Overcrowded Cork South Ring Road?

BluntGuy

For more on those hideous developments, check out this website:

http://www.mahonpoint.ie/

They sound so proud of it. :mad:

Amtmann

Ha, listen to the greedy developer's honeyed words here: http://www.mahonpoint.ie/ (Click on the Jacob's Island tab)

(There won't be much room for the bunny rabbit habitats after they build their appaling apartments.)

BluntGuy

Furet wrote: »

Ha, listen to the greedy developer's honeyed words here: http://www.mahonpoint.ie/ (Click on the Jacob's Island tab)

(There won't be much room for the bunny rabbit habitats after they build their appaling apartments.)

I guess you found that website as well...

Utterly disgusting... I will be contacting both the NRA and Cork City Council on this disgrace of a plan. Surely they cannot give permission for something that will adversely affect traffic flow especially when public transport in Cork is the equivalent of trying to move a cliff-face armed with nothing more than a plastic carrier bag.

Amtmann

I still believe that a LUAS is what's needed for Cork. A single very long line taking in all the main points from the proposed station at Dunkettle to Mahon, Douglas, Wilton, UCC, City Centre, Kent. I guarantee it would be viable. You could put another line on the South Link if there was enough demand. Everyone sitting in a car is a potential customer. The South Ring shouldn't be for hellish commuting.

dmeehan

why dont they use the disused railway line as a luas line from mahon (there is even a bridge over to hartys quay/rochestown) into town via the docklands?

You can see the alignment in this google maps view: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=,+ireland&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=21.597575,55.458984&ie=UTF8&ll=51.889259,-8.411922&spn=0.014568,0.061798&t=h&z=15

bill_ashmount

Furet wrote: »

I still believe that a LUAS is what's needed for Cork. A single very long line taking in all the main points from the proposed station at Dunkettle to Mahon, Douglas, Wilton, UCC, City Centre, Kent. I guarantee it would be viable. You could put another line on the South Link if there was enough demand. Everyone sitting in a car is a potential customer. The South Ring shouldn't be for hellish commuting.

What kind of passenger numbers do these kind of operations need to be economically viable? How much would building costs be?

Obviously not looking for exact figures

Amtmann

bill_ashmount wrote: »

What kind of passenger numbers do these kind of operations need to be economically viable? How much would building costs be?

Obviously not looking for exact figures

Based on qualitative observation, the thousands of cars stuck in jams, and the overcrowded nature of city busses. Also on Douglas, Ballincollig commuters, and taking into account projected population growth. Of course it's viable. You wouldn't run it every 5 minutes though.

Carawaystick

Furet wrote: »

I still believe that a LUAS is what's needed for Cork. A single very long line taking in all the main points from the proposed station at Dunkettle to Mahon, Douglas, Wilton, UCC, City Centre, Kent. I guarantee it would be viable. You could put another line on the South Link if there was enough demand. Everyone sitting in a car is a potential customer. The South Ring shouldn't be for hellish commuting.

What Cork needs is a bus company to run a bus service,
The N11 QBC in Dublin has a higher capacity than the (mostly) off street Green line luas, as measured in passengers per hour.

Lennoxschips

And where the hell are the NRA? Are they just going to sit there and let this appalling, inexcusable development take place...

Have you seen the NRA board?

One of the papers did a thing about it last year, there's only one transport expert on the NRA board and the other 8 or 9 are developers and/or friends of FF.

Lennoxschips

For example, the chairman of the NRA board is a Mr. Peter Malone. He is the head of the Irish division of UK company CB Richard Ellis.

CB Richard Ellis is a multi-billion dollar worldwide real estate development company.

E92

Lennoxschips wrote: »

Have you seen the NRA board?

One of the papers did a thing about it last year, there's only one transport expert on the NRA board and the other 8 or 9 are developers and/or friends of FF.

I don't doubt what you're saying(for once!), but it does seem odd for a board of "property developers" that they went to so much trouble to get roads reclassified to Motorways(of course they should have been Motorways for a start but that's neither here nor there)?

Why would property developers want to forbid more Mahon Points for example?

Amtmann

Lennoxschips wrote: »

Have you seen the NRA board?

One of the papers did a thing about it last year, there's only one transport expert on the NRA board and the other 8 or 9 are developers and/or friends of FF.

That must be a bad joke. I believe it though. Can you remember where the article was published?

steps_3314

Furet wrote: »

Just came out of the tunnel a half an hour ago (it's a Sunday afternoon) and the traffic on the SRR was unbelievable. The ramps leading to and from Mahon Point (I despise that horrible place) were jammed as usual, with tailbacks spilling back several hundred meters.

Relative to its size, from the Sarsfield Roundabout to the Mahon ramp, the SRR must be almost as busy as the M50. It does its job quite well considering it's fairly old, cracked in places and has no shoulder around Douglas.

What upgrades would you make to this road?

Simple like America remove roundabouts and have slips exits where the roundabouts are. Do you ever see backed up traffice by the slips into Douglas compared to the backups near the Sarsfield and Bandon roundabouts. It's ridicolous.

Dob74

dmeehan wrote: »

why dont they use the disused railway line as a luas line from mahon (there is even a bridge over to hartys quay/rochestown) into town via the docklands?

You can see the alignment in this google maps view: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=,+ireland&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=21.597575,55.458984&ie=UTF8&ll=51.889259,-8.411922&spn=0.014568,0.061798&t=h&z=15

That rail line is a gem. Its amazing that cork had 6 rail lines 1900 and only 2 in 2000. I feel sorry for anyone living in the jacobs island apartments. Most be hell listening to the traffic go by all day.
Hopefully they will build the north ring road that may take a nice slice of traffic off the SRR.
Wish they would ban tractors during peak times. Every morning was delayed going through the tunnel last summer by one.

BluntGuy

Dob74 wrote: »

Wish they would ban tractors during peak times.

I wish they'd ban them full stop.

Lennoxschips

E92 wrote: »

I don't doubt what you're saying(for once!), but it does seem odd for a board of "property developers" that they went to so much trouble to get roads reclassified to Motorways(of course they should have been Motorways for a start but that's neither here nor there)?

These guys are hard core property developers. They're not interested in one-off developments with entrances leading onto the carriageway, motorway restrictions are of no interest them.

In fact, motorway restrictions ensure a faster road that will funnel people to their sprawling out of town housing estates in outlying villages as quickly as possible.

The article about the NRA was in the Sindo I believe. Earlier this year or late last year.

Lennoxschips

Dob74 wrote: »

Hopefully they will build the north ring road that may take a nice slice of traffic off the SRR.

or bring norries to mahon point...

parsi

steps_3314 wrote: »

Simple like America remove roundabouts and have slips exits where the roundabouts are. Do you ever see backed up traffice by the slips into Douglas

Yes. Regular backups on both slips into Douglas.

BluntGuy

I e-mailed the NRA two weeks ago about the whole proposed Mahon Point. Turns out they are opposed to the horrible planned developments:

Question:

It is my understanding that the NRA engaged in the motorway redesignation process for the primary purpose of protecting roads from inappropiate developement. As a matter of interest, did the NRA object to the Mahon Point fiasco that now blights the SRR? Also, are there any future plans for the SRR barring the eventual grade seperation of two of the roundabouts?

There are plans to grade separate the Cork Southern Ring Road interchanges, however, there are currently no further plans for works at this location. The Authority has objected to the current proposed development at Mahon Point.

itisyeah

I know we are in a recession, but going through these 2 roundabouts (Sarsfield & Bandon) 2 times a day for the last 4 years is starting to piss me off.

Anyone have any update on propsed fly-overs?

Chris_533976

No chance A certain Cork councillor has been fighting AGAINST them for some time, wanting money put into buses. And for some reason, these never seemed to be high up the priority list.

In any case, I'd guess it'll be about a decade before these are touched. They're not part of the four PPPs and I doubt anything else is going to go ahead for a long time. I'd love to be proven wrong though, because these should have been done a long time ago.

itisyeah

Chris_533976 wrote: »

No chance A certain Cork councillor has been fighting AGAINST them for some time, wanting money put into buses. And for some reason, these never seemed to be high up the priority list.

In any case, I'd guess it'll be about a decade before these are touched. They're not part of the four PPPs and I doubt anything else is going to go ahead for a long time. I'd love to be proven wrong though, because these should have been done a long time ago.

I'll hazard a guess that unlike me, this Cork concillor doesn't have to travel to work from Midelton to Ovens and back every day along the excuse of a road called the South Ring. :mad:

Dan Boyle I presume?

What are the four PPPs anyway?

corktina

well theere has been some progress and the land required has been taken and cleared by the look of it...meantime, if you are in the know, there is a way around them at rush hour which saves queuing fro ages...:cool:

Midleton to ovens? take the airport road...up to the traffic lights ..turn right, down the hill to T junc, turn left...up hill...turn right at Cemetary sign...down narrow road, brings you out just above viaduct...down to roundabout turn left back on to SRR a bit narrow but quicker...

itisyeah

corktina wrote: »

well theere has been some progress and the land required has been taken and cleared by the look of it...meantime, if you are in the know, there is a way around them at rush hour which saves queuing fro ages...:cool:

Midleton to ovens? take the airport road...up to the traffic lights ..turn right, down the hill to T junc, turn left...up hill...turn right at Cemetary sign...down narrow road, brings you out just above viaduct...down to roundabout turn left back on to SRR a bit narrow but quicker...

Thanks for the tip, usually its notthat bad in the morning coming from Midelton direction at the Sarsfield road roundabout as they sometimes have a guard on duty ensuring cars in the middle lane do not turn right. Having said that, it sometimes gets backed up as far as the Kinsale roundabout alright.
The main pain point for me is between the Sarsfield road roundabout and the Bandon roundabout. It can take 20-25 minutes just to get from 1 roundabout to the next. So frustrating. Who the hell designed the South ring road?!?!

Who could you contact to find out more about this, the council, the NRA?
This appears to be out of data
http://www.corkrdo.ie/files/N25%20SOUTH%20RING%20ROAD.pdf

corktina

itisyeah wrote: »

Thanks for the tip, usually its notthat bad in the morning coming from Midelton direction at the Sarsfield road roundabout as they sometimes have a guard on duty ensuring cars in the middle lane do not turn right. Having said that, it sometimes gets backed up as far as the Kinsale roundabout alright.
The main pain point for me is between the Sarsfield road roundabout and the Bandon roundabout. It can take 20-25 minutes just to get from 1 roundabout to the next. So frustrating. Who the hell designed the South ring road?!?!

Who could you contact to find out more about this, the council, the NRA?
This appears to be out of data
http://www.corkrdo.ie/files/N25%20SOUTH%20RING%20ROAD.pdf

Oh well if you can get to the sarsfield donut Ok...simply turn left....turn right at top of road and then follow cemetary sign as before...piece of pi, um i mena cake....

itisyeah

corktina wrote: »

Oh well if you can get to the sarsfield donut Ok...simply turn left....turn right at top of road and then follow cemetary sign as before...piece of pi, um i mena cake....

nice one, ill give that a try.

Zoney

I'm only occasionally down in Cork and these r/bouts are ridiculous. I mean you thought the original M50 junctions were under-spec? Try *at-grade* signalised roundabout junctions!

corktina

an Irish speciality, sticking traffic lights on a roundabout...IF Cork motorists were able to drive properley and didnt set out with an "im all right Jack, sod the rest of you" attitude, then the roundabouts on their own would be the fairly efficent....It's because of the aforesaid that lights became necessary and they are the cause of the hold ups.

Chris_533976

Zoney wrote: »

I'm only occasionally down in Cork and these r/bouts are ridiculous. I mean you thought the original M50 junctions were under-spec? Try *at-grade* signalised roundabout junctions!

Originally Sarsfield and Bandon Rd werent even signallised!

Although since I've moved to Galway, having nine roundabouts on the ring road is worse!

itisyeah

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Originally Sarsfield and Bandon Rd werent even signallised!

Although since I've moved to Galway, having nine roundabouts on the ring road is worse!

9!
Thats just madness.
What is it about Irish people and planning.