Roadworks affecting Phoenix Park

Heroditas

For those of you who use the Cabra and Ashtown gates, we face several months of pain:

TEMPORARY TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS IN THE PHOENIX PARK




In order to facilitate roadworks on Blackhorse Avenue, the following traffic arrangements will be in operation:



From Monday, February 21st, the Ashtown Gate in the Phoenix Park will be entry only.
Cabra Gate will be exit only.
These changes will be in force for 22 weeks at the request of Dublin City Council, to facilitate roadworks on Blackhorse Avenue.
Please note the Odd Lamp Road in Phoenix Park will be open to facilitate traffic.
The Office of Public Works would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

PHOENIX PARK WEBSITE


Annoying but at least Cabra gate will be exit only so at least we'll be able to get out of the Park in the morning, assuming traffic isn't disastrous.

chewed

22 f***ing weeks! What a complete joke. What are they doing that it takes that long.

It took over 2 hours to get from Busarus to the Halfway Hse. So it's going to be that for 22 weeks?

DublinWriter

Five months!!! More OPW madness and inefficiency.

I got caught up in this today and it was complete gridlock. Took nearly 40 minutes to get from the Zoo to the Nephin Road.

There's no way they'll be able to allow this continue.

jack presley

DublinWriter wrote: »

Five months!!! More OPW madness and inefficiency.

I got caught up in this today and it was complete gridlock. Took nearly 40 minutes to get from the Zoo to the Nephin Road.

There's no way they'll be able to allow this continue.

I presume this is the point when the tree-huggers come out and say we shouldn't be driving through the park anyway

LXFlyer

DublinWriter wrote: »

Five months!!! More OPW madness and inefficiency.

I got caught up in this today and it was complete gridlock. Took nearly 40 minutes to get from the Zoo to the Nephin Road.

There's no way they'll be able to allow this continue.

It's nothing to do with the OPW.

The roadworks are by Clonmel Enterprises for Dublin City Council on Blackhorse Avenue.

http://www.dublincity.ie/RoadsandTraffic/ScheduledDisruptions/Documents/Black_Horse_Avenue_Resident_Information_Letter_One_way_System_rev2[1].pdf

mydiscworld

To allow for the upgrade of Blackhorse Avenue?

Nice of them to leave out the part of what exactly takes 22 weeks to upgrade!

ThisRegard

Take a drive up Blackhorse Avenue and you'll see what takes 22 weeks, it's going to be a lot more than a simple resurface job of the top layer.

Travel is good

Badly needed, IMO. I know, traffic was bad yesterday, it took me nearly two hours to get home.

The council have been saying for a long time that Blackhorse Avenue needed to be upgraded. I know it's a pain for the next 22 weeks. I'm actually more surprised that they have the money to do it.

If it improves traffic flows by July, then I'm happy to put up with it. That's the price I pay for being so fortunate to live so near the city.

fletch

Have to say I was laughing out loud at all the suckers in their cars stuck in traffic while I cycled leisurely by!

DublinWriter

fletch wrote: »

Have to say I was laughing out loud at all the suckers in their cars stuck in traffic while I cycled leisurely by!

...hope you enjoyed our emissions!

UnderDawg2

Its adding well over an hour to my commute to Virginia on the bus. The NCR on to the Cabra road is more or less a car park.

Can these works not be done at night? Or will they keep residents awake?

LadyW

It's extremely frustrating... I got a bus on Pembroke Street around 5.40pm yesterday evening and didn't arrive home until after 7pm... I will be a basket case by the end of February, never mind feckin' July :mad:

ThisRegard

UnderDawg2 wrote: »

Can these works not be done at night? Or will they keep residents awake?

It's right outside peoples doors so there's no chance it will or can be done at night.

chewed

I could be wrong, but I think the main problem here is that traffic that normally use the park are now going up the Old Cabra Road. Where that road meets the N3 Navan road is a filter orange light and they just stream onto the N3. Traffic coming from the Navan road cannot get past this junction because the Old Cabra road traffic is backed up.

Should they now change this traffic light system for the duration of the works so that both sets of traffic have a chance of progressing?

jack presley

Looking on the bright side, at least it shows that the idea floated on these pages a couple of weeks ago to restrict access to the park for commuters was ludicrous as there's no way the surrounding roads can handle the extra traffic.

BostonB

I can understand Cabra gate, as thats on Blackhorse Ave, but they've resurfaced that bit already (badly I might add). And reopened the gate too.

Why they have to close Ashtown gate I have no idea. As closing Blackhorse Ave, has no effect on it. Other than to reduce the traffic at that junction.

Maybe some one can explain why they need to close Ashtown gate?

ThisRegard

BostonB wrote: »

but they've resurfaced that bit already (badly I might add).

That was just a temporary fix, that part of the road was just one big hole.

UnderDawg2

Well at least the driver of the bus I get home has sense, Port Tunnel, across the M50 onto N3, home earlier than normal even without the additional traffic on the Cabra road.

BostonB

OPW are determined to close that gate for some reason. It must be about the 3rd to 4th time in recent years they've closed it for one daft reason after another.

TBH if they continue to let the roads in the park fall apart as usual cars won't be able to drive on them anyway.

ThisRegard

That gate is a pain in the ass anyway. Traffic entering the park has right of way, but every single time you get some idiot driving out behind a car exiting which is unable to clear the gates thus blocking traffic entering and causing delays. And people know what they're at too, you give them the raised eyes or nod of the head and you get a sheepish look back from them. Idiots.

BostonB

The problem is you can't get out, at peak. Hence the tail back into the park. So hence people make a dash, or bully their way out.

There should be a roundabout or similar there. And two lanes in/out. Its a bad junction.

OPW seems to be in denial about the volume of traffic through the park.

ThisRegard

But they're not going to make it easier for traffic at the same time to get in and out.

BostonB

ThisRegard wrote: »

But they're not going to make it easier for traffic at the same time to get in and out.

Indeed.

But all it does it create tail backs which hold traffic in the Park for longer.

Seems self defeating to me.

Bohser

This is crazy. I've seen the OPW do some stupid things, but this takes the biscuit. Making Ashtown gate entry only when you can't return from town via Blackhorse.

The solution is simple. The problem is when traffic trying to return home from town in the evening.

Make Ashtown gate exit only (in the evenings at least) and the cars now travelling on the Navan Rd (that traveled via Blackhorse or Chesterfield Ave/Ashtown Gate) will have an alternative. Therefore relieving buses etc. travelling on the Navan road.

If this can't be done mornings only then traffic entering Ashtown gate can still use the Castleknock or Cabra gates. Hardly any traffic enters Ashtown gate in the evening anyway.

Bohser

Not to mention the fact that the gates at Ashtown and Castleknock should have been extended to allow for two cars years ago.

Petrol is expensive and this countries commuters are throwing away their time and money because they are waiting in traffic unnecessarily. I'm sure we could be generating revenue in this country in better ways than throwing cash at petrol companies.

Bohser

AND - why didn't the county council make it a condition that a bridge was built over the train tracks and canal at Ashtown when they got planning permission to build the Village Apartments.

Instead the taxpayer is paying for some guy to thanklessly open and close a gate indefinitely while people wait for him. Build a goddamn bridge like the one in Laurel Lodge and get the guy to work on maintenance or infrastructure.

They really need some good urban planners making decisions on that council - they probably have to get a city engineer to approve those buildings? Someone is definitely not doing their job. Idiots.

BostonB

A lot of the traffic that would have gone out at ashtown now just comes down the main road and thus its backed up. So rather than reducing traffic in the park, its increased it. Genius. TBH it doesn't affect me as I'm either cycling or driving off peak. But its so stupid its insane.

ThisRegard

feistyfawn wrote: »

This is crazy. I've seen the OPW do some stupid things, but this takes the biscuit. Making Ashtown gate entry only when you can't return from town via Blackhorse.

Again, it was at the request of DCC, it wasn't the OPWs idea.

BostonB

ThisRegard wrote: »

Again, it was at the request of DCC, it wasn't the OPWs idea.

Where did you get that from?

LXFlyer

BostonB wrote: »

Where did you get that from?

Read the very first post again....

BostonB

ah...

BostonB

Looks like they are going to undo all this, and just leave Cabra gate changed.

Common sense.

chewed

BostonB wrote: »

Looks like they are going to undo all this, and just leave Cabra gate changed.

Common sense.

Where did you hear this?

LXFlyer

chewed wrote: »

Where did you hear this?

http://www.phoenixpark.ie/newsevents/title,15483,en.html

<H1>TEMPORARY TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS IN THE PHOENIX PARK




In order to facilitate roadworks on Blackhorse Avenue, the following traffic arrangements will be in operation:




From Monday, February 21st, the Cabra Gate in the Phoenix Park will be exit only.

Ashtown Gate in the Phoenix Park will revert to two way traffic as from 12 noon approximately on Thursday, 3rd March.

These changes will be in force until mid July, at the request of Dublin City Council, to facilitate roadworks on Blackhorse Avenue.
Please note the Odd Lamp Road in Phoenix Park will revert to its status a pedestrain /cyclist route only from Thursday,3rd March


The Office of Public Works would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
2/3/2011.

</H1>

jack presley

It was great this evening. No one must have known about this. It was completely empty, there were 0 cars looking to get out ahead of me. No doubt it'll be back to the old 2-3 minute wait tomorrow.

DublinWriter

The Office of Public Works would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
2/3/2011.

lxflyer wrote: »

It's nothing to do with the OPW.

Oh, really? Do you work for the Government Press Office by any chance?

BostonB

It seems DCC requested the change, and then request it be changed back.

Because OPW apologised doesn't mean they initiated this.

LXFlyer

DublinWriter wrote: »

The Office of Public Works would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
2/3/2011.

Oh, really? Do you work for the Government Press Office by any chance?

No need to be so smart - Reading the first post on this thread makes it quite clear that DCC made the request.

You blamed the OPW and I just pointed out that it wasn't them who initiated it.

I have nothing to do with any of the parties involved - just tend to read official notices rather than jumping to conclusions.

bigar

Good that they open Ashtown Gate in both directions again because many did drive outward anyway in the wrong lane.