Ploughing Championships traffic management

Chris_5339762

Has anyone been down there? My folks are thinking of doing a Cork - Wexford trip on Thursday and I've been recommending they dont. Because of this. 25/9/12 at lunchtime.

WEXFORD
Expect delays approaching the National Ploughing Championships. The championships are taking place at Heathpark in New Ross until Thurs 27th Sept.
Up to 10km delays remain on the N25 Cork/Waterford Rd from Waterford to New Ross. Also slow on the N25 entering Waterford City itself.
Heavy on the M9 Dublin/Waterford Rd between J5 Carlow and J8 Kilkenny. Gardai are advising motorists to exit the M9 at J9 Kilkenny South and use the Kilkenny/New Ross Rd (R700).

Sounds to me that there wasn't a lick of traffic management around roads no sooner fit for a small gig than a large ploughing championship. The south east of the country sounds like its nearly shut down.

Anyone been down there?

foggy_lad

Not been but this weather will make it a lot worse especially getting in and out of muddy car parks.

coylemj

Haven't a clue why they've decided to hold it in the SE, it needs to be held somewhere that's accessible from at least two major routes so around Tullamore (M6/M7), Borrisoleigh (M7/M8) or Athy (M7/M9) would make far more sense. The previous three championships (2009-2011) were held in Athy.

munchkin_utd

dont blame the traffic management.

The organisers and guards clearly warned that traffic coming from Dublin direction should NOT USE the M9 and should instead come via the M11 as to avoid all the traffic coming in the same road.

from the indo:

The problem was caused by heavy traffic from Dublin and the midlands travelling via the M9 and converging with Munster traffic over the town’s bridge according to local gardai.

Chief Superintendant John Roche appealed to drivers travelling tomorrow to heed official advice to turn off the M9 at Carlow or use the N11 route to avoid heavy congestion.

its the VERY same as all the bumpkins from Donegal and Mayo (many with free travel passes, ahem!) who ignored all official calls to do otherwise and had to park as close as possible to Croke Park last sunday which led to the ensuing chaos.

road_high

I guess it is tempting to take the M9 all the way and onto N25 as on papaer and under normal circumstances it is the best way. But what happens is when everyone does it's a disaster and all the traffic was converging with Munster traffic at Waterford which caused chaos I'm sure.
I'm from Kilkenny and would nt dream of using that route if I was going.

Our man in Havana

Take the R700? Someone must be on drugs to suggest that route.

road_high

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Take the R700? Someone must be on drugs to suggest that route.

It's a crap road but that doesn't matter so much with this event, it's about keeping cars moving to/from the site and avoiding major bottleknecks i.e. New Ross.

Athy is/was far more central and easier for access.

Our man in Havana

What side of New Ross is the ploughing?

road_high

Our man in Havana wrote: »

What side of New Ross is the ploughing?

Near Ballinaboola I think, off the N25 between New Ross and Wexford

weddingcar.ie

I live just 10mins away from the ploughing. The only trafffic I heard of today that was a problem was coming from Waterford to New Ross but there are other routes to take have a look at their website. Coming from Wexford or Enniscothy the traffic was moving very well. The only problem i had was getting out of the car park fields they are very mucky going to be a lot of cars getting stuck

Chris_5339762

Looks like a disaster again today.

WEXFORD
Very busy traffic from Passage East on the Dunmore Rd through Waterford City to the Ferrybank DCW. Delays continue then approach to the National Ploughing Championships in New Ross on the N25 Waterford Rd from Slieverue.
Also slow westbound from Clonroche on the N30/Enniscorthy Rd and from Larkin's Cross on the N25/Wexford Rd. The Championships continue at Heathpark until Thurs. Expect delays to build as well on the Kilkenny/New Ross Rd (R700).
Signposted diversion will be in place through the towns of Enniscorthy and New Ross.
Gardai are asking motorists travelling to New Ross from the M9 to exit at J5 Carlow or J8 Kilkenny to avoid the long delays experienced on Tuesday on the N25 from Waterford.

My folks are still going to make the Cork - Wexford town trip on Thursday... I told them the best of luck! They're going despite my best advice.

Royal Legend

I got held up for a while yesterday and I was only travelling from Waterford, (thanks a lot to the clowns from Kilkenny/Carlow and Dublin who did not listen to the instructions for them to get to Ballinaboola :mad: ) If people follw the routes specified for them, then there is no issue whatsoever.

Apart from that, the traffic management was beyond excellent, well done to everyone involved, I got home in less than 45 minutes, which is not even remotely possible on a good day.

Chris_5339762

However, Bus Éireann say that it's taking 2 hours and 15 mins to travel from Waterford City to New Ross.

From AARoadwatch. That has to be a record.

bkehoe

Everyone coming from Dublin via the N11 had no problems at all today or yesterday.

A cousin came from Gorey, leaving at around 9AM and it took him 1hr 10mins, just 15mins longer than normal. Speaking to people coming from Wexford town and Kilkenny via Thomastown the delays were only in the region of 10 - 20 mins.
The mentality that the motorway and N class roads will be faster than the Regional roads that the signs are directing people to use will be a hard one to change in peoples minds even with all the traffic reports telling people to use the other routes.

Some of the car parks yesterday got a bit mucky by evening time after almost continuous rain all day, and some people had to be pulled out but those car parks are not in use today and there's only been a few light showers so the car park situation this evening should be much better.

Royal Legend

mfitzy wrote: »

It's a crap road but that doesn't matter so much with this event, it's about keeping cars moving to/from the site and avoiding major bottleknecks i.e. New Ross.

Athy is/was far more central and easier for access.

New Ross is fine, I did not see any real benefits when it was in Athy, once the glitch was sorted yesterday the traffic management was just as good if not better than last year.

Our man in Havana wrote: »

What side of New Ross is the ploughing?

The Far Side

daenerysstormborn3

I live beside the Rhu Glenn hotel and a courier arrived here yesterday and told me it took him 30 minutes to get from the Slieverue roundabout to my place.

The tailbacks are nearly 20kms long and from 8am to 11am it is stopped as far back as the Luffany roundabout. The traffic moves in dribs and drabs between 8 and 11 and then from 11 onwards it's still heavy but moves at a steady pace.

foggy_lad

Sounds like many people are letting their sat navs lead them into trouble instead of them looking at the signs set out by the organisers.

Royal Legend

The same happened yesterday, is it the schools traffic in New Ross that causes the problem?

thomasm

coylemj wrote: »

Haven't a clue why they've decided to hold it in the SE, it needs to be held somewhere that's accessible from at least two major routes so around Tullamore (M6/M7), Borrisoleigh (M7/M8) or Athy (M7/M9) would make far more sense. The previous three championships (2009-2011) were held in Athy.

Some minister said yesterday on the radio they were having it in West Waterford next year, that will be traffic fun

Royal Legend

Decision at weekend to agree to hold it again in New Ross.

Hope it happens, it has been great for the region

Any news on traffic today?

dowlingm

An Garda Siochana wrote:

Entrance to the car parks is free

And that is why traffic management for the Ploughing will always be a contradiction in terms - no disincentive to drive up to the gate especially for non-disabled casual visitors as opposed to exhibitors.

Fees from the car parking could then have gone to stuff like temporary hard standing (metal grids of some sort maybe) so that people like a friend of mine on Facebook wouldn't be stuck in their cars because the cars around them couldn't get out with all the muck, as well as a more aggressive shuttle schedule including trips from Enniscorthy and Thomastown to Palace East on the N30/R700. Now on the Thomastown side there are some tricky spots but surely nothing that can't be managed. Instead people coming down by rail had to go to Wexford and Waterford to get shuttles and in the Waterford case to hoof it across the bridge to the bus terminus by the looks - although maybe that wasn't much of a problem since IE didn't seem to take much interest.

coylemj

If they charged for parking then a large number of drivers would abandon their cars all over the country roads leading into the event and there would be even more chaos.

This is Ireland, remember.

Francis H Murphy

Total traffic chaos taking everyone to New Ross , traffic backed up into Waterford (16km +) everyday & also a mess getting out each evening

Hard to credit that they are considering repeating the same mistake again in 2013 the ultimate definition of madness !

dowlingm

coylemj wrote: »

If they charged for parking then a large number of drivers would abandon their cars all over the country roads leading into the event and there would be even more chaos.

This is Ireland, remember.

Tow them into the nearest field and let the cows sh!t on them. Also, a clamp so the farmer concerned be compensated for the use of his land

bradknowell

Father went down from Waterford yesterday and said there was bugger all traffic. He left at about 1 and said there wasn't any traffic going towards it.

Chris_5339762

Folks got from Cork to New Ross in the normal time at about lunchtime, didnt even stop as they went past the entrances. On the way back it took them 4 hours, 2 1/2 of which was from Wexford to New Ross. Lots of guards about, stopping N25 traffic to empty practically the entire showgrounds of cars while barely any N25 east to west traffic was allowed through. They said it was a complete joke.

The minute they got through Ross, traffic thinned out completely.


I have no sympathy for them, I warned them and warned them

Royal Legend

Francis H Murphy wrote: »

Total traffic chaos taking everyone to New Ross , traffic backed up into Waterford (16km +) everyday & also a mess getting out each evening

Hard to credit that they are considering repeating the same mistake again in 2013 the ultimate definition of madness !

Only the Waterford route went through New Ross, get your facts right before you post. Ballinaboola is just outside New Ross, The Kilkenny traffic came through Ferrybridge, East Waterford traffic across the ferry and bypassed Kennedy Park, no hassle there, Traffic from Enniscourty, Carlow and Wexford Town had no trouble either.
The traffic coming out was compounded by Peoples cars getting stuck in the muddy carparks, plus the bad weather, sure it would be different somewhere else, no rain in the rest of the country :rolleyes:

Personally, I thought it went well, and I sincerely hope it comes back to Wexford again soon.

Our man in Havana

The ferry would never handle that sort of traffic.