Bodkin / Headford Road roundabout replacement [Lights are on!]

MadYaker

I'm going to miss it, nothing like a bit of white knuckle fear to add some excitement to my commute.

Das Kitty

MadYaker wrote: »

I'm going to miss it, nothing like a bit of white knuckle fear to add some excitement to my commute.

You could take a detour and play reverse-Frogger on Williamsgate and Eglington Street.

snubbleste

Seven tenders were put in for the €1.7m contract to replace the junction. It was won by John Madden & Sons.
Due for completion by late November

galwaycyclist

For old times sake last night I came onto it on the bicycle from the bridge side - did a u-turn and went back out the bridge

khards

galwaycyclist wrote: »

For old times sake last night I came onto it on the bicycle from the bridge side - did a u-turn and went back out the bridge

Sounds like a dangerous sport! It only take a blind and incompetent Nissan Micra driver (you know the ones) to come around there and knock you off.:rolleyes:

antoobrien

khards wrote: »

Sounds like a dangerous sport! It only take a blind and incompetent Nissan Micra driver (you know the ones) to come around there and knock you off.:rolleyes:

10 years of cycling around it and I never even had a near miss.

dilallio

Just looking at the map of the new junction.

A few observations:

1. Allowing motorists to exit the Sean Mulvoy Retail Park and turn right towards Cemetary Cross (across 4 lanes) sounds potentially quite dangerous. A lot of motorists find it challenging exiting there at the present - pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. It doesn't help when few cars actually observe the 50 kph limit on Sean Mulvoy Rd, particularly in the overtaking lane.

2. Changing the entrance to the Retail Park (Omniplex) to an entrance / exit is a good idea, but without traffic lights, cars trying to exit and turn right towards town will be blocked by cars coming from the new junction which are entering the Retail Park.

3. Surprised at the location of the exit/entrance from the shopping centre (Tesco) onto Sean Mulvoy Rd. That particular spot near Hibs pitch has always been a swamp. They'll find it very difficult to build anything there and and it wouldn't be surprising if the location of this exit is moved closer to the new junction.

galwaycyclist

dilallio wrote: »

Just looking at the map of the new junction.

3. Surprised at the location of the exit/entrance from the shopping centre (Tesco) onto Sean Mulvoy Rd. That particular spot near Hibs pitch has always been a swamp. They'll find it very difficult to build anything there and and it wouldn't be surprising if the location of this exit is moved closer to the new junction.

This exit is frankly dangerous and needs to be redesigned. If you look at the path taken by the straight on cyclists - yellow arrow - they are exposed to weaving traffic crossing them from both the left and the right - blue arrows.



The left slip needs to be shortened considerably or removed. Likewise the sweeping curve into the shopping centre is dangerous and needs to be tightened up into a proper 90 degree turn with a tight corner. Other wise omit this entrance altogether.

snubbleste

http://www.galwaycity.ie/N6/130212_01.pdf
The 'right turn pocket' for cyclists is directly in front of the straight ahead lane for motorists :eek:

what_traffic

snubbleste wrote: »

http://www.galwaycity.ie/N6/130212_01.pdf
The 'right turn pocket' for cyclists is directly in front of the straight ahead lane for motorists :eek:

Sequencing of the lights will be important to see if the hook turn boxes will actually be useable.

The section of the Headford road (City side) looks very dangerous both inbound/outbound for cyclists

antoobrien

galwaycyclist wrote: »

If you look at the path taken by the straight on cyclists - yellow arrow - they are exposed to weaving traffic crossing them from both the left and the right - blue arrows.

This is the same setup as N6 crossing the N17 inbound and seems to work well enough there.

what_traffic

antoobrien wrote: »

This is the same setup as N6 crossing the N17 inbound and seems to work well enough there.

No its not the same setup. It is similar but not the same.

Read galwaycyclist's post again.

"If you look at the path taken by the straight on cyclists - yellow arrow - they are exposed to weaving traffic crossing them from both the left and the right - blue arrows."

antoobrien

what_traffic wrote: »

No its not the same setup. It is similar but not the same.

It's the same effect - the traffic has to yield (if it's not a full stop). Hell that's a lot better than the sight-lines at Hogans & the industrial estate on the Ballybrit DC, which don't bother me in the slightest when I'm cycling past them.

what_traffic

antoobrien wrote: »

It's the same effect - the traffic has to yield (if it's not a full stop).

Nope - still not creating the same effect.

antoobrien

what_traffic wrote: »

Nope - still not creating the same effect.

Yes it is, unless you are assuming that the traffic won't stop.

what_traffic

antoobrien wrote: »

Yes it is, unless you are assuming that the traffic won't stop.

Your going off on a tangent here. Road layout is what's being discussed here. The N17/N6 junction does not have a similar road layout, or the same effect of the layout of the arm of the junction pointed out by galwaycyclist earlier in the thread.

galwaycyclist

antoobrien wrote: »

Yes it is, unless you are assuming that the traffic won't stop.

what_traffic wrote: »

Your going off on a tangent here. Road layout is what's being discussed here. The N17/N6 junction does not have a similar road layout, or the same effect of the layout of the arm of the junction pointed out by galwaycyclist earlier in the thread.

Or to put it another way - if traffic entering from side roads always stops - why then do about 30% of collisions with cyclists at side roads involve entering motor vehicles that fail to stop?

galwaycyclist

what_traffic wrote: »

Sequencing of the lights will be important to see if the hook turn boxes will actually be useable.

The section of the Headford road (City side) looks very dangerous both inbound/outbound for cyclists

I did a quick illustration of the issue for inbound cyclists passing the shopping centre on the Headford road. I have rotated the road for space purposes - so left is inbound, right is outbound.



The designers have placed straight-on cyclists - (yellow arrow) - inside left turning traffic - (blue arrow) - in a way that creates an avoidable conflict. The design creates an obstacle for cyclists going straight. In an inversion of normal practice, straight-on cyclists have to merge to the right across a lane of following motor traffic that wants to turn across them to go left.

If the cyclists merge to the right successfully - then at the end of the left-turn lane they are squeezed into a narrow gap or pinch point where they are put into conflict with motor traffic using the straight-on lane (purple arrows). The width of this gap looks likely to be in the range 3-3.25m - e.g. not wide enough to allow safe overtaking - but wide enough to encourage risky overtaking.

Storm 10

The existing bus stop is not in the correct place at the moment looking at that map, its further down towards the Menlo roundabout and is in the middle of the inside lane, the bus stops and holds up the traffic in the inside lane crazy stuff I have had a few near misses with the bus there.:mad:

what_traffic

galwaycyclist wrote: »

If the cyclists merge to the right successfully - then at the end of the left-turn lane they are squeezed into a narrow gap or pinch point where they are put into conflict with motor traffic using the straight-on lane (purple arrows). The width of this gap looks likely to be in the range 3-3.25m - e.g. not wide enough to allow safe overtaking - but wide enough to encourage risky overtaking.

Agree re the pinch point - have this issue with the current section of that road as it stands; but having to cross a left only turn lane makes it worse in those plans. Will have a similar scenario outbound here as well approaching this section. The traffic island will create a similar pinch point on approach. The pdf that snubbleste http://www.galwaycity.ie/N6/130212_01.pdf posted shows this also.

what_traffic

what_traffic wrote: »

Agree re the pinch point - have this issue with the current section of that road as it stands; but having to cross a left only turn lane makes it worse in those plans. Will have a similar scenario outbound here as well approaching this section. The traffic island will create a similar pinch point on approach. The pdf that snubbleste http://www.galwaycity.ie/N6/130212_01.pdf posted shows this also.

This is the section I am referring to above.

HEADFORD_ROAD_SOUTH.png

ballinadog

the works to the junction at mc donalds are not taking place in this contract. also galway cyclist, this is the actual cycle lane arrangements outside Tesco's new entrance, not the layout you drew your arrows on

what_traffic

ballinadog wrote: »

the works to the junction at mc donalds are not taking place in this contract. also galway cyclist, this is the actual cycle lane arrangements outside Tesco's new entrance, not the layout you drew your arrows on

Do you happen to have the fully updated PDF? Similar to the one snubbleste linked to earlier from the Galway City Council Website?
http://www.galwaycity.ie/N6/130212_01.pdf

buzz11

dilallio wrote: »

Just looking at the map of the new junction.

1. Allowing motorists to exit the Sean Mulvoy Retail Park and turn right towards Cemetary Cross (across 4 lanes) sounds potentially quite dangerous. A lot of motorists find it challenging exiting there at the present - pulling out in front of oncoming traffic. It doesn't help when few cars actually observe the 50 kph limit on Sean Mulvoy Rd, particularly in the overtaking lane.

I reckon this is the most dangerous part of the whole project, the designers expect that it will be safe to make a right turn;

-firstly in front of two lanes of traffic coming from the right and

-secondly in front of two lanes of traffic coming from the left

AND with no central refuge, so all in one manoeuvre....

Its an accident waiting to happen....by design.

what_traffic

ballinadog wrote: »

the works to the junction at mc donalds are not taking place in this contract. also galway cyclist, this is the actual cycle lane arrangements outside Tesco's new entrance, not the layout you drew your arrows on

So what plan, was actually given planning permission? Or is the City Council able to alter after it has gone through Part 8?

dilallio

ballinadog wrote: »

the works to the junction at mc donalds are not taking place in this contract. also galway cyclist, this is the actual cycle lane arrangements outside Tesco's new entrance, not the layout you drew your arrows on

Thanks ballinadog,
If the junction at McDonalds is not taking place as part of this contract, does that mean that traffic exiting the retail park (Currys/Omniplex) towards town, will have to exit in the usual way, but then perform a u-turn at the new lights?
dilallio

Curly head

Roundabouts are meant to improve traffic flow. The ones they've turned into signal junctions prove this. It takes longer to get through those junctions now. We're moving backwards as usual!!

dr.bollocko

Curly head wrote: »

Roundabouts are meant to improve traffic flow. The ones they've turned into signal junctions prove this. It takes longer to get through those junctions now. We're moving backwards as usual!!

It seems to me like the junctions have made things faster in most cases tbh.

gordongekko

dr.bollocko wrote: »

It seems to me like the junctions have made things faster in most cases tbh.

god no

biko

Let's stay on Bodkin here.
Feel free to generally discuss RBs vs signal junctions traffic flow in Infrastructure.