Galway ranked most congested city in Ireland (by TomTom survey)

Sherifu

Galway has been named the most congested city in Ireland, following the publication of a survey by navigation solutions provider TomTom that found that over 37.1 per cent of roads in Galway are frequently gridlocked.

Dublin and Limerick come a close second and third, with 28.6 per cent and 28.3 per cent of roads clogged with traffic, while Cork, Waterford and Drogheda came in fourth, fifth and sixth in the top ten of traffic hotspots around the country.

Rankings are based on how fast cars can travel on a city’s road network – as measured by the anonymous speed data TomTom collects from drivers who use its devices. Wherever drivers were travelling at 70 per cent or less of the speed limit, traffic was defined as congested.

The survey found that Ennis is the least congested large town in Ireland, with just 0.02 per cent of roads considered congested.

Link

I have to wonder how many samples they took for the survey amongst other things but I know traffic in Galway has been getting worse and worse.

More smart traffic lights, magic roundabouts & bus lanes for all!

Take a bow city hall.

diarmuid05

Sounds about right to me....

pleasant Co.

I am shocked!

Drat, sarcasm/internet = fail

?Cee?view

"The survey found that Ennis is the least congested large town in Ireland, with just 0.02 per cent of roads considered congested."

Funny that. Isn't Ennis bypassed? Did any rocks or little bog cotton flowers suffer for this bypass?

Stench Blossoms

It's because nobody know's how to use the roundabouts.

?Cee?view

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

It's because nobody know's how to use the roundabouts.

:D:D:D:D

liabhroidi

It must be true cos it is here that Brian Cowen had his infamous nasal "congestion."

KevR

I'd like to know when these stats were gathered and how long they spent gathering them.

The capacity of the M50 has recently been doubled, the Shannon Tunnel has recently opened in Limerick and Waterford was bypassed just a little over a year ago. If TomTom gathered those stats over a period of a year or more then the stats for Dublin, Limerick and Waterford are already out of date (i.e. - they should have a slightly lower percentage of congested roads).
My guess is that only the figures for Galway and Cork are up to date (i.e. - as bad, if not worse than the figures quoted in the article).

Mrs OBumble

I'd also like to know how many Tom Tom devices make trips thru each city each day, on average.

Sample sizes and all.

The main problem we have is the traffic lights.

The traffic lights in lots of areas go against the strong flows before and after work

Lights at the the junction at the end of Debenhams and then the courts(add in the pedestrian lights just before the courts as well) and then further up towards the hospital.
These lights should be green basically from 5pm till after 6, if you want to come down Debenhams hill and use that road you should have to wait for at least 15mins or go around and join the flow.

Coming over Terryland bridge, then at Aldi and again at Rahoon. Same thing here make these lights stay Green and get Traffic moving quicker instead of it backing up because 4/5 cars are coming against the flow of traffic.

We're not going to get a bypass any time soon but better managment of the lights could go a long way to moving traffic along better. If your going against traffic you either go a bit further round to join the flow or wait a considerable amount of time on the lights.

snubbleste

gilberto_eire wrote: »

The main problem we have is the traffic lights.

The traffic lights in lots of areas go against the strong flows before and after work

Lights at the the junction at the end of Debenhams and then the courts(add in the pedestrian lights just before the courts as well) and then further up towards the hospital.
These lights should be green basically from 5pm till after 6, if you want to come down Debenhams hill and use that road you should have to wait for at least 15mins or go around and join the flow.

Coming over Terryland bridge, then at Aldi and again at Rahoon. Same thing here make these lights stay Green and get Traffic moving quicker instead of it backing up because 4/5 cars are coming against the flow of traffic.

We're not going to get a bypass any time soon but better managment of the lights could go a long way to moving traffic along better. If your going against traffic you either go a bit further round to join the flow or wait a considerable amount of time on the lights.

Traffic lights are also pedestrian lights...How do you propose that those who are not protected by a glass and steel cage venture from A to B?

bhickey

snubbleste wrote: »

Traffic lights are also pedestrian lights...How do you propose that those who are not protected by a glass and steel cage venture from A to B?

Wait until the outbound traffic dies down maybe?

snubbleste

bhickey wrote: »

Wait until the outbound traffic dies down maybe?

Fantastic idea. Benches at all junctions to facilitate pedestrians waiting along with masks to filter out exhust fumes

Some12

I wonder how many drivers knew that their Tom Tom systems were reporting back their speed and position.

Pretty soon, they'll be getting fixed fines in the post courtesy of Tom Tom.

Note to self... Don't buy a Tom Tom!

pleasant Co.

Some12 wrote: »

Note to self... Don't buy a GPS

FYP - might as well go the whole hog

ciotog

snubbleste wrote: »

Fantastic idea. Benches at all junctions to facilitate pedestrians waiting along with masks to filter out exhust fumes

Preferably set back from the road so they aren't an unpleasant view for the venerable motorist.

biko

Their T&C "If you request TomTom Plus services such as traffic information, TomTom may collect location data from your TomTom device in order to provide you with the services requested." This info is probably stored for their surveys.

I don't think the device itself can transmit this info, you need to be connected to a computer and also have a subscription to Tomtom community and I think a logger active on the device.

GPS forum would know more.

Wompa1

So are Galweigans driving around with a GPS in their car when they drive around town?

It's not that a big a place! Or this based on tourists cars?

Which is something I never got, rental cars here should come with a SatNav as standard for tourists now. We are terrible when it comes to road signs.

I slept in this morning and tried to rush into work at 9:45..oops..anyway traffic was tailed back for over a mile on the Tuam Road. Was everyone else late for work or who is using the roads at that time on a chilly Thursday morning in November?

Sponge Bob

Nobody with any sense uses Tom Tom in Ireland, their maps are cack

The data is collected when you synch with a PC, yes. You cannot get real time traffic data sent to it because it is transmitted along with FM ....but not in Ireland my son.

Dan_Solo

snubbleste wrote: »

Traffic lights are also pedestrian lights...How do you propose that those who are not protected by a glass and steel cage venture from A to B?

All those traffic jams make it dead easy to cross the road mind you.
I know the weather can be cat in Galway, but most days I walk to work faster than the cars are moving.

bildo

churchview wrote: »

:D:D:D:D

Yes! This! people in this city need to learn how to use the damn things.

Lesson 1; It in NEVER ok to stop on a roundabout, its ridiculous and incredibly selfish. If you went around in central London with this sort of carry on you'd be driven straight into and have to deal with a massive insurance claim.
Its not cool.

Lesson 2;... Nope, that's pretty much it, learn lesson one and that should sort out at least half of the traffic in Galway.

antoobrien

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

It's because nobody know's how to use the roundabouts.

I don't think it's anything to do with not knowing how to use roundabouts, I think it's simply bad attitudes and practices not being punished. How many times do we see people switching lanes to use the other one if the queue is shorter, whether they are supposed to or not?

It is very easy to sort out, all it takes is a little thought and planning. Put yellow boxes on the entrances to the roundabout, covering the area between the entrance and the end of (at least) the first available exit (for that entrance). This would leave 3 'no go' areas on a roundabout with 3 entrances/exits (an obvious exception being cemetery cross where coming from Headford road it would have to be all yellow box). Then we get the traffic corps do their jobs - give people tickets for breaking the traffic laws. All it would take is two or three digital cameras and a few random checks to stop people acting stupid and blocking the road.

Three reasons why this won't happen:
1 It takes a little thought and planning (none of the the city and county councils or the Gardai seem to be able to do this and it would take cooperation between all three bodies and possibly the NRA)
2 it's actually easy to set up
3 it's far easier to fine people you don't have to stop by taking a picture of their vehicle from the comfort of your car or van

Fozzie Bear

antoobrien wrote: »

...It is very easy to sort out, all it takes is a little thought and planning. Put yellow boxes on the entrances to the roundabout...

Will not make a blind bit of difference IMO. The same fcuking morons who cannot use a roundabout correctly or understand that using the extreme left hand lane to take the 3rd/4th/5th exit is wrong are also not going to know or care what those pretty yellow criss-cross lines on the road are for. The Gardai cannot be there 24/7 to enforce the rules of the road.

How many times have you seen people drive into the yellow box and plonk themselves on it at Duggans in Renmore where the bus lane ends or where you turn right to enter at the Ulster Bank at the entrance to the Liosban estate or the one at the new traffic light on the Dublin road between the Galvia Hospital and Flannerys hotel or any of the others around Galway city?

Cameras are the answer IMO whether they be automatically activated when a light turns yellow/red or sensors record a car inside a yellow box or there are people manning them 24/7, (fines will pay for them). Oh and a bloody ZERO TOLERANCE attitude to muppetry of any kind at roundabouts, yellow boxes, pedestrian crossings, bus lanes, cycle lanes, yellow and red light jumping or any where else that clowns want to act the maggot and block traffic.

ZERO tolerance, immediate fines handed out and points applied to licenses. See how long then it takes for people to familiarise themselves with the basic rules of the road or how many junctions, roundabouts or yellow boxes are blocked.

Mrs OBumble

Wompa1 wrote: »

Which is something I never got, rental cars here should come with a SatNav as standard for tourists now. We are terrible when it comes to road signs.

That would only help if there was a decent database behind the SatNavs, and on-going agreements to ensure it's kept up to date.

RDM_83 again

Haha
had exactly the same conversation about roundabouts and galway people a wee while back with college friend, both non-galway, me non-driver him driver.
On a more serious note though was thinking about taking lessons up here and thought of having to deal with the roundabouts anyway is off-putting enough without the people stopping and not indicating correctly

RDM_83 again

RDM_83 again wrote: »

Haha
had exactly the same conversation about roundabouts and galway people a wee while back with college friend, both non-galway, me non-driver him driver.
On a more serious note though was thinking about taking lessons up here and thought of having to deal with the roundabouts anyway is off-putting enough without the people stopping and not indicating correctly

Interesting how you refer to everyone in Galway as Galway people but agree that the two of ye aren't, yet live here. You do realise this city is full of blow ins?

What you meant to say was.... the blow ins who can't drive around Galway. Us locals know our own roads.

RDM_83 again

In fairness though these people are presumably commuting in along the same route every working day since this behavior can be seen at rush hour, and presumably a majority of them would be county Galway people?

stoneill

10- Navan Road - Dublin
9 - Finglas Road - Dublin
8 - Burgh Quay - Dublin
7 - Commons Road - Cork
6 - Abbeyleix village - Laois
5 - Collins Avenue - Dublin
4 - Lucan Bypass/Ballyowen - Co. Dublin
3 - M8 at Dunkettle - Cork
2 - Grove Road at Harolds Cross - Dublin
1 - Templeogue Road Terenure - Dublin