Traffic Lights at Holy Cross School, Tramore

scout353

Does anyone know the story with the Traffic Lights at the junction by Holy Cross. They seem to be constantly out of order and with all the traffic around there in the mornings and at lunchtime, it is an accident waiting to happen!

Some of the driving I have witnessed has been nothing short of disgraceful!

They seem to be fixed for about a day and then go again!

Minto

I'm not sure if it's repeated vandalism or that they're just faulty, but I agree there is going to be an accident there sooner or later. The sad truth is that it'll probably take a kid being injured (or worse) before anything is done about it.
I can't say I've seen a whole lot of bad driving at the junction, but I'm sure it does happen there.

ex_infantry man

in fairness it was a stupid place to put traffic lights you would wanna be either blind or stupid not to see a car coming on that long straight

Minto

Actually, it's more to do with the school located there. Kids need to cross over the road to the estates across from there. Without the lights, cars would be speeding along the road and there would be a fatality, no question.

scout353

Minto wrote: »

Actually, it's more to do with the school located there. Kids need to cross over the road to the estates across from there. Without the lights, cars would be speeding along the road and there would be a fatality, no question.

Absoultely right - I thought for a while that the lights were off when school wasn't on but I have passed so many different times and the lights are off so I don't know what's going on!

Some of the way parents just pull in without signalling or I have also seen one parent stop the car about 50 yards from the lights, get out and usher her kids across the road through traffic - what kind of example is that!!!

Sully

The junction is a bit awkward as it is without school kids. To pull up from the holy cross you have to edge out on a busy main road to see if a car is coming from the right. Doing so to much can cause an accident. Regardless of this you have a lot of housing estates so they use the area crossing roads to go to other estates etc. a lot. Including going to the shop or chemist. So you need to allow kids to crossly safe the road. So, thats just two important reasons as to why the traffic lights are actually needed.

Then you have the school which sees a massive increase in traffic a few times a day. You have cars parked all over the place and a lot of traffic on top of an existing busy road. You have a lot more people crossing the road and a lot less visibility from both the right and left to see if there is oncoming traffic (when in a car, or even walking).

Whatever the cause for the lights to keep breaking it happens far to much and is very dangerous when there disabled. Must be costing a fortune in mainteance. Its about time the council looked into better solution to the problem. You wouldnt buy a TV from a shop and accept it will regularly stop working and having to wait long periods for it be fixed. The same attitude should be applied to this instead of winging in local press about failed planning applications for estates, hotels etc. from a group who clearly know what they are talking about.

ex_infantry man

you could use the argument about the school and houses around for other parts of tramore not just at the holy cross and as i said its just one long stretch and you would wanna be either blind or stupid not to see a car coming from either direction

Sully

ex_infantry man wrote: »

you could use the argument about the school and houses around for other parts of tramore not just at the holy cross and as i said its just one long stretch and you would wanna be either blind or stupid not to see a car coming from either direction

Not really.. its a busier stretch of road and cars can go a lot faster compared to other areas which have speed ramps to slow down any fast traffic anyway. I dont agree that cars approaching from the school to the main road would easily see a car coming from the left without edging out to get a good view.

scout353

Lights were working yesterrday afternoon but out again today! Strange!!!

scout353

Saw a guy working on them yesterday and they seem to be working this morning - at least when I passed at school time!!!

Hopefully they are sorted now!!!

Sully

They have been working on it over the last few days but never got it fully working!

Stan Nangle

Sully wrote: »

Not really.. its a busier stretch of road and cars can go a lot faster compared to other areas which have speed ramps to slow down any fast traffic anyway. I dont agree that cars approaching from the school to the main road would easily see a car coming from the left without edging out to get a good view.

Hi Sully,

Those lights are a joke. I don't know how many times I've been driving on the ring road with no other traffic or pedestrians around and then the lights go red.

Whatever about having pedestrian lights that activate when someone wants to cross the road, there is no need for lights for traffic coming out of Elm Park most of the time.

I would also disagree with you regarding the speed limit. That road only has a 50km/h limit, whereas a Ring Road like that should have a 60km/h limit. There are no hazards on that road that justify a 50k limit (according to Department of Transport guidance).

The 2004 Road Traffic Act provides for a 30km/h limit. This can be a temporary limit, and is often used as such outside schools (Mooncoin springs to mind) . I have suggested to the Council on a number of occasions that a 30km/h limit be utilised outside Holy Cross School at busy times, but so far they aren't listening.

Regards,

Stan:

Sully

Stan Nangle wrote: »

Hi Sully,

Those lights are a joke. I don't know how many times I've been driving on the ring road with no other traffic or pedestrians around and then the lights go red.

Whatever about having pedestrian lights that activate when someone wants to cross the road, there is no need for lights for traffic coming out of Elm Park most of the time.

Approaching from Elm Park is always red but you shouldnt have to wait until it goes Green due to the censor spotting your approach. From the other directions it should remain green until a car approaches from Elm Park which I have found usually to be correct. Though the way the lights are working at the moment it probably is a mess as you describe!

I still think the lights are needed, if they work correctly. Its a risky junction from Elm Park and obviously during school hour its very useful.

I would also disagree with you regarding the speed limit. That road only has a 50km/h limit, whereas a Ring Road like that should have a 60km/h limit. There are no hazards on that road that justify a 50k limit (according to Department of Transport guidance).

The 2004 Road Traffic Act provides for a 30km/h limit. This can be a temporary limit, and is often used as such outside schools (Mooncoin springs to mind) . I have suggested to the Council on a number of occasions that a 30km/h limit be utilised outside Holy Cross School at busy times, but so far they aren't listening.

Regards,

Stan:

Well I see your point but the reason they gave for that limit was due to the housing estates in addition to the school. When you compare to the ORR in Waterford its entirely differently laid out and should be higher speed limit. I do look at the local load and think its a bit low but at the same time I see their point somewhat. Not agree?

Welcome to Boards btw

Stan Nangle

Sully wrote: »

Approaching from Elm Park is always red but you shouldnt have to wait until it goes Green due to the censor spotting your approach. From the other directions it should remain green until a car approaches from Elm Park which I have found usually to be correct. Though the way the lights are working at the moment it probably is a mess as you describe!

I still think the lights are needed, if they work correctly. Its a risky junction from Elm Park and obviously during school hour its very useful.

It isn't a risky junction 95% of the time. The sight lines in both directions are excellent and the main road has a very low speed limit.

Someone coming from Elm Park has to stop even if there is nothing coming, and someone coming from the Golf Club has to stop even if the car coming out of Elm Park is turning left towards the Golf Club.

Totally daft! :rolleyes:

Well I see your point but the reason they gave for that limit was due to the housing estates in addition to the school. When you compare to the ORR in Waterford its entirely differently laid out and should be higher speed limit. I do look at the local load and think its a bit low but at the same time I see their point somewhat. Not agree?

All the housing estates are set back from the road, and no houses have direct access to the road. This type of road should typically have a 60km/h limit. The 50km/h limit is for urban roads and streets where houses etc abut directly onto the road and sightlines are limited.

If they are worried about the danger at school time, why haven't they implemented a 30k temporary limit at school time?

Welcome to Boards btw

Good to be here.

Sully

Stan Nangle wrote: »

It isn't a risky junction 95% of the time. The sight lines in both directions are excellent and the main road has a very low speed limit.

Someone coming from Elm Park has to stop even if there is nothing coming, and someone coming from the Golf Club has to stop even if the car coming out of Elm Park is turning left towards the Golf Club.

Totally daft! :rolleyes:

Okay but drive up from Elm Park. Look to your left and you pretty much see traffic well. Look to your right and your blocked by a wall and then a few trees. You have to edge out. While the speed limit is low, not many go at that speed. With the traffic lights off cars are finding it more awkward to get out of Elm Park as cars on the ring road are slow to stop for them and let them out. Thats what I noticed anyway.

All the housing estates are set back from the road, and no houses have direct access to the road. This type of road should typically have a 60km/h limit. The 50km/h limit is for urban roads and streets where houses etc abut directly onto the road and sightlines are limited.

If they are worried about the danger at school time, why haven't they implemented a 30k temporary limit at school time?

Ah yes, I see what your saying. What was the councils response to this? Was it part of the proposal a while back to alter speeds around Tramore? (We posted the info here but people found it hard to make out!)

James Mccartan

The lights on the ring road have been giving trouble for the last four years I have many times raised this at Tramore town council meetings and have been given a number of reasons. Last one about a year ago was a bad batch of bulbs and better ones would be used, but this has made no difference.
The most recent explanation is repeated vandalism, but I do not believe it .This is the last throw of the dice ,to try and blame the young people of Tramore.
Why now when the problem has been there for the last four years or more.
bad workmanship.
Will bring up again tommorrow night at council meeting.

Sully

There flashing amber the last two days. Before that the push button for pedestrians remained fully right and before that the electrical unit for the lights had its red light flashing away. Is there an end to the problems in sight? :P

James Mccartan

Engineer on his way to check lights.
Suspected power surge this time,due to recent storm.
Will post results when i get them.

Stan Nangle

It would be great if they left it flashing amber. That gets rid of all the problems.

Sully

Stan Nangle wrote: »

It would be great if they left it flashing amber. That gets rid of all the problems.

Afraid not All fixed now as are the ones at Tesco which were damaged in the storm!

Sully

New control box fitted and is hoped to address the issue with the lights.

Sully

Broken the last two days. It may be possible that kids are damaging it, as there has been large groups hanging around the power and control unit.

Since James isnt elected and neither is Stan, who will listen and fix the problems?!

Stan Nangle

Sully wrote: »

Broken the last two days. It may be possible that kids are damaging it, as there has been large groups hanging around the power and control unit.

Since James isnt elected and neither is Stan, who will listen and fix the problems?!

1) The Elections are over

2) This is Tramore

There is no money to fix them!

Now, if it was Dungarvan ...........

Sully

I think the ones at Spar are still broken for the last few weeks. There half on, kinda. But they break frequently enough.

Stan Nangle

I see work has stopped on the footpath down to Newtown Glen as well.

:eek:

Gulamugas

Broken the last two days. It may be possible that kids are damaging it, as there has been large groups hanging around the power and control unit.

I have never accepted that theory that the kids were the xcause of the damage, this was a convenient makde up story that suited both the council and the ESB cause the council didnt have the money and the ESB hadnt a clue what was wrong and it was not a prioirity for them

I see work has stopped on the footpath down to Newtown Glen as well.

That is the biggest disgrace of all times and an examople of the uselessness of the council. If that was a private contractor the job would have been done in 3-5 days! and at a fraction of the final cost. Look at the balls up they are making of the ladies slip. The job has been there to be done for the last 2 years and when do they start - at the start of the summer season, and dont give me the weather argument.

Council should be rationalised and all work subcontracted, we would get better standard of work and better value for money, and you wont find any councillor stand up and say that!

Sully

Gulamugas wrote: »

I have never accepted that theory that the kids were the xcause of the damage, this was a convenient makde up story that suited both the council and the ESB cause the council didnt have the money and the ESB hadnt a clue what was wrong and it was not a prioirity for them

Possibly but it seemed rather odd that a large group were sitting on the two units and the lights coincidentally stopped working? :P

Gulamugas

I spoke to a guy up the country who is in that business and he says that that is a load of oul toss that the esb are putting out as an excuse cause they just cant get the thing right. He says its the same all over the country, when they cant solve it they blame something like group of kids. Those units are built to take a car crashing into them, so a few kids sitting on top of them is'nt going to interfere with the workings and anyway if they know that its the kids that are causing the problem then they must know what the problem is so wouldnt it be a matter of a technician pulling up and throwing whatever switch is necessary?