The new trafic mess on the Quay.

wendydoll

ei9go wrote: »

I believe the plan is not to allow the left turn from the Quay up Bridge St anymore.

Seems like madness to stop a left turn.

That is madness. The bottom of Thomas Street is really shabby. And it can be nightmare to pull out onto the Glen from Thomas Street.

Max Powers wrote: »

you will just turn left before that as if you were heading to downes's

Maybe it's better signposted in the daytime but last night the "no left turn" sign was just after the hotel door so I was well passed the turn to Thomas Street.

dougal wrote: »

It is usually backed up okay but when the schools are out it normally thins out a bit and also it usually takes about 5 minutes, now its more like 15.
The problem at the moment is that only 2 or 3 cars are getting through the lights at Lombard street as the road is generally backed up coming up The Mall.

It's to be expected given the road works of course but there are delays.

It will be interesting to see the flow once the works are completed.

I have to agree Dougal. Over the last few months it is getting worse and worse. Even before the works began again. And during school hours.

Seems like traffic lights haven't been adjusted to allow for the works/road restrictions. The traffic lights at The Mall onto the quay are green for too long so the delays don't have a chance of clearing along the quay. And then it overflows up the Mall, up Parnell Street and onto the Manor as well as out Lombard Street/William Street.

However I have to say the pedestrian lights are the entrance to the Park are great. It allows people a chance to get out of Canada Street.

danjo-xx

These should be right of way routes where they cross O'Connell street as they are bus routes and the busiest streets with main traffic through flow, unlike O'Connell Street.

Could never understand the logic in the way they designed these streets, giving traffic on O'Connell st priority over public bus routes:eek:

Kxiii

danjo-xx wrote: »

These should be right of way routes where they cross O'Connell street as they are bus routes and the busiest streets with main traffic through flow, unlike O'Connell Street.

Could never understand the logic in the way they designed these streets, giving traffic on O'Connell st priority over public bus routes:eek:

That whole system is a mess. It's worse at the Glen end of Thomas st. as no one seems to know which lane to stop in when driving over to the Forum, most just stop in the middle of the two lanes.

Trick of the Tail

Logic? Nah. It's Waterford City Council. Traffic planning there is, at best, suck it and see; at worst - pure incompetence.

I've said it before - I really don't understand how the guy in charge of traffic planning in Waterford still has his job, since he's obviously not qualified for it.

Every - repeat: Every - time they build a new or modify a junction its a cock-up and has to be (expensively) re-done at least once.

Still, so what. It's only money.

Max Powers

Kxiii wrote: »

That whole system is a mess. It's worse at the Glen end of Thomas st. as no one seems to know which lane to stop in when driving over to the Forum, most just stop in the middle of the two lanes.

thats the drivers fault then isnt it, because its not excatly rocket science to know which lane you should be in. I would say a good proportion of traffic delays are due to peoples ignorance, parking where they shouldnt, driving irratically, not knowing rules of road and generally being discourteous to other drivers. After all that has been complained about, i would say traffic isnt too bad in the city, yeah maybe between 8-9 and 4.30-5.30 its bad but sure its pretty bad in every city at that time

comeraghs

In a few years when all these works are completed Waterford City will be a far more pleasant place to be in for locals & visitors. The Quay is a fine asset & shouldn't be considered a 2 lane motorway.

wmpdd3

I agree, but there is no real other option through the town.really only locals know you can go up bridge st and get out to the cork rd. Visitors just see slow moving chain of traffic.

Max Powers

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I agree, but there is no real other option through the town.really only locals know you can go up bridge st and get out to the cork rd. Visitors just see slow moving chain of traffic.

ORR and Suir Bridge

wmpdd3

That's bypassing the town, do you really want to recommend that to tourists?

I have a print out of the way from the bridge hotel across ballybricken and put the cork road and I give that to tourists.

Hopefully the quays will be so good they will become a tourist attraction in themselves.

Max Powers

wmpdd3 wrote: »

That's bypassing the town, do you really want to recommend that to tourists?

I have a print out of the way from the bridge hotel across ballybricken and put the cork road and I give that to tourists.

Hopefully the quays will be so good they will become a tourist attraction in themselves.

oh didnt see anything about tourists in posts, my bad possibly. Anyway, i dont think tourists are causing the traffic and if traffic is slowed on the quay, locals will get the message, taking alternatives, avoiding etc, making it nicer place in general. I dont think tourists are put off by slow moving traffic, its having something what looks like a main road running through city is not pretty/safe.

7upfree

mooseknunkle wrote: »

6 weeks according to a local paper

:D

wmpdd3

Maybe so, most of the tourists I deal with comment on the quay and ask for an alternative but they still want a fairly direct route to Dunmore / Tramore etc.

I take the point that the locals will just stop using the quay like I have. But when I stopped using that part last time, I started parking by TK Max and I didnt shop anywhere near the quay for a few months.

If the car park behind the Bus station was short stay I would park there and avoid the worst of the traffic and still shop in town.

7upfree

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Maybe so, most of the tourists I deal with comment on the quay and ask for an alternative but they still want a fairly direct route to Dunmore / Tramore etc.

I take the point that the locals will just stop using the quay like I have. But when I stopped using that part last time, I started parking by TK Max and I didnt shop anywhere near the quay for a few months.

If the car park behind the Bus station was short stay I would park there and avoid the worst of the traffic and still shop in town.

I agree. What they need to do is to convert one of those to a free car park (strictly monitored and with penalties if you stay more than two hours). The worse thing that was ever done was to hand some of the car parks over to private companies.

Sully

7upfree wrote: »

I agree. What they need to do is to convert one of those to a free car park (strictly monitored and with penalties if you stay more than two hours). The worse thing that was ever done was to hand some of the car parks over to private companies.

Isn't there council car parks along there? Do the private companies not work with the city center business groups in giving free/discounted parking on the Friday along with the council doing their bit?

7upfree

Sully wrote: »

Isn't there council car parks along there? Do the private companies not work with the city center business groups in giving free/discounted parking on the Friday along with the council doing their bit?

Some. But it isn't enough. A radical change has to take place. Parking costs are too expensive.

madfcuker

these road works on the quay is a benefit to the city that induces tourism for its main factor. I understand that their is a delay from getting from lombard street to the clock tower but in all its in the benefit of the city. if this didn't happen nobody would stop. I like the idea of local and tourism traffic coming through the town been restricted. As long as their is space for them to park And bus stops are been readily available along the route.

7upfree

madfcuker wrote: »

these road works on the quay is a benefit to the city that induces tourism for its main factor. I understand that their is a delay from getting from lombard street to the clock tower but in all its in the benefit of the city. if this didn't happen nobody would stop. I like the idea of local and tourism traffic coming through the town been restricted. As long as their is space for them to park And bus stops are been readily available along the route.

That remains to be seen.

Sully

7upfree wrote: »

Some. But it isn't enough. A radical change has to take place. Parking costs are too expensive.

I may very well be mistaken but I seem to remember the council being more expensive for parking than some of the private operators.

Rubberlegs

Max Powers wrote: »

a nightmare, really? on a sunday? id say tiny inconvenience or tiny delay if any would be more appropriate. I pass it twice a day and it seems fine to me as far as road construction works go.

It was particularly busy that Sunday, I can only assume it was with people heading to beaches etc. Like I said, even with having the green arrow to turn off the bridge on to the Quay, you couldn't get onto it, such was the back up of traffic. It took at least 15 minutes to get down the Quay. And then you have the twats flying up the inside lane, and trying to bully their way in to the single lane at the Clock Tower. So yeah, really, a nightmare:rolleyes:

Gadgie

73Cat wrote: »

And then you have the twats flying up the inside lane, and trying to bully their way in to the single lane at the Clock Tower.

The bigger fools are the ones who let them in.

Someone mentioned the longer daylight hours as a reason for doing this in summer, but there's no-one working on this during the evening, or on weekends.

Every time I drive past there doesn't appear to be more than half a dozen people working on the whole stretch, and the work is moving at a snail's pace.

fricatus

73Cat wrote: »

And then you have the twats flying up the inside lane, and trying to bully their way in to the single lane at the Clock Tower. So yeah, really, a nightmare:rolleyes:

Gadgie wrote: »

The bigger fools are the ones who let them in.

So either you wait in a big queue like a sheep (baaaa!) or else you barrel down the outside and force your way in. Not ideal either way.

The way to fix this is simple, and they use it in the States all the time. A few signs saying "Use Both Lanes" leading up to the works, and then one at the start of the works saying "Merge In Turn".

Gadgie

fricatus wrote: »

So either you wait in a big queue like a sheep (baaaa!) or else you barrel down the outside and force your way in. Not ideal either way.

The queue would be a lot shorter and faster moving if people didn't cut in at the front.

fricatus wrote: »

The way to fix this is simple, and they use it in the States all the time. A few signs saying "Use Both Lanes" leading up to the works, and then one at the start of the works saying "Merge In Turn".

I agree. Will the two lanes be kept up to the clock tower, or will the entire quay eventually be one lane?

Gadgie

Gadgie wrote: »

Will the two lanes be kept up to the clock tower, or will the entire quay eventually be one lane?

Answering my own question here, but for the time being it appears that the current roadworks are confined only to the section of road between the clock tower and post office.

http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/notices/102053-9331.pdf

Also, according to http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/notices/, the roadworks are due to finish this Friday (19 July). Some hope of that at the rate they're going.

Sully

Gadgie wrote: »

Answering my own question here, but for the time being it appears that the current roadworks are confined only to the section of road between the clock tower and post office.

http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/notices/102053-9331.pdf

Also, according to http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/notices/, the roadworks are due to finish this Friday (19 July). Some hope of that at the rate they're going.

I suspect they may meet the deadline as from what I can see its just done. The pipes are in, they have resurfaced sections and have clay down around where (I assume) the trees will go. It looks almost ready from what I saw last night.

As for not working late, they are. They seem to be working into mid evening and the level of light in winter is darker much earlier and poorer conditions

wendydoll

According* to my dad, there was a guy on the radio last week saying the quay will eventually be a one lane. He was saying its too confusing for drivers that the quay should go from one lane on the bridge, to two lanes, back to one lane.

Also they are planning to put a filter lane on the bridge for those turning out bilberry.

*my father isn't the most reliable source especially when it comes to city driving

7upfree

Sully wrote: »

I may very well be mistaken but I seem to remember the council being more expensive for parking than some of the private operators.

Which is why I said parking costs are too expensive.:)

Seriously, the City officials seem detached from reality, with the Manager slamming Seamus Ryan for querying the carrying out of roadworks in the middle of a tourist season.

7upfree

wendydoll wrote: »

According* to my dad, there was a guy on the radio last week saying the quay will eventually be a one lane. He was saying its too confusing for drivers that the quay should go from one lane on the bridge, to two lanes, back to one lane.

Also they are planning to put a filter lane on the bridge for those turning out bilberry.

*my father isn't the most reliable source especially when it comes to city driving

If anything there should be NO right turn to Bilberry. if there is, traffic should not be allowed up Summer Hill. Again another example of traffic "management" in Waterford City.

Sully

7upfree wrote: »

Which is why I said parking costs are too expensive.:)

Sorry I thought you meant private operators.

I think the car park in Kilkenny SC is very good pricing and then you get a discount if you shop in Dunnes to make it even better.

Seriously, the City officials seem detached from reality, with the Manager slamming Seamus Ryan for querying the carrying out of roadworks in the middle of a tourist season.

The summer season is the best season for road works.

Jambo

Sully wrote: »

I suspect they may meet the deadline as from what I can see its just done. The pipes are in, they have resurfaced sections and have clay down around where (I assume) the trees will go. It looks almost ready from what I saw last night.

As for not working late, they are. They seem to be working into mid evening and the level of light in winter is darker much earlier and poorer conditions

Just drove past there and it looks like they are only partially complete the foundation works , with none of the finishing started i.e no kerbing , paving, fixtures or fittings started just yet, going by how long each section of new footpath took to complete on the quay it will be another few weeks before this is done.

wendydoll

7upfree wrote: »

If anything there should be NO right turn to Bilberry. if there is, traffic should not be allowed up Summer Hill. Again another example of traffic "management" in Waterford City.

Where is the traffic meant to go if they can't drive up Summer Hill?

It would be silly to suggest people turn out bilberry and back down gracedieu or up bridge street and across the glen and out by the Philip street to bring kids to school etc