Threadneedle Road/Taylor's Hill/Kingston Road Junction

tomhenryford

I attend a course in the Ardilaun Hotel every second weekend. I haven't been since the new traffic light system launched.

I usually turn left out of the Ardilaun car park, and then I usually take a right at the traffic lights to head back towards the Galway Shopping Centre and up and out for Sligo.

I can't take that right turn anymore apparently so what should I do? I need to head back that Seamus Quirke Road so I just need to figure out the best way to get onto it as easily as possible.

A) Should I go straight through the traffic lights at Taylor's Hill and turn somewhere down Kingston Road and come back into the traffic lights and turn left

Or

Should I turn left down Threadneedle Road and turn and come back up to go straight through the lights that way.

Are either of those solutions possible? (any one-way systems or no-turning that I don't know about)

Any help much appreciated.

Redhairedguy

Instead of going left from the Ardilaun, go right!

You can take Maunsells Road, Shantalla Road, and the Old Seamus Quirke road to get you to Westside. Rest of the way should be recognisable.

Google maps directions

tomhenryford

Thanks but I went that way the first time I was there and I got majorly lost for like an hour.

If you had to pick between the two options which would you go for?

confusticated

Either of those is possible, there are side roads and entrances not too far down on both roads where you could turn easily. No restricted movements on either apart from the right turns you mentioned.

Redhairedguy

Haha. Okay, I understand your apprehension so.

Of your options, I'd be inclined to go with option A; but as confusticated said either works.

dastardly00

Of those two options, B is the easier one to go with I think. Turn left at the traffic lights to go down Threadneedle road. It's quite wide, and there are a lot of places where you can turn around. Kingston Road is quite narrow.

what_traffic

Redhairedguy wrote: »

Instead of going left from the Ardilaun, go right!

You can take Maunsells Road, Shantalla Road, and the Old Seamus Quirke road to get you to Westside. Rest of the way should be recognisable.

Google maps directions

Redhairedguy directions are the best and most direct route for you.

This traffic light change actually illustrates how more car traffic has to now go through residential areas.

Have added rough distance lengths to Redhairedguy directions.
Go right at the Ardilaun, travel 100m abd pass through set of traffic lights, then take next left after that. (100m)

You are on Maunsells Road - travel the length of that 400-500m. Turn left onto Shantalla Road travel for 40 meters and take a right onto the Old Seamus Quirke road. Travel for about 200 meter and at the lights take a right onto Seamus Quirke Road (Westside)

Mrs OBumble

In your situation, I would do option A.

Reasoning: for a person who has gotten majorly lost when then tried to follow RHG's route previously, there is less risk of going wrong if you minimise and simplify the number of turns. So going straight ahead and doing a 180-degree turn is better than turning in the opposite direction and then turning and turning again.

It would be different for someone doing this several times a week. For for a once-a-fortnight user of the route simplicity is better than directness.

tomhenryford

Thanks Mrs O Bumble, simplicity is exactly what I'm looking for. Leaving sometime between between 4pm and 4:45pm and just want to get out as quickly as possible.

I'm up from 5:30am and driving and studying all day so my level of attention to a new route would be limited that late in the day.

Thanks to everyone for your replies though it was a great help. Threadneedle in theory sounds better as there is more space but I'll just have to judge the traffic at the time.

Redhairedguy

Regardless of what route you take, safe trip and...



:pac:

ronnie3585

Redhairedguy wrote: »

Instead of going left from the Ardilaun, go right!

Unless it's changed recently, you can't turn right out of the Ardilaun.

tomhenryford

You're not meant to alright there's a makeshift island thing but I've seen loads of cars hump across it and turn right in the couple of times I've been there so far.

Asmodean

tomhenryford wrote: »

You're not meant to alright there's a makeshift island thing but I've seen loads of cars hump across it and turn right in the couple of times I've been there so far.

Sounds very practical and safe!

Gadgetman496

tomhenryford wrote: »

You're not meant to alright there's a makeshift island thing but I've seen loads of cars hump across it and turn right in the couple of times I've been there so far.

If that's your plan why not just break the rules further up and turn right at the lights

tomhenryford

I didn't say that I did that, I said I've seen other cars do it multiple times. My turn is left to the lights junction not right.

Curious Geroge

Is this change still considered temporary or is it going to be permanent ? Alot of parents are stopping cars in the middle of the road between the lights and Deane Roundabout to drop kids of for school which is going to lead to someone getting hurt. Is it really making a difference or just moving the traffic

snubbleste

Curious Geroge wrote: »

Is this change still considered temporary or is it going to be permanent ? Alot of parents are stopping cars in the middle of the road between the lights and Deane Roundabout to drop kids of for school which is going to lead to someone getting hurt. Is it really making a difference or just moving the traffic

The whole purpose is to move traffic (motorist traffic only). If you suspect child neglect, contact social services immediately

?Cee?view

Curious Geroge wrote: »

Is this change still considered temporary or is it going to be permanent ? Alot of parents are stopping cars in the middle of the road between the lights and Deane Roundabout to drop kids of for school which is going to lead to someone getting hurt. Is it really making a difference or just moving the traffic

It seems to be making a great difference. Kingston Road is moving better than it has in years.

Gadgetman496

I use it on a daily basis & the amount of drivers coming from knocknacarra and still turning right down threadneedle road is crazy. I'm not saying I think the new setup is good or bad but the fact it's there means it should be adhered to.

beardybrewer

Hopefully they're biding their time and will randomly station a traffic corps car there for a few days to send a strong message. Everyone has had enough time to get used to the new layout at this stage although the notices should be more obvious as per my previous post in the other thread.

zarquon

beardybrewer wrote: »

Hopefully they're biding their time and will randomly station a traffic corps car there for a few days to send a strong message. Everyone has had enough time to get used to the new layout at this stage although the notices should be more obvious as per my previous post in the other thread.

The notices are very obvious imo and everyone is aware of the changes now. It's just lazy drivers flagrantly disregarding the rules of the road to suit themselves. A few traffic corps posted there for a couple of days/weeks at peak traffic times including school run times will sort people out. No one will do it if they've been burnt with penalty points and fines for the offense previously.

I've been caught a few times behind cars trying to illegally turn at the junction and trying to blow them into submission with the horn is futile as they just continue to look ahead and pretend they are not aware of their illegal move or that they are holding up traffic. :mad:

beardybrewer

Good, I hope the notices are more obvious now. I was there weeks ago coming up the Taylor's Hill Rd going straight on to Kingston Rd. The only notice I saw at the time was a large sign on the far left hand side. My main thought was the notice should be attached to the lights or on the right hand side as that's the direction the idiots are going.

JillyQ

ronnie3585 wrote: »

Unless it's changed recently, you can't turn right out of the Ardilaun.

You are right Ronnie you cannot turn right coming out of the ardilaun. The island is there purely for a safety reason.

buzz11

http://connachttribune.ie/motorists-ignore-right-turn-ban-junction-change-612/

This evening around 6pm the tailback on taylors hill was back to Ardmore (I'm guessing about 500m) all due to cars attempting to turn right, which is now prohibited. (there was lots of annoyed honking of horns)

Its a farce until the gardai start enforcement

beardybrewer

buzz11 wrote: »

Its a farce until the gardai start enforcement

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I passed by yesterday and still didn't see any signage on/near the traffic light facing the offenders who are insisting on turning right.

?Cee?view

beardybrewer wrote: »

I know I'm beating a dead horse here, but I passed by yesterday and still didn't see any signage on/near the traffic light facing the offenders who are insisting on turning right.

Did you not see that the green lights are directional now though?

There's no general green, just straight and left.

Curious Geroge

The sequencing of the lights changed recently at the junction. Traffic seems to be backed up down Bishop O’Donnell Road onto Deane Roundabout after the change. The lights used to allow traffic both ways from Bishop O’Donnell Road and Threadneedle road but its change now to only allow one at a time. The turn left filter light off the Kingston Road on Bishop O’Donnell Road when traffic off Bishop O’Donnell Road turned right onto Kingston Road is also gone.

beardybrewer

?Cee?view wrote: »

Did you not see that the green lights are directional now though?

There's no general green, just straight and left.

Sorry no I was passing the other way and was just looking for a sign attached to the lights. If they've done anything to make it more obvious that's good news.

?Cee?view

beardybrewer wrote: »

Sorry no I was passing the other way and was just looking for a sign attached to the lights. If they've done anything to make it more obvious that's good news.

I think they've been like that since day one of the change though. It's amazing the amount of people that ignore this type of marking/lighting though.

maudgonner

beardybrewer wrote: »

Sorry no I was passing the other way and was just looking for a sign attached to the lights. If they've done anything to make it more obvious that's good news.

I haven't been in town since last week, but then there was a big lit-up-billboard-type sign on Threadneedle Road 500m or so before the junction notifying you of the change.

Although tbh, the directional green light should be enough for any driver who's actually paying attention

the_sonandmoon

The new sequencing with one right of way only at a time from BOD and Threadneedle Roads isn't great. Im hoping its just the council experimenting. It was backed up way passed Manor Drive on the Kingston Road at 10.30 yesterday morning, when there would usually be no/very little traffic. The there are no cars moving through the junction as the few cars that had been waiting to go through Threadneedle have done so, but the green light remains.

I think the new junction is great, but needs a few days police enforcement to stop illegal right turners.

Worn Out

the_sonandmoon wrote: »

The new sequencing with one right of way only at a time from BOD and Threadneedle Roads isn't great. Im hoping its just the council experimenting. It was backed up way passed Manor Drive on the Kingston Road at 10.30 yesterday morning, when there would usually be no/very little traffic. The there are no cars moving through the junction as the few cars that had been waiting to go through Threadneedle have done so, but the green light remains.

I think the new junction is great, but needs a few days police enforcement to stop illegal right turners.

The new sequencing is a disaster and offers no improvement. I have complained to the council on this as have many others. The sequence simply doesn't let enough cars through the junction frequently enough to ease the cars backed up. Plus it's backed up as far as Salerno on the thread needle road.

Redhairedguy

Really noticing it at Deane Roundabout all week. Used to breeze through without too much hassle at 8.30am, but it's been diabolical recently.

Worn Out

Redhairedguy wrote: »

Really noticing it at Deane Roundabout all week. Used to breeze through without too much hassle at 8.30am, but it's been diabolical recently.

Please inform the council. They need to be made aware of how bad the junction is now. My journey takes 50% longer now. I do a car share with a neighbour that used to take 20 mins but now takes over 30. Hopefully it's just a trial.

Gingganggooley

The theory behind the change to this junction should make for less congestion, but the poor sequencing has really made things worse.

The greater amount of traffic arrives from the west in the morning and from the east in the evening, yet no allowance for this has been made. I approach that junction and now join a long queue. When I eventually reach the lights, I have sat there waiting while no cars pass.

And with this new system, why can't you turn left once it's safe to do so? This option works well at the Liosban Estate junction with the Tuam rd.

It's all a bit Irish at the moment.

Went through this a few times today and it was fantastic when nobody was trying to turn right but turned into a mess otherwise

The worst was being forced to sit through 2 cycles of the lights coming from Taylors because all 5 cars in front wanted to go right.

I'll echo what some others have said, signage is an issue. There should be "no right turn" signs attached to the lights, same as at the Quincentiannial.

A week or two of enforcement or a camera or two wouldn't go amiss.

I pity the folks in the houses at that junction. They must be getting sick of the sound of cars honking

On a side note, I have to say I'm well impressed with the traffic calming on threadneedle and Dr. Mannix. Exactly how it should be done, credit where it's due.

buzz11

http://connachttribune.ie/snails-pace-at-rush-hour-traffic-woes-201/

Mrs OBumble

I went thru in a vehicle today. Arrows painted on the road and left / straight green arrows made it 100% clear to me what I could / couldn't do.

buzz11

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I went thru in a vehicle today. Arrows painted on the road and left / straight green arrows made it 100% clear to me what I could / couldn't do.

Old habits die hard and regular users may not spot (or heed) approaching signs such those painted on the ground.

The key thing thats missing at this junction are "no right turn" signs mounted on the traffic light poles, thereby directly facing a driver who is considering turning right.

They have these at the huntsman junction, large signs attached to the traffic light poles, so why not the same thing at this junction ?? It beggars belief.

dastardly00

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I went thru in a vehicle today. Arrows painted on the road and left / straight green arrows made it 100% clear to me what I could / couldn't do.

I'm of the belief that people who are turning right are fully aware that they are not allowed to do it, but are just doing it anyway.

Uncle Mclovin

Don't know if anyone on here drives this way on week mornings but just said I'd highlight it. They changed the traffic light system on Threadneedle before Christmas and all it has done is make traffic worse. It literally is twice as bad coming from Rahoon to Salthill.

Who makes these decisions and is there any way of making a complaint somewhere to go back to the old system?

GerardKeating

Uncle Mclovin wrote: »

Don't know if anyone on here drives this way on week mornings but just said I'd highlight it. They changed the traffic light system on Threadneedle before Christmas and all it has done is make traffic worse. It literally is twice as bad coming from Rahoon to Salthill.

Who makes these decisions and is there any way of making a complaint somewhere to go back to the old system?

It was actually changed about two months before Christmas,

I go through daily and it either better or no worse, except then some numpties try an illegal right turn.

the_sonandmoon

GerardKeating wrote: »

It was actually changed about two months before Christmas,

I go through daily and it either better or no worse, except then some numpties try an illegal right turn.

The no right turns (from Kingston and Taylors Hill) were introduced about 2 months before Christmas. They were working well (apart from the pr!cks who ignore them and wait to turn right, making everyone behind wait and back up the traffic).
About a week before Christmas they introduced a new light sequence where traffic from BOD Rd goes, THEN Threadneedle, and then Taylors Hill/Kingston. Each sequence takes forever. That, I think, I what is being complained about since just before Christmas.

Uncle Mclovin

the_sonandmoon wrote: »

The no right turns (from Kingston and Taylors Hill) were introduced about 2 months before Christmas. They were working well (apart from the pr!cks who ignore them and wait to turn right, making everyone behind wait and back up the traffic).
About a week before Christmas they introduced a new light sequence where traffic from BOD Rd goes, THEN Threadneedle, and then Taylors Hill/Kingston. Each sequence takes forever. That, I think, I what is being complained about since just before Christmas.

This is what I was saying. Not enough cars get through the junction in each sequence and its causing huge knock on effects for the rest of the area.

They really need to rethink this.

snubbleste

Contact GalwayCityCouncil and tell them to change it
www.galwaycity.ie

Gadgetman496

BOD road is stopped dead in both directions every morning now. not because of the introduction of the no right turn at the Kingston junction but directly as a result of the more recent light sequence change Uncle Mclovin is referring to.

They have also changed the sequence of the lights filtering onto BOD Rd particularly the ones at the shrine on the Rahoon/cemetery Rd opposite the Glen Oaks and it too is making a bad situation worse.

As for the local Muppet's who are more than aware of the ban on right turns at some of the Kingston junctions but continue to flaunt the rules, they should be dealt with as harshly as possible and with no mercy whatsoever.

youngrun

Garda enforcement needed surely at these lights and other junctions eg QCB at topaz/newcastle end where many cars break lights and break pedestrian greens, and the Westside roundabout where it can be a game of chicken to see who can get through it before oncoming cars ...
Simple things such as on the spot fines/points and presence alone is needed to deter bad driving and rule breaking which impacts or endangers in some cases

Gadgetman496

Another thing I have not heard mention of here relating to the Kingston junction is the work the Corpo carried out on Threadneedle Rd prior to the introduction of the no right turn. They introduced traffic calming measures on Threadneedle Rd but more importantly they also introduced one of the widest cycle lanes in the city at the Kingston junction officially reducing it down to one lane.

Before that cycle lane was introduced there was ample room there for two lanes of traffic (allbeit unofficial) and if a car traveling from Blackrock to the Kingston junction that wished to turn right at the junction to go down towards the Ardilaun Hotel was held waiting for through traffic coming from the BOD road to Salthill, traffic behind that car could safely go straight through on the inside space (now the cycle lane). I'm all for making the roads safer for cyclists and to that end it's fine but the problem now is that if one car needs to turn right now, it holds up everything coming behind it which was never the case under the old system.

If anything, that right hand turn should be banned now too.

snubbleste

That cycle lane has already been mentioned. There should be another on t'other side of the road too.

Curious Geroge

Galway City Council response to the change in the sequencing of the lights..

"The further changes made to the signals were to deal with safety issues with the original timings. On the original timings vehicles coming from Threadneedle that were turning right would do so when there gaps in oncoming traffic from Bishop O' Donnell Road. The Threadneedle traffic would get a red and Bishop O' Donnell stays green with a green right turn arrow also. However if a vehicle waiting in the junction to turn right, did not know that that oncoming traffic still had a green it makes the turn even though they see approaching traffic expecting it to stop. This has led to some near misses at this junction.

The left turn filter for Kingston Road was also changed as the number of cars that can avail of the left turn lane is limited by the queue for the straight ahead movement and therefore limited in the amount of relief it gave to this arm. However vehicles that could not access this lane regularly mounted the footpath putting pedestrians lives at risk.

We have made some changes to the timings at this junction and will continue to monitor to see what further changes are required. In line with this we have programmed in for somebody to go out when the schools are back after Christmas to observe traffic behaviour. We cannot reintroduce the original traffic sequence due to the above but are looking also at alternatives which would help alleviate the traffic issues and address the safety concerns."

Am I correct that this was the system that was in place for years before all the changes and before they introduced the widest cycle lane in Ireland on threadneedle road ?

They also suggested that children be dropped off at Kingston / Taylors Hill junction and walk to school which is infuriating. I wonder where exactly they recommend dropping the kids.

snubbleste

No mention of pedestrians in that missive. Clearly a mistake.