Traffic Problems??

Lucy Locket

Due to this Tour of Ireland Cycle, and it coming through Waterford, has anyone gotten to see what the traffic is like coming into Waterford from Sallypark. I will be coming in there in about 2hrs and need to get home fairly fast today so wonding should I take the alternative route....grrrrrrrrrrr

RxQueen

its always busy form about half 5 to 6 im afraid

fricatus

AA Roadwatch say (at 16.05) that the whole place is closed and will reopen at 17.30. I imagine it will be chaotic.

If you have to be in Waterford on time, you could try diverting via Carrick or Piltown, depending on where you're coming from.

This is the AA Roadwatch post:

*WATERFORD-TOUR OF IRELAND* The final stages of the Tour of Ireland is on the N25 New Ross road and should reach Waterford city soon. All road closures are now in place, including the N9 Kilkenny road blocked inbound, the N25 New Ross road blocked inbound and the N25 Cork road blocked inbound. Rice Bridge has been emptied and traffic throughout the city is at a crawl. ** The North and South Quays are fully closed until after the race, 5.30pm approx. Traffic should divert at the Cork Road roundabout and the Waterford Regional Sports Centre on the R686.

ChapOfDRyans

Definatly take another route if possible the whole quay is closed all roads leading up to it are very very busy and It took me an hour and a half to get from toners on philip street to the taz office on bridge street

sunnyse

Does anyone know if the quay etc will be open straight away after the race, I have to drive to Dublin around 6.30 this evening and don't fancy being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half before I even leave town:eek:

luvlylady

The race finished about a half hour ago, don't know if the Quay has re-opened yet. I'll just have a look out the window....

luvlylady

...nope, the Quay is still closed. Ferrybank and that side of the bridge is open but the Quay itself is still closed. I'll post up when it re-opens.

Cabaal

going to be fun this evening

Lucy Locket

Me thinks I will be going home Fidown bridge direction tonight Grrrrrrrr.....

Thanks for the updates everyone .....any body got a helicopter I could borrow???

luvlylady

The Quay is open now.

sunnyse

It shouldn't take too long to clear the city side but I'd say the new ross side will be awful for ages:rolleyes:

Lucy Locket

I've been speaking to people trying to leave Waterford and they are having terrible trouble some people are stuck back as far as the yellow road trying to get to the bridge.

Not been speaking to anyone going into Waterford so don't know how smoothly the traffic is going on that side

KevIRL

Absolute madness allowing the city to be effectively shut down like that at rush hour on a week day.

Lucy Locket

KevIRL wrote: »

Absolute madness allowing the city to be effectively shut down like that at rush hour on a week day.

yeah the cycle should of been bypass the city and go over fidown bridge and out to the N25 from there...lol....

Pretty bad organisation though!!

KevIRL

Lucy Locket wrote: »

yeah the cycle should of been bypass the city and go over fidown bridge and out to the N25 from there...lol....

Pretty bad organisation though!!

It could easily be scheduled to come into the city prior to rush hour, even 3pm would be fine. Or alterantively on a weekend day.

fricatus

It's all probably organised from Dublin, the only place in the country with traffic problems, dontcha know!

They probably see Waterford as a little village and sure there's probably a bypass. I betcha rush hour didn't even cross their minds, but why didn't some of our crowd down here not raise objections? They know what traffic is like on a normal bad day and how Rice Bridge is the pivot point for the whole lot.

Closing Rice Bridge and the Quay at rush hour is like closing the M50 from Blanch to Tallaght, plus the N7, N4, N3 and N81 from Dublin city centre out.

Not saying we don't need events like this, but as someone said above, reopen the roads for 3.30 or have it on the weekend for goodness sake...

shoelaceface

i suspect its rock and roll loving aliens..... everyone stay at home!my orders!

The Dude 87

What an absolute joke!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: Not a bit impressed...........the whole town brought to a stand still for a stupid cycle race!!!! Over an hour to get home today when it normally takes 15 minutes!

Yes you can pressume right I have/had no interest in what so ever!:p

JohnC.

Took me over an hour to get home too. I didn't even know the roads were going to be closed until after they were closed. Not sure how I managed to miss that.

sunnyse

What's it like out there now, does anyone know?

kensutz

KevIRL wrote: »

It could easily be scheduled to come into the city prior to rush hour, even 3pm would be fine. Or alterantively on a weekend day.

If you did a little bit of homework, it was due in for 2:35 but head winds etc slowed down the cyclists. I did the whole thing today and on the go since 2:30am but it was well worth it.

Quigs Snr

Biased here because I am a cyclist. Sure the traffic was brutal, but seriously we should be glad that we get big events like this in the town. We are always complaining on this board about Waterford being a forgotten corner of the country etc... and when we do get an event people are complaining.

Its a inconvenience, but the city can only benefit from hosting this kind of event. I will concede however that we could have had a far narrower traffic stoppage window, when the RAS came through a couple of years ago there there rolling road closures and they worked pretty well, that wouldn't be sufficient for todays finish, but probably the roads could have closed maybe 45 mins later than they did.

robtri

fricatus wrote: »

It's all probably organised from Dublin, the only place in the country with traffic problems, dontcha know!

They probably see Waterford as a little village and sure there's probably a bypass. I betcha rush hour didn't even cross their minds, but why didn't some of our crowd down here not raise objections? They know what traffic is like on a normal bad day and how Rice Bridge is the pivot point for the whole lot.

Closing Rice Bridge and the Quay at rush hour is like closing the M50 from Blanch to Tallaght, plus the N7, N4, N3 and N81 from Dublin city centre out.

Not saying we don't need events like this, but as someone said above, reopen the roads for 3.30 or have it on the weekend for goodness sake...

Lay off the Dublin Crowd here..... bang out of order....
The race was due to arrive in Waterford at 2.30pm, but due to cycling conditions it didn't arrive till later.....
so whoever planned it.... did try to do exactly what you had in your quote, they wanted the roads back open by 3.30 to ensure traffic back to normal for rush hour.....

Cabaal

Quigs Snr wrote: »

Biased here because I am a cyclist. Sure the traffic was brutal, but seriously we should be glad that we get big events like this in the town. We are always complaining on this board about Waterford being a forgotten corner of the country etc... and when we do get an event people are complaining.

Its a inconvenience, but the city can only benefit from hosting this kind of event. I will concede however that we could have had a far narrower traffic stoppage window, when the RAS came through a couple of years ago there there rolling road closures and they worked pretty well, that wouldn't be sufficient for todays finish, but probably the roads could have closed maybe 45 mins later than they did.

Well said, to be honest I know its been suggested this should have been at the weekend but people would have bitched about it then too because it stopped them from shopping or the affects on saturday trade in the town.

You can't win and if the event went through Wexford, Conmel or Kilkenny but not Waterford then people would bitch more :rolleyes:

KevIRL

kensutz wrote: »

If you did a little bit of homework, it was due in for 2:35 but head winds etc slowed down the cyclists. I did the whole thing today and on the go since 2:30am but it was well worth it.

Fair enough, I didnt realise that that was the scheduled time, I was pretty pi$$ed off when I posted cause I hate being stuck in traffic and was just after getting out of it.

Fair play on finishing the stage yesterday. Are you doing the whole race? If so, then good luck with the rest of it Ken.

kensutz

I'm doing it on and off all week. It's crazy trying to get ahead of the race, stop to take photos and then dash off to get ahead of them in the photobus.

Mossy Monk

That will explain why it was so busy yesterday :mad:

JPA

It was a major event with some big names from the world of cycling involved (apparently) but I reckon very few knew about it.

KevIRL

kensutz wrote: »

I'm doing it on and off all week. It's crazy trying to get ahead of the race, stop to take photos and then dash off to get ahead of them in the photobus.

Ah, I thought you were competing in it! I take back my 'fair play' comment so :P

Hope you get some good snaps though.

fricatus

robtri wrote: »

Lay off the Dublin Crowd here..... bang out of order....
The race was due to arrive in Waterford at 2.30pm, but due to cycling conditions it didn't arrive till later.....
so whoever planned it.... did try to do exactly what you had in your quote, they wanted the roads back open by 3.30 to ensure traffic back to normal for rush hour.....

Sorry... I don't mean to have a go at the Dubs, I spent 7 happy years among yiz!

Still though, I don't think people outside Waterford realise just how much Rice Bridge is fundamental to traffic in the Waterford area. Within a 15 km radius, you have around 80,000 people south of the river and 30,000 to the north, and all the traffic between the two bits has to cross one bridge (until the new one opens next year). The alternative is to do a 30 km round trip via Fiddown. Closing Rice Bridge is a serious matter.