Traffic calming, N17 between Tuam and Claregalway

monument

What's up with the traffic calming On the N17 between Tuam and Claregalway?

Seems a bit mad or at least the road markings do.

What's the name of the village?

Mars Bar

At Knockdoe?

It's all ziggy zaggy!

The Nutty M

Someone without brains had the plans drawn up for those markings,someone without brains painted them on without questioning it.It's impossible to keep within them in an artic.Straightlining all the way:D

Mars Bar

The Nutty M wrote: »

Someone without brains had the plans drawn up for those markings,someone without brains painted them on without questioning it.It's impossible to keep within them in an artic.Straightlining all the way:D

My dad said the whole point was to make people drive slower there and that's why it's not straight!

ScumLord

I've been told be road engineers that it doesn't met many of the standards for road layouts. Anyone involved in a accident there could easily sue due to that according to him.

ciaranmac

I thought maybe people were exaggerating but I drove through it last night and it really is unbelievably bad. I'd say it would be lethal to try cycling through it.

monument

Noticed while in the car there was cycling bypass lanes been put it place but if these are any good / be kept clear is another story.

jamesdiver

the concrete dividers are fairly narrow alright

Tinder

Cycled through the 'traffic calming' last sunday morning, a group of about 8 and it was a nightmare, really dangerous with not enough room for both cars/trucks to get through where the traffic islands pinch everything. An accident waiting to happen unfortunately.

galwaycyclist

Tinder wrote: »

Cycled through the 'traffic calming' last sunday morning, a group of about 8 and it was a nightmare, really dangerous with not enough room for both cars/trucks to get through where the traffic islands pinch everything. An accident waiting to happen unfortunately.

Ok the Galway County Walking and Cycling Strategy is currently being drafted.

In the consultations on this, the Cycling Campaign specifically raised the issue of cyclist-hostile traffic calming schemes eg. Kilrickle, Killcolgan, Claregalway etc.

If anyone can get us pictures of this feature in Knockdoe we can throw it into the mix.

Also if we could get written testimonials from local cyclists about the risks they experience using these structures it would also be useful.

Tinder

This is the works as they were three weeks ago, the weaving cars feature is reinforced with concrete islands now you can see the zig-zag feature in the pic attached. You can also see the cyclist struggling up the tight hand side.


http://www.tuamherald.ie/2012/11/21/knockdoe-traffic-calming-works-causing-safety-concerns-on-n17/

gammygils

The kerbs on the islands are too high IMO.

If a car was to clip the kerb even at 60 kph or less serious damage could result or it could cause a serious accident

Shakti

It's quite simply a waste of money and has been a giant pain in the neck for road users from the outset and will continue to be until some unfortunate soul wraps themselves and their car+cyclist/pedestrian around it.

ScumLord

gammygils wrote: »

The kerbs on the islands are too high IMO.

If a car was to clip the kerb even at 60 kph or less serious damage could result or it could cause a serious accident

As the layout doesn't meet any of the Irish road standards either they'll have an easy time getting a court settlement too.

Iwannahurl

http://www.galwaynews.ie/31516-technical-examination-after-fatal-crash-knockdoe

D.J.K.75

This road lay-out is ridiculous! Why the hell is it weaving in & out.... I drove by there last night at about 11pm and I said my my girlfriend who was in the car with me that someone was going to be killed at that spot because of the kerbs, and a few hours later someone unfortunately was!

Now, the crash might not have been caused by the kerbs at all, but still, they are bloody ridiculous. RIP to the lad.

finlma

The road layout there is a disgrace and so many people have said it was only a matter of time before an accident happened. Now it has. The county council and whoever came up with the design need to have a long look at themselves.

RIP to the young man and shame on the county council.

ScumLord

If they have to change that layout again someone should be held accountable, for that mans death and all the delays and wasted money the rest of us will have to go through.

Mars Bar

Watching cars from behind trying to obey the lines is like watching a drunk driver trying to control their car.

R.I.P Young man

NordicDiver

RIP
It was only a matter of time before this happened.

Proxy

Have any more details about the circumstances of the collision come out yet?

The whole idea of the whole set-up is to slow the traffic at that junction where there have been several serious crashes in the last decade. Going through there at 60kph (which is the limit there) is easy. Saying that, I would have some sympathy for buses/artics, but if you can't get through there in a regular-sized vehicle without trouble, that worries me. Slow down.

I really do not understand how people are having such issues with it, and I travel through there regularly, to/from Galway to Tuam. I can, on the other hand, understand why it was there, given the level of speeding and dangerous driving on the N17.

Not a county engineer btw....

finlma

You don't solve a problem by creating another. There are better ways of calming traffic than the zigzag pattern they have with high kerbs in the middle of the road. Of course it doesn't pose a problem if you're travelling at 60km/hr but therein lies the problem. There are no guarantees that everyone will slow down on a straight stretch of main road so the measures they introduced were dangerous and have been proved so.

Proxy

finlma wrote:

Of course it doesn't pose a problem if you're travelling at 60km/hr but therein lies the problem. There are no guarantees that everyone will slow down on a straight stretch of main road

This is the problem. People feel like they know better than the speed limit put in place. This is exactly why they put it in - it is no longer to be considered a straight stretch of road - slow down to avoid crashing into the speed calming layout.

I can't believe this is up for discussion after the absolute massacre on the roads in the last years. The NRA's main focus this year is to get drivers to slow down. Is that so hard to do for the 20 seconds it takes to get through that village?

finlma

Proxy wrote: »

This is the problem. People feel like they know better than the speed limit put in place. This is exactly why they put it in - it is no longer to be considered a straight stretch of road - slow down to avoid crashing into the speed calming layout.

I can't believe this is up for discussion after the absolute massacre on the roads in the last years. The NRA's main focus this year is to get drivers to slow down. Is that so hard to do for the 20 seconds it takes to get through that village?

You're missing the point. I'm not recommending people drive over the speed limit and I've no idea of the circumstances of last night's accident. All I know is that a man has lost his life. Not matter what you do people will always break speed limits, you have to accept that will happen. I don't think it should but it does. For that reason the road layout is extremely dangerous.

I know what you're saying Proxy but someone died there last night so the new layout is not in any way safe or traffic calming.

jamesdiver

I'm with Proxy on this, despite having my own concerns about the design of the road works when I first saw it.

But saying that, its completely unfair to speculate at this time,

RIP

Proxy

jamesdiver wrote: »

I'm with Proxy on this, despite having my own concerns about the design of the road works when I first saw it.

But saying that, its completely unfair to speculate at this time,

RIP

I should point out that I am in no way pointing blame at that poor lad, we know nothing of the incident. I feel terrible for that family.

RedPeppers

As mentioned already this was an accident waiting to happen, the most ludicrous road layout i have ever seen there will be more if something is not done

rip to young man who died.

jamesdiver

Proxy wrote: »

I should point out that I am in no way pointing blame at that poor lad, we know nothing of the incident. I feel terrible for that family.

Wasn't suggesting it, but more of a general comment.

ah sure !

joycegalway wrote: »

What fool designed that traffic calming island at knockdoe. Should be done for involuntary manslaughter

That is a bit much.

Anyway agree it is badly designed but if you obey the speed limit then it is fine for a car , i supposed for a lorry or a bus it is a different story.

Saw a pic of the crashed car in the paper , to early to say what happened but surely he must have been speeding. How can a car be so damaged if driving at 60kmh ?

Just wondering , that is all.

ScumLord

ah sure ! wrote: »

Anyway agree it is badly designed but if you obey the speed limit then it is fine for a car , i supposed for a lorry or a bus it is a different story.

I saw a truck trying to pull onto the N17 from one of the side roads there for the first time the other day, it was a joke. I was heading towards Galway and he was turning towards Tuam. He had to cross the two lanes of traffic just to make the turn. Both lanes were completely blocked by the truck. I don't know if it would be possible for a truck to pass through if a bus was stopped.

jamesdiver

The bollards he hit have still not been repaired. If I was a local i'd stay well back from the road here. If there is a similar crash there is nothing stopping the vehicle going towards the buildings/parked cars/pedestrians.

konman

At last they have taken out the zig zag yellow lines and put straight lines down, a bit of common sense prevailing.

Mars Bar

konman wrote: »

At last they have taken out the zig zag yellow lines and put straight lines down, a bit of common sense prevailing.

Driving behind someone who was obeying those yellow lines was like watching a drunk driver in action. I just drive straight through it and ignored the lines.

GY A1

konman wrote: »

At last they have taken out the zig zag yellow lines and put straight lines down, a bit of common sense prevailing.

does it look better now

GY A1

Mars Bar wrote: »

Driving behind someone who was obeying those yellow lines was like watching a drunk driver in action. I just drive straight through it and ignored the lines.

noticed that alright, if ya drove straight over the lines it was ok ,

Iwannahurl

Did motorists drive over the zig-zag lines without slowing down significantly? If so, the set-up wasn't much use as traffic calming.

What appears to be the difference with the new arrangement, in terms of speed reduction and driver behaviour generally?

Mars Bar

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Did motorists drive over the zig-zag lines without slowing down significantly? If so, the set-up wasn't much use as traffic calming.

Well I always came down to 60-65 km/h there and drove straight rather than zig zagging. I felt that if I focused on obeying the lines then I wasn't paying attention to the dangers coming from the side roads.

Iwannahurl

Was a new speed limit posted to go with the 'traffic calming'?

Mars Bar

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Was a new speed limit posted to go with the 'traffic calming'?

No idea. I never took any notice then coz I wasn't driving. I'm assuming people were doing 80-100 through there and that's why the put in the traffic calming.

dollybird2

Speed limit has not changed since the new lines were put in place.
The new lines are straight but the old zig zag lines are still visible also.
There is a speed van sign upon entering the village but I have never seen a speed van there and I drive through that village twice a day six days per week. Still unfathomable how the design passed muster?

gammygils

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Was a new speed limit posted to go with the 'traffic calming'?

Yes. 60 km/h . It was a 100 km/h limit stretch before that