NEW! IMPROVED! Junction of Clonskeagh Rd, Bird Ave & Roebuck Rd

AlekSmart

Posts moved from the Dame Street / George's Street thread - mod

HydeRoad wrote: »

....

In the meantime, I'd like to see Dame Street single lane both ways, Georges Street outbound only, proper cycle lanes, wider footpaths, and less street clutter and junk. I dearly wish Lord Edward St was not a lane and a half wide each way, masquerading as two lanes each way when clearly it isn't.

Hyde Road,I encourage you to undertake an expedition out to Clonskeagh..or more specifically to the NEW !,IMPROVED!,Junction of Bird Avenue,Clonskeagh Road and Roebuck Road...make haste before the old,largely sensible road markings fade away,and let us know what you make of the NEW ! IMPROVED! arrangements (From a PROFESSIONAL Bus Drivers perspective )

I will,should you find it necessary,subsidise your journey to the extent of two €2.60 Busfares in the interest of promoting good judgement and commonsense for all...(The relevant Local Authority professionals are,afaik,Dun Laoire-Rathdown County Council)

Observations eagerly awaited......;)

HydeRoad

AlekSmart wrote: »

Hyde Road,I encourage you to undertake an expedition out to Clonskeagh..or more specifically to the NEW !,IMPROVED!,Junction of Bird Avenue,Clonskeagh Road and Roebuck Road...make haste before the old,largely sensible road markings fade away,and let us know what you make of the NEW ! IMPROVED! arrangements (From a PROFESSIONAL Bus Drivers perspective )

I will,should you find it necessary,subsidise your journey to the extent of two €2.60 Busfares in the interest of promoting good judgement and commonsense for all...(The relevant Local Authority professionals are,afaik,Dun Laoire-Rathdown County Council)

Observations eagerly awaited......;)

AND the junction of Leeson Street and Pembroke Street - Eleven years ago I highlighted to various people the anomaly of a crossroads junction where adjacent streets get green lights simultaneously. Eleven years later, every street still gets all the green lights together, and everyone rushes headlong towards each other (and into a street where three lanes merge to become another one-and-a-half lane joke, usually with a parked lorry taking up the one out of the one-and-a-half...)

Actually, that may work, you know. Make EVERY traffic light in the city turn green at the same time - everyone slows down, everyone squeezes through, then turn them all red and let all the pedestrians off the leash. I bet the traffic jams would be less...

monument

Drawing of new design attached -- does this fit in with what has been done?

AlekSmart

monument wrote: »

Drawing of new design attached -- does this fit in with what has been done?

Interesting drawing,Monument..thank you for putting it up.

It does indeed fit-in with the end result...after a fashion.

The level of confusion which accompanied this project's installation was somewhat educational.

Most,if not all of the muddling-through accompanied the Bus related elements related to the 11 and 17 routes,both of which travel across the Bird Avenue junction in both directions.

Initially the contractors rebuilt the long-standing Bus Stop (876) and Bay,after they had completed these initial build-outs,the Busdrivers were left with a highly compromised far more condensed area to operate within,as well as a solid white-line to cross in order to correctly (and Safely) address the Stop.

Very shortly after the Bus-Stop work was finished the contractor returned to modify the original work,removing the built-out Kerb on the Western aspect and replacing it with some Solid Bordered carriageway instead.

So far so good....however once the actual roadworks were complete,the arrival of the roadmarking crew revealed the sheer genius of this scheme.

The original lay-out of traffic-lanes here offered a somewhat unusual,but very functional arrangement whereby Cyclists headed for UCD/City Centre,were directed onto a mid position Cycle Lane,leaving the inner lane conflict free for Left Turning vehicles and cyclists alike.
In addition,there was a second traffic lane aligned for straight-ahead to UCD/City Centre

Currently,as the text-box on the drawing states,the Two Traffic Lanes have been replaced by a single lane,catering (dangerously) for both left turning and straight ahead flows.

By far THE most disappointing,dangerous and hugely questionable outcome of this work is the installation of a double-width cycle lane on the inside,through which ALL Left Turning vehicular traffic must cross.

Whether DLRCC's professional Traffic Engineering/Planning staff consider superimposing Left Turning Buses onto a Straight Ahead busy Bicycle Lane is in some way desireable,is open for discussion,but I sincerely hope this is not their newly adopted policy as it will expose both Cyclists and Busdrivers to a significantly increased risk of (potentially Fatal) conflict,where NONE existed before.

There is,in addition,a somewhat fraught situation now existing further North at the Wynnsward entrance of UCD where the VAST majority of cyclists are headed during terms.

The UCD bound cyclists,have become used to positioning themselves early on Clonskeagh Road to turn right into Wynnsward Drive with Traffic Signal assistance.

The new arrangements appear designed to bring the UCD bound cyclist down to the Wynnsward Drive Traffic Signals on the left hand side and then facilitate their crossing with the pedestrian flow,something which simply not sit well with the actual working arrangements of that location.

The entire project had a somewhat frenetic appearance to it with the work apparently being carried out without any effective supervision.
For example,back at the Bird Avenue Junction,contractors installed new Detection Loop wiring to suit the original (and best) configuration.

It took sometime before the anomaly was noticed whereby all of the detection loops were on surfaces NOT now used by Traffic,ie:the new Cycle Lane and an equally new stretch of Solid Bordered reservation,now serving as mute testimony to the essential reality of this new set-up,ie: it's something cobbled together to tick a box on a wish list,allowing Senior Administrators to attend seminars somewhere and convince others we have a functioning thought-through "Policy" on these matters.

From my perspective it is incredibly simple....Attempting to introduce further Cyclist/Bus interaction whilst simultaneously reducing available roadspace and introducing new,more acute manouveres for the Busdriver to undertake is NOT indicative of ANY commonsense safety centred policy.

Alkers

monument wrote: »

Drawing of new design attached -- does this fit in with what has been done?

IIRC the road markings differ when coming down Bird Ave, there is a right-turn lane that seems to be either for heading up Gledswood park or turning into the parking outside the shops, the right -turn lane for heading down towards the Goat doesn't start till you've rounded the bend slightly.

stop

AlekSmart wrote: »

The UCD bound cyclists,have become used to positioning themselves early on Clonskeagh Road to turn right into Wynnsward Drive with Traffic Signal assistance.

The new arrangements appear designed to bring the UCD bound cyclist down to the Wynnsward Drive Traffic Signals on the left hand side and then facilitate their crossing with the pedestrian flow,something which simply not sit well with the actual working arrangements of that location.

I used to cycle a lot from the contra flow cycle lane on Nutgrove park, then into UCD via road traffic lane. I would not use the pedestrian crossing as I would lose priority.

Speaking of the contra flow I wonder if they have fixed the sensors for the Cycle lane light when coming from Nutgrove Park onto Clonskeagh road. I have never ever seen it working.