Adare: why isn't it bypassed & pedestrianised?

Dostoevsky

I was in Adare last weekend for the first time in my life. It's an especially lovely place for all the obvious reasons.

My question: why oh why is the place not bypassed and pedestrianised? It was black with people yesterday - the entire town. All the pubs and hotels were suffocated under the noise of passing traffic. We decided against getting married there entirely because of that noise.

Would it not make more sense if that noise were removed from the town and it were bypassed, with the town itself becoming pedastranised? I cannot for the life of me see how "passing trade" in Adare can be better than the trade the town would get if it were a haven of peace, calm and tranquility.

A Country Voice

As far as I'm aware, I'll look up a source at some stage, it will be soon.
It was proposed to bypass it before I think and the locals didnt want to lose the passing trade.
It will be bypassed now though, in the near...ish future.
It should have been done years and years ago.

A Country Voice

toothie

There was a festival of Speed there last weekend. Maybe that would explain the extra noise. Adare is usually and busy little spot in the Summer, but I'd never seen as many people/traffic there as last weekend.

JerryHandbag

Looking at the National Roads website it says its in "Preliminary Design" phase, but I thought I read in the paper that the whole project had been scrapped? Or maybe I'm thinking of the Adare-Abbeyfeale project.

It could be many many years before we see Adare bypassed, I hope I'm wrong though, its a pain to get through.

Goofy

It was to be bypassed as part of the limerick to cork motorway but that project has been put on the long finger.

A1Nutboy

I pass through Adare everyday on the way to work. I give a local a lift too. She says the reason it was not bypassed is that locals objected. 1 in particular being Charlie Chawke, who owns 2 pubs in the town. This being the Charlie Chawke who was great friends with Bertie.

Brown paper bags anyone? Or should I say expert betting advice?

Limerick Rebel

I travel all over the country and Adare is certainly one of the worst areas of congestion I encounter. Many places have been bypassed over the last number of years and many were not as deserving of a bypass as Adare is. All the tourist traffic heading to the Southwest over the summer has to pass through Adare. What are the locals afraid of? I think a bypass can only help the local business. At the moment, I would not dream of stopping in Adare and am left fustrated and annoyed at having to go through it at snails pace. Adare is actually the first town or village one has to pass through coming from Dublin.

moby2101

A1Nutboy wrote: »

I pass through Adare everyday on the way to work. I give a local a lift too. She says the reason it was not bypassed is that locals objected. 1 in particular being Charlie Chawke, who owns 2 pubs in the town. This being the Charlie Chawke who was great friends with Bertie.

Brown paper bags anyone? Or should I say expert betting advice?

This is utter bs...
Charlie may own two pubs in the village or not but when the decision was taken (7 + years ago..) to NOT bypass Adare Charlie didnt own either pub...

Charlies brother Billy owned and ran Lenas for over 20 years before selling it on in the last year or so ..the other pub was owned by their Aunt..

europa11

i would have thought Adare would benefit greatly from being bypassed, totally agree that it has a unique opportunity of marketing itself as a haven of tranquility, a lovely village it may be, but surely a bypass is urgently required to restore some peace and quiet to Adare.

Can only be of benefit tourism wise. in any case, what passing tourist is going to look for a parking spot while stuck in the constant traffic jam that is present day Adare?

Better chance of attracting visitors to a pedestrianised and becalmed model village where they can relax and take in the obvious attractions a properly developed Adare could offer while HGV's and commercial traffic swing around it.

Of course, the chance was there to do it during the boom, but short-sightedness prevailed then. Now it will take years and will probably not happen until the M20 Attyflin-Charleville section is started, an event I wouldn't be holding my breath for.

stock>

Yep the locals blocked it. Originally the bypass was to run on the north side of the village, out through Blackabbey and connecting with the existing N21. This route was surveyed and had core samples taken.
Then it was proposed to upgrade the N20 so the route was resurveyed but to the south side of the town,this route was favoured due to the fewer number of houses and roads needed to be crossed and the maigue river is also narrower. The interchange was to be located close to where the Mercedes Garage is located on the n20 outside Croom. This road was to be completed as a precurser to the N21 upgrade that was to run to the south of Croagh, Rathkeale, South of Newcastle West Close to Castlemahon, crossing Barna /Strand area, south of Templeglantine, and Abbeyfeale to meet the upgraded road by Fealesbridge.
It was recently announced by the Minister for Transport, sport and tourism that these road upgrades were cancelled but that the Barna realignment was to still proceed..........

Stock

BalingMad

Pedestrianising a country village, what a joke of an idea,

coco_lola

I have a feeling it was objected to for tourism reasons, I could be wrong though...

I remember seeing 3 proposals for the Adare bypass. They were designated "red," "green" and "black" (i think)
Only one of them was realistically feasable (black maybe?)

I think it was was posted on boards years ago. Anyone have it or know where I could have a look at it?

kagni

Deleted User wrote: »

I remember seeing 3 proposals for the Adare bypass. They were designated "red," "green" and "black" (i think)
Only one of them was realistically feasable (black maybe?)

I think it was was posted on boards years ago. Anyone have it or know where I could have a look at it?

The various maps are up here - http://www.midwestroads.ie/N21%20Adare%20Bypass/Adare%20Publications.htm

kentreaper

10 months later, any update on the bypass. I'm spending too much time in Adare, sitting in traffic.

:mad:

RikkFlair

Saw this yesterday

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/no-decision-on-adare-by-pass-as-limerick-county-council-awaits-decision-1-4201614

The good news, if you can call it that, is the project hasn't been withdrawn like the M20 motorway was.

liammur

From all accounts the bypass won't go ahead. Cutbacks. There were objections, but the reason is simple: cash shortage.

Abbey Ct

There is a proposal for a bypass before An Bord Pleanala since July 2010. It runs to the South by following the Cork Road for about 5km almost to Croom then swinging right for another 8km to meet up with the N21 at Clonshire. So therein lies the problem with the route as it was hugely long, being almost double the direct route throught the village. A couple of haulage companies said they would continue through the village as it would be way quicker & shorter.

It was proposed that the main road would become what is currently the Cork turnoff & that cars would have to turn off to go into Adare. So it looks like the tourists that the village wants, would follow the main road via the bypass but the locals which don't stop in the village would continue to travel though the village as it would be way shorter & therefore quicker.

The "original" bypass that was the previously preffered route for about 5 years until 2009 was to the North 7 & was about 8km. It was originall priced at €18m but became €85m (rise unexplained other than it had become a 2X2 road rather than a single lain in each direction) by the time the Southern bypass was suggested. Initially the southern one looked the cheapest but in the Oral Hearing it turns out they had stuffed lots of costs (about €10m I think) in the 4km Cork section so that the Cork route would take the costs. Also it seems lots of costs were left out, presumably to make it looked attractive (eg the water extractor facility that would have to be relocated).
But the funniest bit was when the Oral Hearing heard that the route price had risen 10m in the few months between the EIS (environmental impact statement) and the Oral Hearing - I think the Inspector said this had not happened before. The Limk Co Council personnel presenting the costs section seemed to be unaware that it had risen and also unable to explain the 10m rise. This after it had been discussed at length that all costs were falling and everything was cheaper than a few years earlier!
So most people at the Oral Hearing though the proposed southern route wasn't viable and that LCC/NRA should go back to the original northern "black" route at the original cost of €18m.

rainbowdash

The idea of locals blocking it due to lost trade is ridiculous. If that were the case the motorway network would have been permanently blocked at Naas and never get any further.

flutered

Goofy wrote: »

It was to be bypassed as part of the limerick to cork motorway but that project has been put on the long finger.

i am under the impression that an irish firm named roadbridge recently offered to compleate this prodject for free, providing that they could build and operete a toll bridge, perhaps i was told an untruth.

stock>

flutered wrote: »

i am under the impression that an irish firm named roadbridge recently offered to compleate this prodject for free, providing that they could build and operete a toll bridge, perhaps i was told an untruth.

Probably!!! the EU procurement policy would not allow that type of local deal, it would have to be tendered under a european wide public tender ......

flutered

is it not possible for them to advertise the contract, then pick who they like, this is like the japaneese firm who asked to build the luas for free if they could keep the ticket money, at least the gov could now have 22% of this for doing nothing.

juneg

The hours I've spent in traffic in that bloody village. Queueing behind all the traffic from Dublin to Kerry on bank holiday weekends :eek:

stock>

Well just to inform you all that there are major traffic restrictions in Croagh coming up. The council Have deemed it necessary to install traffic calming measures around the village junctions on the main road. going to make some interesting times.

Tobleronemad

News: An board planalla has (finally) made a decision on the bypass.

Insect Overlord

Tobleronemad wrote: »

News: An board planalla has (finally) made a decision on the bypass.

Go on then, tell us what the decision is!

jonski

Did they go with my idea " take off and nuke the entire site from orbit "

Tobleronemad

I don't get this - if anyone rings the board they will tell you there is a decision made but yet they won't tell you what the decision actually is!

RikkFlair

The suspense! :eek:

Looking at the plans for the bypass, I notice the spot where a couple of very dodgy bends (between Adare & Kilfinny) will be obliterated by the new road, presuming the chosen route remains. I've ended up in the ditch at those bends on a couple of occasions so I won't be sorry to see the back of them

IsaacWunder

I don't buy this argument that the project was stalled because the supposedly shorter and therefore, it's argued, cheaper northern (or Black) route was not chosen.

The southern route always made sense when one considers the shortest route to the proposed M20, the road it will meet with, is south west of Patrickswell.

Additionally, the cost of a bridge on the northern route would be much higher as the river is tidal there (necessitating a much longer bridge) than south of the village.

For these reasons the Green and Red routes are preferable over the Black. Why the meandering Blue route was chosen bemuses me.

stock>

With the road works at the lantern lodge today the traffic was a nightmare badly needs the bypass to be looked at seriously......................

Tobleronemad

stock> wrote: »

With the road works at the lantern lodge today the traffic was a nightmare badly needs the bypass to be looked at seriously......................

Why can't these road works happen at night?

Tobleronemad

Tobleronemad wrote: »

stock> wrote: »

With the road works at the lantern lodge today the traffic was a nightmare badly needs the bypass to be looked at seriously......................

Why can't these road works happen at night?

I still can't get the answer from ABP. Dunno why :-(

The traffic system they have in operation for the roadworks is an absolute joke. No lights or proper temp road lay-out. Spent 20 mins getting from the Dunraven entrance to the Woodlands roundabout today. They seem to leave 100's of the cars from the Limerick side through in one go and then 15 to 20 cars from the Adare side so you're sitting there for ages! Was going for an interview today and left NCW a good bit early just in case (good thing I did) and just about got to it on time. Roll on the bypass!!

panda100

Heading out to Rathkeale this evening,whats the story with roadworks?Will I be better off going via Foynes road?

Tobleronemad

shaaane wrote: »

The traffic system they have in operation for the roadworks is an absolute joke. No lights or proper temp road lay-out. Spent 20 mins getting from the Dunraven entrance to the Woodlands roundabout today. They seem to leave 100's of the cars from the Limerick side through in one go and then 15 to 20 cars from the Adare side so you're sitting there for ages! Was going for an interview today and left NCW a good bit early just in case (good thing I did) and just about got to it on time. Roll on the bypass!!

The longer the time goes on the less likely I think that this is going to happen anytime soon. I actually think ABP will not confirm the cpo and start off the whole process again. Jobs for the boys etc etc etc.

thesimpsons

anyone know if these roadworks going on over the weekend too ? Saturdays can be a bit of a nightmare at best of times if there is a wedding on or a sunny day bringing out the tourists

adaminho

panda100 wrote: »

Heading out to Rathkeale this evening,whats the story with roadworks?Will I be better off going via Foynes road?

There's roadworks on the road between Mungret and Kildimo as well but they're not as bad as Adare.

coxy123

adaminho wrote: »

There's roadworks on the road between Mungret and Kildimo as well but they're not as bad as Adare.

I think that's finished now.

leakyboots

Tobleronemad wrote: »

Why can't these road works happen at night?

Cost for the workers surely? I'd imagine the hourly wage goes way up if you're asking fellas to work nights?

Tobleronemad

Anyone know the outcome of ABP's decision on the bypass?

limklad

There was many attempts over the decades for bypass of Adare. When Rathkeale and Croagh was bypass, Adare was meant to be next, but Locals caused an uproar then. During the Boom years Traffic killed Adare from a tourism point of view. With less traffic in Adare it would be a great village to cross the road safely, the council eventually introduce two pedestrian crossing and you are taking your life into drivers here if they bother to stop. One near the Boys Primary School and the other near the post office.

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/no-decision-on-adare-by-pass-as-limerick-county-council-awaits-decision-1-4201614

Dan Neville TD wrote:

Dáil Eireann

28/Jan/2010

http://debates.oireachtas.ie/dail/2010/01/28/printall.asp
I want to raise the issue of Adare, which has a very good tourism product, but could be improved immensely if a bypass was built. If one stands at the Dunraven Arms most days and looks down towards the road, all one will see are trucks and cars. I went to take a photograph there a number of years ago at 11 a.m. and I had to go away. One could not take a photograph of the village as all the cars and heavy traffic destroyed it — I took it at 7 o’clock one morning as there was less traffic. It would be of enormous benefit to the region. It is 25 years since the first line was drawn for the bypass of Adare and four have been drawn since then. I often felt like researching the cost in terms of drawing four different lines for the route for the Adare bypass.

Dan Neville was a county Councillor for Limerick County Council for many years before he was force to give it up the Dual mandate as he was a sitting deputy in the Dáil.

It been roughly 27 Years, most of that was objections by Locals, and more objections by Locals again. So A decision by Board pleanta for the Road bypass would be a miracle by now.

phog

adaminho wrote: »

There's roadworks on the road between Mungret and Kildimo as well but they're not as bad as Adare.

I'm not sure what roadworks you're talking about the the 2 that I know of are the roadworks in Mungret village and they wont really cause a problem as you can use the N69, further out I think the roadworks are at Bolane turn which is at the far side of Kildimo.

If using the N69 as a detour to Adare you should turn off at the junction at the Limerick side of Kildimo.

Tobleronemad

phog wrote: »

I'm not sure what roadworks you're talking about the the 2 that I know of are the roadworks in Mungret village and they wont really cause a problem as you can use the N69, further out I think the roadworks are at Bolane turn which is at the far side of Kildimo.

If using the N69 as a detour to Adare you should turn off at the junction at the Limerick side of Kildimo.

ABP has not allowed the bypass!!!

Smilerme

An Bord Pleanala reason for rejection is that "it would constitute isolated infrastructure, would not represent a coherent approach to the provision of major roads infrastructutre and furthermore would not have the potential to fulfill the functuions of the Scheme".

So the Board concludes that the scheme functions wouldn't be met. The scheme functions were:

(1) Remove a major bottleneck thereby improving economic efficiency and journey time reliability,

(2) Improve safety for all road users

(3) Divert traffic away from town centre

(4) Improve the town environment for residents, businesses & tourists

(5) Facilitate the expansion of the tourist / retail / industrial sectors in Adare.

A truely daming inditement of the scheme if the Board considers those functions couldn't be met. Clearly the Board thought the route didn't work at all.


The Board Direction notes that "The Board was not satisfied that the Route chosen (Blue Route) for bypassing the town was necessarily the optimum solution."

It goes on to state that "should a revised application be made in the future, consideration might be given to a further assessment of alternative routes"

So clearly the Board thought that the wrong route was chosen. Adare needs a bypass so LCC should just have run with their previously chosen route in 2005 & it would be built & in operation at this stage.

RikkFlair

At this stage I can't see anything being done til the M20 construction where it will piggy back on that scheme, 2023 at the earliest says Leo Varadkar.

Another decade of tailbacks to look forward to, oh joy!

panda100

What does everyone think of the new traffic calming measures in place around Croagh? To me, they don't really make any sense. The N21 bypasses Croagh, and so I don't see why acrs must slow down from 100 to 60 on a major road.Its also incredibly narrow,with all the little islands they've put in the road. The whole project just seems a massive waste, and should have been put towards bypassing adare imo.

liammur

panda100 wrote: »

What does everyone think of the new traffic calming measures in place around Croagh? To me, they don't really make any sense. The N21 bypasses Croagh, and so I don't see why acrs must slow down from 100 to 60 on a major road.Its also incredibly narrow,with all the little islands they've put in the road. The whole project just seems a massive waste, and should have been put towards bypassing adare imo.

An absolute disaster. Now we have a narrow road, and giant footpaths.

flutered

panda100 wrote: »

What does everyone think of the new traffic calming measures in place around Croagh? To me, they don't really make any sense. The N21 bypasses Croagh, and so I don't see why acrs must slow down from 100 to 60 on a major road.Its also incredibly narrow,with all the little islands they've put in the road. The whole project just seems a massive waste, and should have been put towards bypassing adare imo.

but then that would be the proper thing to do would it not. aslo please remember that tds and councillers have to collect kudos for this type of brain fart.

phog

panda100 wrote: »

What does everyone think of the new traffic calming measures in place around Croagh? To me, they don't really make any sense. The N21 bypasses Croagh, and so I don't see why acrs must slow down from 100 to 60 on a major road.Its also incredibly narrow,with all the little islands they've put in the road. The whole project just seems a massive waste, and should have been put towards bypassing adare imo.

I haven't driven it recently but I never liked the bypass, exits not signposted early enough, no place for cars turning right, road not suitable for overtaking, etc, etc. By the sounds of things they've managed to make it worse.

Smilerme

I agree totally that they are completely crazy. Now it is dangerously narrow plus I find it hard to figure out which of the 3 entrance / exits to Croagh are now one way or two way! I normally go there at night to the music school & I think I may have gone up a one way although there were no signs saying it was but it was shaped as if it was (which I discovered after I turned off the N21 & was aleady on it)!
Worse the whole project took about 4 months to complete so I'd hate to think what it cost - probably enough to build an Adare bypass!!