Traffic lights to come into operation in Stranorlar on Monday

donegal_road

I was in the John Dory today and heard the traffic lights at McClays corner are being switched on this coming Monday. I can foresee some major bottlenecks.

Traffic taking a right turn out of Kearny's Spar, Kee's Hotel car-park, Ard McCool where the old fire station is, Andie's shop car-park (going right), St. Columba's, the National school behind the church, and John Dory's car-park. He has had to ask them to paint a yellow box on the road for this reason.

Other bottlenecks could be traffic taking a right turn coming up from Dreenan Bridge. Plus of course, all traffic coming in and out of that filling station, particularly cars trying to make a right turn on the Letterkenny exit, which is pretty tricky at the best of times. It will be even more difficult to do now with a line of traffic stopped at a light, once the light goes green, cars in the queue will be less likely to stop to let traffic out of the petrol station.





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ednwireland

got to be better than not having them its been a bottleneck without them for quite a while now !

donegal_road

I agree, it is chaotic sometimes at that corner and something needs to be done. I have often sat for 5 or so minutes trying to make a right turn coming from Letterkenny. But I can also see the traffic lights system creating the problems I mentioned above.
Speaking of which, it will also mean that tour buses wont be able to park at the front of Kee's Hotel as there may not be the room to pass with the queue of cars to the right.
On the up side, it will be easier for pedestrians to cross the road.

Mint Sauce

donegal_road wrote: »

I agree, it is chaotic sometimes at that corner and something needs to be done. I have often sat for 5 or so minutes trying to make a right turn coming from Letterkenny. But I can also see the traffic lights system creating the problems I mentioned above.
Speaking of which, it will also mean that tour buses wont be able to park at the front of Kee's Hotel as there may not be the room to pass with the queue of cars to the right.
On the up side, it will be easier for pedestrians to cross the road.

This is why I usally turn left then right, and come out at the bus depot.

donegal_road

irish-stew wrote: »

This is why I usally turn left then right, and come out at the bus depot.

I also do this maneuver, but when the lights are in operation, a line of traffic coming from Lifford could be sitting there at a red with no way for you to take a right. I know there is a small yellow traffic box on the road at that right turn-off to Dreenan bridge opposite Flately's pharmacy, but if it is anything like the one on main street coming out from Naveney Street, maybe one in three drivers will keep it clear.

Firblog

Went thru today, an no traffic lights in operation.

muffler

donegal_road wrote: »

Traffic taking a right turn out of Kearny's Spar, Kee's Hotel car-park, Ard McCool where the old fire station is, Andie's shop car-park (going right), St. Columba's, the National school behind the church, and John Dory's car-park. He has had to ask them to paint a yellow box on the road for this reason

Not sure if I would entirely agree with this. In a general sense I wouldnt agree but in a specific case those problems could arise but I doubt it though.

Any vehicle making a right turn on to any street has 2 lanes of traffic to contend with and how many times have we cursed a hump on the drivers who wouldn't let us out. Just when there's a break in one lane of traffic the traffic going in the opposite direction is unbroken so we cant get out. But with lights in place now I can see where some of the places you mentioned may well benefit from an interruption/gap in the traffic flow coming from McClays corner towards Ballybofey. It will be down to the timing limits on the lights and which lanes traffic are allowed to flow from McClays, in what sequence and for what duration.

I dont see a major problem with traffic backing up any further down the main street than around Keys hotel otherwise people coming from Ballybofey will just swing in around Chapel Street if the traffic is backed up. I would however be more concerned about traffic backing up on the Lifford side as it will block access from and to the Millbrae. Why they couldn't have put a second set of lights on the Lifford side of the Millbrae junction is beyond me

Thinking back to the lights that were put up on the Main Street in Killygordon a couple of years ago. At the outset they were a complete and utter disaster but they got the timing right eventually and there's very little holdups there now. I would expect the new lights at McClays to be the same and while there will be (a lot Im sure) teething problems I think it will help alleviate the traffic problem there. It certainly wont cure it but its a step in the right direction.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Traffic lights are so badly needed there. I think they're the smart lights like in letterkenny which work well so long as people obey the yellow box which should see better compliance at a T junction compared to the junction at letterkenny

homer simpson

CJC999 wrote: »

Traffic lights are so badly needed there. I think they're the smart lights like in letterkenny which work well so long as people obey the yellow box which should see better compliance at a T junction compared to the junction at letterkenny

The light in Letterkenny main street are great in fairness, isn't it sensors in the road that detect traffic, and sets the timing for the light to suit, meaning if there is light traffic coming from 2 roads and lots from the other one will stay green longer, very clever system.

If the lights at McClays are like that they will be a great job.

donegal_road

manys the hump I cursed while I tried to take a right turn out of Andies carpark a few weeks ago I gave up in the end and went left. I was imagining the same scenario at Spar and Ard McCool if the red light at McClays meant the tailback extended down as far as Andies and beyond, and drivers in the queue weren't being charitable to traffic seeking to pull in from the right. But I suppose with the other lane clear for periods, this would become easier.

The Millbrae is the big one though, we were just saying the last day that if traffic wishing to take the right turn down Millbrae was blocked by someone sitting in the yellow box, would they sit there waiting for the box to become clear, in the process creating a tailback coming from Stranorlar. Is the light on the wrong side of the Millbrae turnoff? Should it be placed down the road opposite Maguire's shop, which would free up access to traffic coming in and out of Millbrae road.





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buckfasterer

Are the lights getting turned off at night time? They were off at 7am this morning. Also, the lights coming up to McClays from Letterkenny should have been put below the entrance to the petrol station. I can see that getting closed off soon as it is just constantly being used by people going through, even more than what it was used before!

donegal_road

I just came through ten minutes ago from the Lifford side. You wont be left hanging around for long if you are at the head of the queue, after I came through the green light I looked in my rear view mirror at Kees hotel and they had gone back to red.
It wasn't very busy when I was going through, it seems to work well this time of the evening.

muffler

Went through the lights twice today around 3 and then about 4 and no great delay. But Friday afternoon/evening will answer a lot of questions.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Went through from letterkenny to ballybofey at approx 5:20pm this evening, missed the green by seconds but didnt have long to wait. Came back through at around 5:50pm, again the lights changed to red as i approached but i only hadto wait maybe 60 seconds tops. Impressed so far!

buckfasterer

Traffic lights on this morning but its more evident at that time that people don't give a feck/havent a clue what to do at them. A car coming up millbrae, turning left and just driving on over the town going through a red. Cars coming up the Lk road and not stopping either!

donegal_road

buckfasterer wrote: »

Traffic lights on this morning but its more evident at that time that people don't give a feck/havent a clue what to do at them. A car coming up millbrae, turning left and just driving on over the town going through a red. Cars coming up the Lk road and not stopping either!

spoke to a guy yesterday who told me he drove through them as he had forgotten they were there.

smashey

donegal_road wrote: »

spoke to a guy yesterday who told me he drove through them as he had forgotten they were there.

And it's stupid bollixes like him who cause deaths on our roads.

muffler

donegal_road wrote: »

spoke to a guy yesterday who told me he drove through them as he had forgotten they were there.

Forgetting and failing to observe are 2 different things. Any focused driver would notice traffic lights so you have to ask if the likes of that driver would forget about a pedestrian crossing or forget that there are kids coming out of school at 3 PM for example.

implausible

donegal_road wrote: »

spoke to a guy yesterday who told me he drove through them as he had forgotten they were there.

Even if you forgot, how would you not notice them? They are big coloured lights on a pole!!:eek:

I can foresee a big blockage at Maguires. It's going to be very hard to pull out of it and turn right if the traffic is queuing to go to Lkenny or up the town. Likewise, turning left is enough of a mission as it is with cars parked outside it, now you'll have the traffic moving off in one go towards Lifford.

donegal_road

He is from the town, I dont know what direction he was coming from but he said that he is so used to that junction that drove straight through the light, then realised what he had done. I suppose he just wasn't concentrating.

echo beach

donegal_road wrote: »

He is from the town, I dont know what direction he was coming from but he said that he is so used to that junction that drove straight through the light, then realised what he had done. I suppose he just wasn't concentrating.

Can happen. Is one of the reason that many accidents happen close to home.

The day the first traffic lights went on in Letterkenny a driver doing his test drove through them on red and was failed. He looked at the sheet and said to the tester 'What do you mean? I can't have gone through a red light. There are no traffic lights in Donegal!'

muffler

So the lights have been turned on for about 6 weeks now and personally I haven't had and bad experiences at all. Quite the opposite actually but then again I dont think I have ever went through the junction at peak times.

A good few people I have spoken to have said they are a great success.

So how is everyone else finding them?

buckfasterer

When you are comin from Lifford direction, the right turn arrow doesn't always come on (most of the time it does) so if there was a queue of cars waiting to turn towards Letterkenny, they cant as they don't get the chance!

muffler

buckfasterer wrote: »

When you are comin from Lifford direction, the right turn arrow doesn't always come on (most of the time it does) so if there was a queue of cars waiting to turn towards Letterkenny, they cant as they don't get the chance!

A lot of people arent aware of the rules in those situations as borne out by a frustrated female motorist who rang the Highland Radio about it one morning.

If the right turning arrow light hasnt turned green and the main light is green you can still make the turn if you get a break in the traffic coming up from Kees hotel/Main street direction. A lot of people dont realise that and I have seen a couple of people sitting in that right hand lane when they could have moved.

buckfasterer

Yeah I know that. What i'm saying is though is that the majority of the time the lights go red - amber - green - green + arrow - amber - red. But what I've noticed though is that sometimes the green + arrow doesn't come on and goes back to red so if there was a line of traffic queuing to turn onto the Letterkenny road, they are then technically not meant to turn right anymore!

muffler

buckfasterer wrote: »

Yeah I know that. What i'm saying is though is that the majority of the time the lights go red - amber - green - green + arrow - amber - red. But what I've noticed though is that sometimes the green + arrow doesn't come on and goes back to red so if there was a line of traffic queuing to turn onto the Letterkenny road, they are then technically not meant to turn right anymore!

I haven't actually noticed that myself but it would be a concern.

The last few times I have turned right in that situation has been mostly on the main green light but less so with the right turn green arrow light.

The Assistinator

muffler wrote: »

I haven't actually noticed that myself but it would be a concern.

The last few times I have turned right in that situation has been mostly on the main green light but less so with the right turn green arrow light.

i was told by a man that you have to be behind the white line at traffic lights and there is a sensor on it and not to go on or the arrow would not come on i have been doing this the last few weeks and i always get the arrow after traffic has stopped coming up from kees

donegal_road

they are a great job, the only tricky bit being taking that right turn for Letterkenny maybe

sesswhat

muffler wrote: »

A lot of people arent aware of the rules in those situations as borne out by a frustrated female motorist who rang the Highland Radio about it one morning.

If the right turning arrow light hasnt turned green and the main light is green you can still make the turn if you get a break in the traffic coming up from Kees hotel/Main street direction. A lot of people dont realise that and I have seen a couple of people sitting in that right hand lane when they could have moved.

Overall I'd say they are a success. They marked out the junction well too, apart from a completely pointless yellow box opposite the Health Centre.

I heard the woman on the radio. She must have sat behind the line when the lights turned green instead of doing what she should have done, which was to move forward to a position opposite the junction, where she could turn as soon as a gap appeared. The driver behind gave her a few beeps but she still wouldn't budge, so he pulled around.

sesswhat

martyo wrote: »

i was told by a man that you have to be behind the white line at traffic lights and there is a sensor on it and not to go on or the arrow would not come on i have been doing this the last few weeks and i always get the arrow after traffic has stopped coming up from kees

You will only be holding up people behind you by not moving forward. Tell 'the man' to read the rules of the road.