[Article] €6 million revamp of N6 junctions + P&R planned for Galway

KevR

Galway News wrote:

Council to install traffic lights on more roundabouts

February 18, 2011 - 7:30am Plan part of €6m revamp of road stretching from Corrib Park to Briarhill

BY FRANK FARRAGHER
A €6m revamp of the city’s N6 route – from just west of Quincentenary Bridge to the Briarhill junction – is to be completed by the end of 2012, with the aim of making life easier for cyclists, pedestrians and through traffic.

The first phase of the project will go to the Part 8 planning process next month and will involve the upgrading of two roundabouts – Corrib Park and Briarhill – to signalised junctions, incorporating facilities for pedestrians and cyclists as well as allowing for future public transport upgrades.


Consultant Engineers, AECOM, were due to make a presentation on the N6 (Bothar na dTreabh) Improvement Scheme last Monday evening to city councillors, but this had had to abandoned due to the adjournment of the meeting.

However the Galway City Tribune has learned that it’s a case of ‘all systems go’ for the scheme with NRA funding of €4m allocated for this year, and €2m for 2012.

The 5km stretch of roadway – which also incorporates the Shopping Centre, Headford Road, Tuam Road and Ballybane roundabouts – will also have its cycle lanes and pedestrian paths revamped in the scheme.


One of the city’s most accident prone pedestrian crossings – on the Headford Road at Dunnes Stores – has also been earmarked for a redesign in the project.


Another feature of the scheme will include an improved pedestrian link across the N6, just west of Quincentenary Bridge, to factor in the extensive usage of this walkway by NUI Galway students.

A key target of the scheme will be the construction of an extensive park-and-ride car-park as motorists from the east approach the Briarhill roundabout – this will be designed to feed into the city’s bus network with the aim of ‘taking out’ several hundred commuter cars each day from the main urban area.

I have a number of issues with this:

• Why not wait and see how the Corrib Park roundabout performs after the Seamus Quirke Road upgrade has been completed? Traffic currently tails the whole way from the non-intelligent traffic lights at Aldi and backs up onto the Corrib Park roundabout (this blocks the flow on the roundabout). I assume new intelligent traffic lights will be put in at Aldi as part of the SQR upgrade.
• Worst location ever for a P&R. Most people will park at Oranmore station (when it gets built) and take the train to the City Centre if that's their destination and they want to P&R. If people are going to the Eastern industrial estates (Parkmore, Ballybrit, Ballybane) then they are not going battle their way through the traffic to get as far as Briarhill and then take a bus the last 1-2km. They obviously think it will be as successful as the Christmas P&R - this is used by shoppers to get to the City Centre (avoid traffic and expensive parking); there is no alternative at the moment; Oranmore station will be an alternative. It seems there is no joined up thinking between Galway City Council, Galway County Council, Irish Rail and Bus Eireann.
• I agree that the Briarhill roundabout badly needs to be upgraded but it should be done properly; a half arsed effort is pointless. A flyover is needed for the N6.

I hope they are ging to build a pedestrian bridge on the Headford Road at Dunnes. It's crazy having pedestrians crossing a busy urban DC at road level.

The pedestrian link to the West of the Quincentenary Bridge is badly needed. Hopefully it will result in the pedestrian phase being triggered less on the N6/Newcastle Road junction.


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Chris_5339762

Is this the one where they're going to spend six million basically to repaint some lines and plant flowers?

Seriously though, for safety reasons I'd put lights on just about all of Galways major roundabouts. Even if they make the traffic marginally worse it'll be safer. The ridiculously small gaps that you JUST HAVE to jump out into make the 'ring road' a terribly dangerous place to drive.

L1011

Remember our delusional M17 protestor who claimed that a P&R would make it and the bypass unneeded? Let them build it to prove him and his ilk wrong...