Limerick Park & Ride

Armada

Reading the Midwest Business Magazine September issue (bit late I know!) I spotted a small News item as follows:

City Improvements
Limerick is in Line for two Park and Ride facilities in time for Christmas, with transport minister Leo Varadkar allocation €100,000 to the City Council for the scheme. Council officials will submit an application for funding to government which, if approved will result in construction getting under way in time for Christmas.

Firstly, has anyone anymore information on this? Where these facilities will be located and what they will encompass?

Secondly, what can they achieve with only €100,000? If it is for constructing two facilities, they wont be very significant. With the way our government throws money around, €100k will probably just about cover two bus shelters once everyone has has their slice.

highlydebased

AFAIK that was part of a larger portion of money some of which has already been spent on those stupid "slow down" signs- one of which is on the Ennis Road. They also spent it on those large digital information signs recently erected bout the place.

I'd say one of the park and rides will be in the Coonagh direction, the other near Annacotty. If Bus Eireann are to provide buses for it they could service the Coonagh one with the 305 route, though it would need far more regular service than once an hour

Armada

I read of a planned development for a park n ride facility adjacent to Finnegans - however that was in 2009 and the plan was for only 130 parking spaces!
I am pretty sure they didnt get approval.


I have noticed the new electronic "Welcome to Limerick" signs - very nice n all but I dont see how they will help anything.


There was an article in the Limerick Post during the summer about a private operator trying to start an hourly service from Coonagh into the city. I think it was whoever is running the "Eurocoach" service to UL from City centre. Havent heard anything about it since.


I think these little media snippets are mere PR stunts, trying to grab headlines in an effort to look progressive.
For a Park and Ride service to work there has to be continuous uninterrupted bus lanes from the parking site to the City centre - until that happens the journey time will be too long to justify it.

For example the new bus lane on Mulgrave street is interrupted by private parking next to St Josephs Hospital - what was the point!!!

pigtown

I'm pretty sure all the work being done on the old Dublin Road at Annacotty is in preparation for a P&R in that area. Not scheduled to be finished until the third week of December though so won't be there for Christmas.

Armada

pigtown wrote: »

I'm pretty sure all the work being done on the old Dublin Road at Annacotty is in preparation for a P&R in that area. Not scheduled to be finished until the third week of December though so won't be there for Christmas.

I was driving past that area over the weekend and the works seemed to be more cosmetic than anything.

Footpaths, traffic islands, lighting etc.
New junction for the turn off to Cappamore.


Perhaps this is the first phase of the park and ride thing, I guess we will see!

sonyair

the park and ride was to be next to finnegans and the current works they are doing are for new traffic lights for the cappamore junction and a bus lane.

Armada

sonyair wrote: »

the park and ride was to be next to finnegans and the current works they are doing are for new traffic lights for the cappamore junction and a bus lane.

Oh really? Cool! cant wait, should reduce journey time at peak hours quiet a bit!

Thanks :cool:

pigtown

The smarter travel document by the city council says that a P&R at the Annacotty Roundabout is planned for 2012/13. It's actually a pretty interesting read.
http://www.limerickcity.ie/Transport/StrategiesandPlans/SmarterTravel/SmarterTravelStage2Bid/

Armada

pigtown wrote: »

The smarter travel document by the city council says that a P&R at the Annacotty Roundabout is planned for 2012/13. It's actually a pretty interesting read.
http://www.limerickcity.ie/Transport/StrategiesandPlans/SmarterTravel/SmarterTravelStage2Bid/

Wow, thanks for the link. Very interesting information.

As far as I can tell from what I read of the 108 ish page document, they are looking to spend 10's of millions of euro on constructing bike lanes and associated fixings etc and promoting travelling to work and college by bike.

While I agree that increased use of bike travel is great for everyone, why is there no effort being made with public transport? (Other than adding bike racks to the front of buses)
They are planning on building bus lanes in several locations (which is great) but they are predicting that take up of public transport will remain static over the next 4 years!

While any increase in the use of bikes will be great, it is difficult to see how the relatively small difference in carbon emissions and traffic congestion can justify the massive investment they are looking to make.


Also they are looking to put cycle lanes in place of on street parking - something which they could not achieve when trying to build bus lanes - why do they think residents will be more receptive to this proposal?

pigtown

Armada wrote: »

Wow, thanks for the link. Very interesting information.

As far as I can tell from what I read of the 108 ish page document, they are looking to spend 10's of millions of euro on constructing bike lanes and associated fixings etc and promoting travelling to work and college by bike.

While I agree that increased use of bike travel is great for everyone, why is there no effort being made with public transport? (Other than adding bike racks to the front of buses)
They are planning on building bus lanes in several locations (which is great) but they are predicting that take up of public transport will remain static over the next 4 years!

While any increase in the use of bikes will be great, it is difficult to see how the relatively small difference in carbon emissions and traffic congestion can justify the massive investment they are looking to make.


Also they are looking to put cycle lanes in place of on street parking - something which they could not achieve when trying to build bus lanes - why do they think residents will be more receptive to this proposal?

Well the document was just a proposal that was put together to apply for funds from the national smarter travel fund. I think I read a quote from someone involved who basically said they submitted all of the proposals with the attitude that they are bound to get something. I think I am right in saying that the bus lane to Nenagh and the roadworks on the old Dublin road were granted through this document.

I think you'll agree that there are some controversial proposals in the document. When the students and staff of UL find out that they are planning to reduce the amount of parking on campus I'd say there will be war. Also the plan to remove all of the roundabouts on the old Dublin road and Childers road could be a big issue.

Poxyshamrock

I see in that document there is plans to build a station at the Parkway SC!

I cant see that happening anytime soon! :rolleyes:

what_traffic

pigtown wrote: »

The smarter travel document by the city council says that a P&R at the Annacotty Roundabout is planned for 2012/13. It's actually a pretty interesting read.
http://www.limerickcity.ie/Transport/StrategiesandPlans/SmarterTravel/SmarterTravelStage2Bid/

Limerick won the competition.
http://www.smartertravel.ie/content/latest-news

"
Minister of State for Public and Commuter Transport Alan Kelly announced the results of the National Competition for Smarter Travel Areas on 1 February 2012. Limerick City, Dungarvan and Westport will share in funding of €23million over a 5-year period to transform into Smarter Travel Areas, promoting cycling and walking, the use of public transport, and reducing car travel.
"

Armada

what_traffic wrote: »

Limerick won the competition.
http://www.smartertravel.ie/content/latest-news

"
Minister of State for Public and Commuter Transport Alan Kelly announced the results of the National Competition for Smarter Travel Areas on 1 February 2012. Limerick City, Dungarvan and Westport will share in funding of €23million over a 5-year period to transform into Smarter Travel Areas, promoting cycling and walking, the use of public transport, and reducing car travel.
"

I am delighted to see we have won this competition, it will bring investment and jobs if they employ local firms to carry out the work, which is not always the case unfortunately.

I was at the www.LimerickLocalHeroes.com event on Monday last, someone mentioned that in Glasgow they decided that any public work being carried out in Glasgow would be completed by Glasgow firms.

I think Limerick needs to copy this kind of initiative for both small scale and large scale public works where possible.

dowlingm

Armada wrote: »

I was at the www.LimerickLocalHeroes.com event on Monday last, someone mentioned that in Glasgow they decided that any public work being carried out in Glasgow would be completed by Glasgow firms.

I think Limerick needs to copy this kind of initiative for both small scale and large scale public works where possible.

They did, in 1982. It was made illegal by the Local Government Act 1988, being in conflict with EU tendering rules.

Armada

dowlingm wrote: »

They did, in 1982. It was made illegal by the Local Government Act 1988, being in conflict with EU tendering rules.

The same point was made at the Local Heroes meeting - Glasgow is in the EU yet they found a way around it.

Tenders should give extra points for local businesses.


I spoke with a guy who runs a sign company today, he said that the contract for all the new road signs in Limerick was given to a company from Kilkenny.
There are dozens of sign companies in Limerick and yet a big contract like this one was given away. That money should be supporting local employment.

Each euro spent on a local job finds its way to another local job and so on, that is how a local economy can pull itself out of recession and back to profit. Drogheda are doing Local Heroes since September and they had their busiest December ever.

IMO, asking the average punter to shop local and spend an extra €1 on an item to support local jobs is only worthwhile if larger scale public spending tries to do the same.


If the money for building these cycle lanes is spent locally, there is better chance there will be people around to cycle on them.

Maybe I have just had too much coffee today

dowlingm

Armada wrote: »

The same point was made at the Local Heroes meeting - Glasgow is in the EU yet they found a way around it.

I'd be interested to hear how - and I'd say so would a lot of Irish LAs. It's tricky to rewrite tendering rules though, not just because of the legalities but also because there can be perceptions of taxes being wasted not so much so locals get a shake so much as insiders.