in the village as a turning lane. the traffic lights and pedestrian crossing will be at the junction.

The bus lane merger will be pretty straight forward if they get a few seconds headstart at the lights or priority in a yellow box.

The point of mini-barriers on the hard-shoulder is that it is a hard shoulder, not a turning lane. People use it to walk on etc. Also people were using it to turn left then do a u-turn back towards c'galway. this was dangerous.
I am not sure if a new footpath will be put down allowing a proper turning lane to be put in.

Or none of the above could happen which wouldn't surprise me too much, if we elect the same people we get the same treatment.

ScumLord

ScumLord wrote: »

A bus lane would be utterly pointless every one's going to use the lane and like you say there isn't enough buses going through to justify it.

I reckon they'll rip up the island at the junction and put in some traffic lights. It would be an improvement but too little too late.

The point of a buslane isn't to have a line of buses from Castlegar to Claregalway, it is to allow buses to give a reliable service that sticks to a schedule, making it a viable alternative to sitting in a car if you have to be in work at a particular time.

The bus lane in Renmore isn't abused and a few evenings of Gardaí handing out fines should keep it clear.
Ideally we would go with the English model of putting traffic cameras on the buses.

JoeA3

Latest roadworks update...

They've ripped up the island at the T-junction today and I saw them marking out the path on the corner of the N18/N17, it looks like they are planning to narrow that path, making more room for a left-turning lane, which makes sense. I'd say they are planning to move the traffic lights to the junction.

To me though the 3 lanes across a relatively narrow stretch of road (now that there are footpaths on both sides!) is potentially very dangerous... each of the 3 lanes is just about the width of a car!

Anyway, it will be interesting to see the final result and if it makes any difference.

galwayrush

Why don't they just make a new Dual Carriageway from Loughgeorge to Galway and solve the entire problem properly. It's only about 7 miles FFS.

DeadSkin

Yeah, it's fairly tight alright with the 3 lanes, but there is a 50kph speed limit there[yet to see it being adhered too, even with the roadworks still ongoing].
How long do ya think, before the bus lane is abused by gobsh!tes?

There was an article in one of the regional papers at the weekend (Tuam Herald, Tribune) but I can't find it online.

They confirmed that they will be moving the lights to the N17/N18 junction and these will be relatively intelligent, similar to Carnmore cross.

They will also eventually be linked to lights going into Riveroaks / the hotel.

They also confirmed that there will be a bus lane on the Tuam side starting at Kiniska (SP? Ceann Uisce tri gaeilge), ie just on the Galway side of Loughgeorge.

ScumLord

galwayrush wrote: »

Why don't they just make a new Dual Carriageway from Loughgeorge to Galway and solve the entire problem properly. It's only about 7 miles FFS.

That's not the way these things work, you can't just go solving problems with sensible solutions that are future proof. You have to spend millions trying all the ways that won't work so that all your buddies in construction and of course yourself the lowly politician get more money than they ever should have. I think politicians also get some sort of kick out of watching peoples faces go red with anger.

Deleted User wrote:

They also confirmed that there will be a bus lane on the Tuam side starting at Kiniska (SP? Ceann Uisce tri gaeilge), ie just on the Galway side of Loughgeorge.

Is the bus lane going to Tuam, or going to Galway? Or both? Overall I don't really think buses are causing any major traffic problems (I suppose it can't hurt to give buses a direct line) they go as fast as they can and are waste no time, same goes for truck drivers, it's not really there fault the roads can't accommodate them.

What I'd like to see is the sunday drivers taken care of. One driver doing 60 -80klm on that road causes tailbacks for miles. The road needs a few overtaking lanes more than bus lanes IMO.