Planned roadworks on Coolagh RAB and Briarhill Junction

Taken from the Galway City Council website

Further to the Bothar na dTreabh (N6) Multi-Modal Corridor Improvement Scheme please note that work to extend the right turn lane at the Briarhill Junction from the N6 to the Monivea Road will commence this week. It is not anticipated that this work will disrupt traffic, as traffic on the N6 will be transfered to the hard shoulder to keep two lanes of traffic operating on the N6.
Coolagh Roundabout
Commencing Monday 26, 2012, work will begin on the Coolagh Roundabout aimed at narrowing the central island of the roundabout and realigning some of the splitter islands at the roundabout entries. As this work is on the central circulating carriageway of the roundabout, some traffic disruption can be expected, but all attempts will be made to keep this disruption to a minimum.

desaparecidos

Two things that should have been done right in the first place. Such waste.

Storm 10

Its crazy to think after all that was spent on this that they have to re-visit and change the layout, it just shows how wrong they are in City Hall I am surprised that Padraig C has not been on about another waste of public money.

Another one that is silly is when driving on Lough Atalia towards the docks is the large hatched area that prevents you from turning right towards the station, this should be changed to a right turn lane and not have cars wanting to turn right being in the straight ahead for the docks and Salthill.

galah

so many things wrong still. It also seems that they repainted the lanes outside the firestation, but somehow changed them, so that coming from Salthill, you don't really have 2 lanes anymore after the traffic light (before, people turning left down Raven Terrace could do so while other traffic could go straight). Accident waiting to happen.

Also, Westside is still not right, traffic does not flow properly. Why on earth they gave that estate (Glenoaks or whatever it's called) it's OWN traffic light, stopping the main flow every few minutes (instead of simply making it 'left turn' only, sending people who want to turn right up to the roundabout) but not giving the old Rahoon Road it's own junction (causing a lot of hassle around there), is beyond me. Light sequence still doesnt work (or people simply keep running red lights, I dont now), and it seems that you can use the bus lane as long as you indicate left for long enough (and noone gives a feck) :rolleyes:

Seriously, this town could be minted if they simply started enforcing and fining people for traffic offences (and pocketing the cash)...Fish in a barrel...

And two more things while I am at it - anyone notice this weird sequence of the traffic light along the Tuam Road, outside the AIB? Coming from town, the traffic light is green for a while, then goes red, then goes green again for 2 cars, and goes red again. Very random, very annoying (cause for the second part, it forces you to break hard as the sequence is so short, if you are coming down the hill expecting a longer green light).

Following on from that - is it REALLY necessary for a town to keep ALL the traffic lights running at night? Even the pedestrian ones (I always seem to get caught at the ones in Eyre Square, if I catch that t*t who presses the button while there's no cars around at 6 am, I'll kick him/her), and obscure lights that may have validity during the day, but defo not at night when there's hardly anyone around? :mad:

galah

galah wrote: »

Following on from that - is it REALLY necessary for a town to keep ALL the traffic lights running at night? Even the pedestrian ones (I always seem to get caught at the ones in Eyre Square, if I catch that t*t who presses the button while there's no cars around at 6 am, I'll kick him/her), and obscure lights that may have validity during the day, but defo not at night when there's hardly anyone around? :mad:

People walk at night too

pleasant Co.

galah wrote: »

if I catch that t*t who presses the button while there's no cars around at 6 am, I'll kick him/her

....and while you commit your foolish crime some other scumbag steals your car , luckily there are plenty of CCTV cams around there.

Col200sx

Didn't Conor Faughnan of the AA say last night on the transport discussion on The Last Word with Matt Cooper that:

"Traffic problems are worse in Galway than in Dublin".

Interesting, and this is with all the "improvements" made over the years......

galah

galah wrote: »

And two more things while I am at it - anyone notice this weird sequence of the traffic light along the Tuam Road, outside the AIB? Coming from town, the traffic light is green for a while, then goes red, then goes green again for 2 cars, and goes red again. Very random, very annoying (cause for the second part, it forces you to break hard as the sequence is so short, if you are coming down the hill expecting a longer green light).

That is an odd one - it is connected to the pedestrian lights - for some reason the pedestrian crossing isn't slotted in between the regular cycles of the lights, it goes green on the Tuam road for a few seconds and then red for the pedestrian crossing.

galah wrote: »

Also, Westside is still not right, traffic does not flow properly. Why on earth they gave that estate (Glenoaks or whatever it's called) it's OWN traffic light, stopping the main flow every few minutes (instead of simply making it 'left turn' only, sending people who want to turn right up to the roundabout) but not giving the old Rahoon Road it's own junction (causing a lot of hassle around there), is beyond me. Light sequence still doesnt work (or people simply keep running red lights, I dont now), and it seems that you can use the bus lane as long as you indicate left for long enough (and noone gives a feck) :rolleyes:

I think the long term plan is to reroute the old rahoon road back to the other set of lights through Higgins/potential tesco. There is a phantom right turning lane at those lights.

biko

Please stay on topic, the works on the junction and rb.
General traffic threads don't have a great history in this forum.

galah

Deleted User wrote: »

People walk at night too

yes, but they seems to be perfectly capable of crossing the road and NOT waiting for their lights to go green, yet still press the flipping button...

anyhooo. Don't want to get banned.:D

Sponge Bob

The roadworks on the brand new roundabout are because the surface there is notoriously slippy and it is way too narrow...Duh! . City Council not responsible for that design for a change so we can't point the finger for once.

The County Council designed and supervised the Motorway of which that RAB is part.

antoobrien

Sponge Bob wrote: »

The roadworks on the brand new roundabout are because the surface there is notoriously slippy and it is way too narrow...Duh! . City Council not responsible for that design for a change so we can't point the finger for once.

The County Council designed and supervised the Motorway of which that RAB is part.

In fairness Sponge Bob, the ridiculously short right turn lane is something the council were responsible for, so they deserve that portion of the criticism.

But you're right, the council seem to be a magnet for blame - valid or not.

Sponge Bob

So On the record, Mainly Not the fault of the City Council, m'kay!

Cleahaigh

Sponge Bob wrote: »

The roadworks on the brand new roundabout are because the surface there is notoriously slippy and it is way too narrow...Duh! . City Council not responsible for that design for a change so we can't point the finger for once.

The County Council designed and supervised the Motorway of which that RAB is part.

Nope, the PPP company designed the roundabout and approaches. The original design had a much wider circulatory carriageway and also suggested measures on the M6 approach from 400m out to include distance plate marked roundabout warning signs every 100m as well as yellow bar markings over the 400m length. The Employer's Representative was RPS.

Sponge Bob

Well the road design office that supervised them is under the county council.

KevR

Col200sx wrote: »

Didn't Conor Faughnan of the AA say last night on the transport discussion on The Last Word with Matt Cooper that:

"Traffic problems are worse in Galway than in Dublin".

Interesting, and this is with all the "improvements" made over the years......

"Over the years"?? Galway has seen sweet damn all investment in roads (or transport in general) over the years especially when you consider the population boom which took place over the past few decades.

Prior to the very recent SQR upgrade and roundabout replacements, I can't remember anything significant in the past 10 - 15 years.. The Western Distributor and Ballybrit DC are going back quite a while!

Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford are all bypassed. None of them have traffic problems as bad as Galway. Also, there is no redundancy in Galway's road network - one incident and the whole town is crippled because there is zero spare capacity.

Sponge Bob

All True Kevr. The most farcical situation was when the Minister of Health had to get out and walk nearly 2 miles to the MAIN HOSPITAL FOR THE WHOLE WEST earlier this year for a meeting.

Imagine were that an ambulance with critically ill patients he was in.

But the Coolagh Roundabout is a crap design anyway, way too tight and too slippy in the wet. It is only 3 years old and of all places on earth ....Galway should know how to build a roundabout in 2009.

galwaycyclist

KevR wrote: »

"Over the years"?? Galway has seen sweet damn all investment in roads (or transport in general) over the years especially when you consider the population boom which took place over the past few decades.

Exactly - if you were of a cynical frame of mind you might think it would appear to suit some in authority that the traffic situation would get steadily worse.

KevR

Sponge Bob wrote: »

All True Kevr. The most farcical situation was when the Minister of Health had to get out and walk nearly 2 miles to the MAIN HOSPITAL FOR THE WHOLE WEST earlier this year for a meeting.

Imagine were that an ambulance with critically ill patients he was in.

But the Coolagh Roundabout is a crap design anyway, way too tight and too slippy in the wet. It is only 3 years old and of all places on earth ....Galway should know how to build a roundabout in 2009.

When I used to cycle Westside to Ballybrit daily in evening rush hour, I sometimes was able to keep pace with ambulances (sirens on) over a distance of a couple of miles. It would be funny if it wasn't true.

Ballybrit junction change moving along quick. They are at the road marking stage already

Iwannahurl

KevR wrote: »

When I used to cycle Westside to Ballybrit daily in evening rush hour, I sometimes was able to keep pace with ambulances (sirens on) over a distance of a couple of miles. It would be funny if it wasn't true.

Problem, and partial solution, all in one...

Sponge Bob

crossbar to the cancer ward....is it?

Iwannahurl

Sponge Bob wrote: »

crossbar to the cancer ward....is it?

I knew you were going to say that.

No, to A&E of course.

I've edited my earlier post to highlight the relevant bits.

The point, though not the primary one intended by the poster, is that the mode of travel in question was clearly the best one for keeping pace (suggesting a partial solution). The large number of cars impeding the ambulance (most of them single-occupant, for sure) are clearly the problem.

antoobrien

Sponge Bob wrote: »

crossbar to the cancer ward....is it?

Based on this, best not to be living in town.

Road-traffic fumes linked to autism in children
Living near a busy road is associated with a dramatic increase in the risk of childhood autism, a study has shown.

Early exposure to traffic pollution, either in the womb or during the first year of life, more than doubled a child's chances of having the disorder, scientists found.

Children from homes with the highest air pollution levels were three times more at risk than those from the least exposed homes.

Link to full study

antoobrien

Deleted User wrote: »

Ballybrit junction change moving along quick. They are at the road marking stage already

How far down have they come, it looks about 150m?

Just about 150 I'd say, maybe slightly less

Should make it safer in the mornings

yer man!

antoobrien wrote: »

Based on this, best not to be living in town.



Link to full study

Sure the stress from Galway traffic alone is damaging to health....

KevR

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Problem, and partial solution, all in one...

Not a proper solution in my opinion. I wouldn't wish the cycle I used to do on my worst enemy. It was soul destroying in the wind and/or rain.

KevR

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Exactly - if you were of a cynical frame of mind you might think it would appear to suit some in authority that the traffic situation would get steadily worse.

What I really don't understand is why there are no traffic counts available for Galway City. The City Council undertake a massive traffic counting exercise on almost every road in the city every October/Novemeber but never publish the results.

I have written to them asking for figures but I got back some rubbish response saying the voulme of data was too great and I wouldn't be able to get anything useful from it :rolleyes:

Sponge Bob

Yeah but obviously you never leant in the window of the ambulance and offered the patient the lend of your bike Kev...so you will never know whether it could have solved the issue on occasion or not.

In other words Hurl may be right but we'll never know.

Iwannahurl

KevR wrote: »

Not a proper solution in my opinion. I wouldn't wish the cycle I used to do on my worst enemy. It was soul destroying in the wind and/or rain.

Doesn't bother me, or me wains.

Then again, our current cycle journey is under 4 km (as it is for around half of city commuters IIRC). I used to commute around 12 km across town in all weathers, but I was being stubborn then. Your soul may be destroyed but the cardiac payoff on its own is a real corporeal benefit...

Iwannahurl

KevR wrote: »

What I really don't understand is why there are no traffic counts available for Galway City. The City Council undertake a massive traffic counting exercise on almost every road in the city every October/Novemeber but never publish the results.

I have written to them asking for figures but I got back some rubbish response saying the voulme of data was too great and I wouldn't be able to get anything useful from it :rolleyes:

Yes, I believe they have also refused to give that data to elected representatives, which is the height of arrogance IMO.

The cryptocracy in City Hall doesn't like information to get into the wrong hands, ie anyone else's but their own.

Don't take no for an answer.

I have been advised on good authority to try the Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) route when such basic info is not forthcoming.

http://www.environ.ie/en/AboutUs/AccesstoInformationontheEnvironment/

Worth a try?

yer man!

KevR wrote: »

What I really don't understand is why there are no traffic counts available for Galway City. The City Council undertake a massive traffic counting exercise on almost every road in the city every October/Novemeber but never publish the results.

I have written to them asking for figures but I got back some rubbish response saying the voulme of data was too great and I wouldn't be able to get anything useful from it :rolleyes:

I know the person that extracts the information and puts it into excel, he said the council are really weird about the whole thing, he's not allowed disclose any of the information to anyone..... he did say it's really easy to understand anyway.

Iwannahurl

yer man! wrote: »

I know the person that extracts the information and puts it into excel, he said the council are really weird about the whole thing, he's not allowed disclose any of the information to anyone..... he did say it's really easy to understand anyway.

In which case ask for the collated Excel data under AIE.

yer man!

Iwannahurl wrote: »

In which case ask for the collated Excel data under AIE.

Well he had to sign a non-disclosure, just to know how embarrassing Galway city's road network is.... NUIG use the information a lot, a few of the engineering students are given projects to do with Galway traffic every summer. They've come up with some good ideas but they fall on deaf ears....

Sponge Bob

Need to go back a few years, they do this every year and 2009 was the last year before the SQR road job and the junctions.

Cleahaigh

yer man! wrote: »

Well he had to sign a non-disclosure, just to know how embarrassing Galway city's road network is.... NUIG use the information a lot, a few of the engineering students are given projects to do with Galway traffic every summer. They've come up with some good ideas but they fall on deaf ears....

Go on, name a few.

yer man!

Cleahaigh wrote: »

Go on, name a few.

They aren't major infrastructural solutions now but just small things like designing bike lanes on certain routes into and out of the city and redesigned taxi ranks, bus stops and bus lanes.

Iwannahurl

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Yeah but obviously you never leant in the window of the ambulance and offered the patient the lend of your bike Kev...so you will never know whether it could have solved the issue on occasion or not.

antoobrien wrote: »

Based on this, best not to be living in town.

Link to full study

A very large number of non-emergency hospital admissions are due to non-communicable diseases.

The risk factors for the major diseases in that category are well known, long established and largely preventable. Policy and structural measures, including those related to the built environment, are of great importance, since preventable diseases are a major social and economic burden on the state.

Obesity costs E1.1 billion a year

Overweight and obesity costs the country over €1.1 billion every year, a new study has found.

Some two-thirds of these costs are related to absenteeism and lost productivity, while the remainder - almost €400 million - is spent on direct healthcare costs, such as hospital care, GP care and drug costs.

The study, which was carried out by University College Cork (UCC) on behalf of Safefood, marks the first to estimate the costs associated with overweight and obesity in Ireland. It noted that while €1.1 billion is spent in the Republic, a further €510 million is spent in Northern Ireland.

The researchers involved looked at 18 weight-related conditions and found that the main drivers of healthcare costs were heart disease, colorectal cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke and a number of other cancers, including cancer of the breast and oesophagus.

Overall, obesity, rather than overweight, cost the most.

Meanwhile weight-related lower back pain was found to be a major cause of work absenteeism and lost productivity.

"Excess body weight is associated with a significant burden of chronic disease, with negative effects on overall life expectancy, disability-free life expectancy, quality of life, health care costs and productivity," commented Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan of Safefood.

Also commenting on the findings, Safefood chief executive, Martin Higgins, pointed out that these are conservative figures and do not fully reflect the human and social costs of excess weight.

However, despite this, they show ‘a compelling case for obesity prevention, based on changes in our food environment and physical activity levels', he added.

Physical activity includes active travel to school and work, and there is a substantial body of evidence demonstrating the causal links between regular mode of travel, body weight, chronic disease risk factors and long-term health status.

Or to put it another way, there is a direct link between chronic car dependence, chronic disease and chronic pressure on the health services.

Facilitating active travel, such as by replacing Galway's sick roundabouts with a junction type that is (hopefully) safer and easier, is an example of how the built environment can be made more conducive to cycling and walking.

biko

Any post not directly linked to these particular roadworks will be deleted and the poster smacked.
On topic from here on please.

yer man!

Is 150m of an extension enough for the left turn lane to ballybrit? would have been handy if the thing nearly went to the roundabout.

Different side of the junction, on the M6 inbound lane

dloob

yer man! wrote: »

Is 150m of an extension enough for the left turn lane to ballybrit? would have been handy if the thing nearly went to the roundabout.

It's the right turn towards the airport.
It used to block one of the straight ahead lanes at times if too much traffic built up in it and had to queue in the straight ahead lane.

yer man!

dloob wrote: »

It's the right turn towards the airport.
It used to block one of the straight ahead lanes at times if too much traffic built up in it and had to queue in the straight ahead lane.

ya sorry meant the right turn lane. :P

The extended lane is now open

Still bollards around but work seems to be completed