Kildare Town Traffic Light Mania

NedNew2

Yet another set of traffic lights are being put in Kildare Town, this time on the Rathbride Road on the way to the Curragh. They are being put in allegedly to handle the traffic to the new school on what will be the new link road to the school from Rathbride.

For such a small town it is infested with traffic lights, so much so that they could double up as street lights (since half the town has to do without street lights).

These must cost a fortune and if the other traffic lights are anything to go by they will be a constant irritation (badly timed, inconsistent, malfunctioning, etc).

What criteria do the uberwise councillors judge so many traffic lights to be necessary? Portlaoise which is many times larger is a utopia of forward planning with its notable lack of the traffic lights, yet everything flows smoothly and efficiently.

In Germany and Holland they are removing traffic lights in many towns but not in Kildare. Oh no, lets do the opposite and put in more and more.

The town is being detroyed by the very people entrusted to perserve it.

guil

it's not as if the town is ever bottlenecked bar maybe thursday when the market is on

maxer68

NedNew2 wrote: »

In Germany and Holland they are removing traffic lights in many towns but not in Kildare. Oh no, lets do the opposite and put in more and more.

The town is being detroyed by the very people entrusted to perserve it.

2 sets of new lights recently.

1 at new tescos - paid for by Tesco and to manage traffic into and out of their carpark. Rarely any delays, so don't cause concern.

2nd just before Aldi - primarily pedestrian lights. Before the lights were installed, umpteen eejits would park their cars on the pathways blocking anyone with buggies and blocking view to allow safe crossing of the road at that area (pedestrian access to Kildare village) lights were paid for by development contribution from bith Aldi & Kildare village. Again the lights don;t cause any untoward delay and makes exiting Aldi far far easier.

As for germany / holland taking down lights - can you post a link. Cos last time I was in Germany (6months ago in Essen area), there were traffic lights everywhere.

245

maxer68 wrote: »

As for germany / holland taking down lights - can you post a link. Cos last time I was in Germany (6months ago in Essen area), there were traffic lights everywhere.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2143663,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_space

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,448747,00.html

Kildare town is nothing in comparison to the uncooridinated madness that is Newbridge

NedNew2

To give an example, if someone is coming from Milltown, Allenwood, Curragh direction and want to go to Kildare Village, here is what one has to endure

1. New lights (under construction) at Rathbride Abbey
2. The infamous lights at the one way Rathbride Bridge
3. Traffic lights at the junction of the Railway Store
4. Traffic lights in the town centre
5. Traffic lights at Pidgeon Lane 100 metres before Tesco
6. Traffic lights at Tesco
7. Traffic lights at the old Monasterevin Road-Nurney Road

Seven sets of lights in a small town!! Crazy like the council.

maxer68

NedNew2 wrote: »

To give an example, if someone is coming from Milltown, Allenwood, Curragh direction and want to go to Kildare Village, here is what one has to endure

1. New lights (under construction) at Rathbride Abbey
2. The infamous lights at the one way Rathbride Bridge
3. Traffic lights at the junction of the Railway Store
4. Traffic lights in the town centre
5. Traffic lights at Pidgeon Lane 100 metres before Tesco
6. Traffic lights at Tesco
7. Traffic lights at the old Monasterevin Road-Nurney Road

Seven sets of lights in a small town!! Crazy like the council.

1. New lights (under construction) at Rathbride Abbey - required for the school
2. The infamous lights at the one way Rathbride Bridge - required for safety (previously it was a nightmare)
3. Traffic lights at the junction of the Railway Store - busy junction
4. Traffic lights in the town centre - busy junction
5. Traffic lights at Pidgeon Lane 100 metres before Tesco
6. Traffic lights at Tesco - pidgeon lane & tesco lights are same batch and needed for acces to/from tesco - also numerous accidents at pidgeon lane over the years.
7. Traffic lights at the old Monasterevin Road-Nurney Road. Again busy junction, but probably suit roundabout.


The main problem we have is ignorant drivers who simply won't have manners when they get into their cars. Have a look at Athy, 1 set of lights and total chaos. No-one allows you out of petitts carpark, no-one allows you out from stradbally road, and until the recent lights were installed, no-one allowed you out of the the barrowhose road.

If we had the same manners as german or dutch drivers and gave way more often, there'd be no need for all the lights, but even the simple example of the ignorant and dangerous parking every weekend at the pedestrian entrance to kildare village shows there are a substantial number of morons in cars that donl;t give a sh1te about other motorists and until they do, traffic lights is the only way of managing traffic in araes where land is not available for a roundabout.

Apanachi

maxer68 wrote: »

If we had the same manners as german or dutch drivers

Thank God we don't, German driver are the most impatient I ever came across, you stall for a split second at the traffic lights, and you're treated to a beeping orchestra

NedNew2

1. New lights (under construction) at Rathbride Abbey - required for the school which should never have been placed where it is. Also how do you define required? What traffic analysis figures are available to you to determine that they are required there? It has been used for 10 years without lights. Maybe we should put lights at every junction?

2. The infamous lights at the one way Rathbride Bridge - Required for safety? It is now more unsafe due to drivers breaking the lights, unreliable signals, intolerable delays, etc. Have you ever goen through it on a bicycle? Try it and see how safe it is. Whole other thread required for this.

3. Traffic lights at the junction of the Railway Store - busy junction, indeed it is and its ok to have lights here.

4. Traffic lights in the town centre - busy junction, again ok to have lights here.

5. Traffic lights at Pidgeon Lane 100 metres before Tesco,

6. Traffic lights at Tesco - pidgeon lane & tesco lights are NOT the same batch. They were installed at the same time and work independently. Numerous accidents at pidgeon lane would be the top of the road not the traffic light end and is due to a ridiculous right of way on the blind junction.

7. Traffic lights at the old Monasterevin Road-Nurney Road. Again busy junction, but probably suit roundabout. Agreed.

It could always be argued to have more and more traffic lights, ramps, signs, cameras installed in the name of safety, think of the little children, etc. The links provided earlier provide some very interesting reading although I could never picture Kildare CC as being progressive thinkers.

kc56

2. The infamous lights at the one way Rathbride Bridge - Required for safety? It is now more unsafe due to drivers breaking the lights, unreliable signals, intolerable delays, etc. Have you ever goen through it on a bicycle? Try it and see how safe it is. Whole other thread required for this.

Given the totally blind crest on the Rathbride bridge, some traffic control is necessary. I agree that the present signals are not optimum ranging from long delays to turning green when on-coming traffic is still present (no doubt aggravated by the endemic red-light breaking). And it's no fun on a bike either with the lights going green while the cyclist still descending having started at the green light on the other side.

On balance it's still safer with the lights than without.

The solution here is to improve the signals coupled with enforcement of the red light. Maybe the new CCTV cameras installed in recent weeks could have a role here?

The bridge is totally inadequate for the traffic especially after the school opens. The best solution is a new bridge but how likely is that?

6. Traffic lights at Tesco - pidgeon lane & tesco lights are NOT the same batch. They were installed at the same time and work independently. Numerous accidents at pidgeon lane would be the top of the road not the traffic light end and is due to a ridiculous right of way on the blind junction.

Totally agree with the blind right of way at the top of Pidgeon lane. The new school may lead to even more traffic on Pidgeon lane and the new lights will help with right hand turns onto the Monasterevin road.