Athlone thread

martin1

MadYaker wrote: »

Church street closed completely now? What the fcuk are they doing?

ehhhh regeneration ??? haven't you heard ???


Judging by some of the comments here, it would seem that people just cannot tolerate being discommoded in any way, no matter what the objective is.

In this case it’s to make Church Street a more attractive pedestrian friendly shopping area that will enhance the shopping environment for everyone. To make the place beautiful and the envy of most other towns in the Midlands.

Why can’t people see the positives in this? Instead we get constant stream of moaning about how long it takes to drive to GI

eggs and omelets guys


My moan is that I don't think this Athlone thread is a good idea because all topics get swallowed up in here under one heading

Zubeneschamali

martin1 wrote: »

In this case it’s to make Church Street a more attractive pedestrian friendly shopping area that will enhance the shopping environment for everyone.

Yes, well worth it, too.

Think of the area down around the Castle/Seans. Cobbles, street cafés and bars, and all good looking.

Compare to Church street as was: a mess of traffic, broken concrete paths, potholed tarmac...

Sunny Dayz

Agreed, I think the regeneration of Church St is a good thing. But there's some people in Athlone who are complaining cos they can't drive whatever direction they like up or down Church St and can't park outside whatever shop they want.
Athlone is not a small town anymore, there is increased traffic and people are just going to have to learn to give a bit more thought and planning to their journey.
A nice job has been done around the Castle and Sean's Bar, another area done outside the Council Office/new library which is actually used for events. Improvements to the town centre need to continue.

veryangryman

I think the Westmeath forum doesnt have enough posters to warrant several threads about Athlone stuff. Obviously the 1-way is topical at the moment so this thread is lively-ish

L.Jenkins

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Yes, well worth it, too.

Think of the area down around the Castle/Seans. Cobbles, street cafand bars, and all good looking.

Compare to Church street as was: a mess of traffic, broken concrete paths, potholed tarmac...

Could do with Church being done up to a similar standard. The problem I see is people couldn't be bother walking from Golden Island, Dunnes Stores or the new Shopping Centre to Church Street. Besides the pubs, what does either have, that Church Street doesn't and traders are whinging about it.

Instead of whinging about a one-way system, maybe they could seek better car parking facilities closer to Church Street, as most couldn't be fúcked to walk from GI, Dunnes or the Town Centre.

Zubeneschamali

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

there's some people in Athlone who are complaining cos they can't drive whatever direction they like up or down Church St and can't park outside whatever shop they want.

I remember exactly the same guff about Shop Street in Galway being pedestrianised from people who wanted to park on the double yellows outside McCambridges and run in for a loaf of bread.

And the same talk now about College Green in Dublin being restricted to pedestrians and trams.

I was very young, but I think businesses in Dublin were opposed to pedestrianising Grafton Street, for fecks sake. Yes, this article says: "Despite continuing protests from local traders the Street was formally pedestrianised in the early 1980s."

martin1

martin1 wrote: »

ehhhh regeneration ??? haven't you heard ???


Judging by some of the comments here, it would seem that people just cannot tolerate being discommoded in any way, no matter what the objective is.

In this case it’s to make Church Street a more attractive pedestrian friendly shopping area that will enhance the shopping environment for everyone. To make the place beautiful and the envy of most other towns in the Midlands.

Why can’t people see the positives in this? Instead we get constant stream of moaning about how long it takes to drive to GI

eggs and omelets guys


My moan is that I don't think this Athlone thread is a good idea because all topics get swallowed up in here under one heading

While a agree that the improvements to Church St are a good thing, my real critisism if about the west to east return route. It appears to be designed to be as awkward as possible, extra lights outside the hospital when the existing roundabout worked well, the lights at the cresent are an absolute disaster that really needs a complete rethink!

scarepanda

Why have they decided to go the east-west direction across down? To me it seems to go against the grain of the natural flow of traffic.

Traffic in town yesterday in the middle of the day (for a Tuesday), was fairly bad. On the way in it was backed up as far as Boland's dentist. On the way out it was backed up past the the roundabout between Dunnes and golden Island. Both sets of lights at Dunnes and the Cresent seemed to be out of whack. And traffic at Dunnes seemed to be turning right from Sean Costello's st onto Gleeson st even when the lights were green for traffic coming up by Dunnes onto Gleeson st. I don't know if it was the lights or just motorists being idiots, but I noticed it a couple of times while I was waiting in the traffic going up by Dunnes

4ensic15

scarepanda wrote: »

Why have they decided to go the east-west direction across down? To me it seems to go against the grain of the natural flow of traffic.

Does the same amount of traffic not go East-West as West-East?

scarepanda

4ensic15 wrote:

Does the same amount of traffic not go East-West as West-East?

Iv no idea tbh. But I would have imagined that by going west-east, it would follow the natural flow of traffic by always going left merging into traffic at junctions. Currently you have to cross the road to follow the loop (mardyke street for example). Most of these junctions are being controlled by traffic lights, but the sequence is not right at the moment seeing as they are not able to manage traffic in the middle of a week day.

roosterman71

scarepanda wrote: »

Why have they decided to go the east-west direction across down? To me it seems to go against the grain of the natural flow of traffic.

Traffic in town yesterday in the middle of the day (for a Tuesday), was fairly bad. On the way in it was backed up as far as Boland's dentist. On the way out it was backed up past the the roundabout between Dunnes and golden Island. Both sets of lights at Dunnes and the Cresent seemed to be out of whack. And traffic at Dunnes seemed to be turning right from Sean Costello's st onto Gleeson st even when the lights were green for traffic coming up by Dunnes onto Gleeson st. I don't know if it was the lights or just motorists being idiots, but I noticed it a couple of times while I was waiting in the traffic going up by Dunnes

West-East way is less logical. Means the east bound traffic has to cross the westbound to continue east through town. As it is, the traffic has a logical flow, but the town isn't configured right, and the junctions are a disaster.

And those lights at Dunnes there are being ignored by idiot drivers for the most part. Spent a while in Eddie Rockets last Friday evening and the stupidity and blatant disregard of those lights exacerbated the problem

scarepanda

roosterman71 wrote:

West-East way is less logical. Means the east bound traffic has to cross the westbound to continue east through town. As it is, the traffic has a logical flow, but the town isn't configured right, and the junctions are a disaster.

Could they not divert westward traffic at Dunnes up onto Gleeson st and configure the lights sequence accordingly? It's the only major junction I can think of for westward traffic - I'm open to correction on this though. The only difference at Northgate street would be a higher traffic volume turning onto the bridge, but the road infrastructure is already in place at the lights at this point.

A clockwise loop makes more sense as it makes for easier junctions if correctly designed (which it isn't), the junction at the crescent should be replaced with a pair of roundabouts to facilitate multiple traffic movements simualtenously, plus another roundabout at the junction into the Sheriton hotel/shopping centre carpark.

I think the lights at Dunnes are being ignored due to the confusion (as per the dash cam video I posted earlier) caused by the works on Church St.

Maybe there is a cunning plan (Baldrick style) to sort it!

4ensic15

scarepanda wrote: »

Could they not divert westward traffic at Dunnes up onto Gleeson st and configure the lights sequence accordingly? It's the only major junction I can think of for westward traffic - I'm open to correction on this though. The only difference at Northgate street would be a higher traffic volume turning onto the bridge, but the road infrastructure is already in place at the lights at this point.

Do you mean westward bound or originating from the west?

flazio

I suspect the reason is that the council aren't seen to be doing the exact same thing they did a few years ago and got destroyed for it by the local businesses.

Zubeneschamali

Deleted User wrote: »

A clockwise loop makes more sense as it makes for easier junctions if correctly designed (which it isn't)

Well, of course the junctions aren't designed that way yet - the junctions were designed for the old 2 way layout.

Nforce

I see that Church Street is to reopen for the Easter break...

http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/news/roundup/articles/2018/03/29/4154083-breaking-church-street-to-reopen/

CHURCH Street in Athlone is to re-open later today – for 10 days.
The Orange Loop (the one-way system, from east to west, which came into effect on February 15) will be in use from this afternoon until Monday week, April 9.
The street closed last week, to allow for resurfacing at the top of Griffith Street and Dublingate Street, as part of the €3 million enhancement plan for Church Street.
Now, Westmeath County Council has announced that while the contractors take their Easter holidays, the Orange Loop will be back in operation from later today, Thursday

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

martin1 wrote: »

My moan is that I don't think this Athlone thread is a good idea because all topics get swallowed up in here under one heading

That's a pity. On the contrary, I think it's a good place to discuss what's going on in our town instead of only having the odd thread pop up in the Westmeath forum because someone is looking for the best place to buy a second hand chainsaw.

veryangryman

The roscommon rd galway rd junction plans..anyone have an idea on when thats to start?

L.Jenkins

What are the plans for the Galway and Roscommon junctions?

L.Jenkins

L.Jenkins wrote: »

What are the plans for the Galway and Roscommon junctions?

Traffic lights, like we don't have enough of them already.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Any links?

veryangryman

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater wrote: »

Any links?

http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/news/roundup/articles/2017/10/12/4147123-baylough-junction-in-line-for-100k-revamp/



Athlone Mayor Aengus O'Rourke at the junction in Baylough

Over €100,000 is to be spent on a long-awaited redevelopment of the Roscommon Road junction at Baylough, Athlone.

The council said the work would see the installation of “traffic signals and pedestrian crossings” on the three approaches to the junction where the old Galway Road meets the Roscommon Road. The project would also rearrange the “haphazard” parking at this location, according to the local authority.

The work, which is to be funded by the council through its development contributions, is due to take place “within the next three to four months” after it was approved by members at the October meeting of the Athlone Municipal District.

Athlone Mayor Aengus O’Rourke has been lobbying for work to take place here for some time and he said the project would make the junction safer for all road users.

“I am very pleased that we can finally say that, by spring 2018, the Roscommon Road junction will be redeveloped,” said Cllr O’Rourke.

“This is great news as it will not only tidy up this awkward junction but this investment will leave us with a more organised and safer junction for all road users - drivers, walkers, and cyclists.

He said the €120k investment will the introduction of pedestrian crossing points and traffic lights which will allow for a safe right turn into Baylough from the Roscommon Road and also for cars turning right coming from town onto the Roscommon Road.

“I will organise a meeting for local stakeholders to attend along with our engineers in order to fully explain the plan and ensure that there is clarity around the project,” he added.

Councillors Frankie Keena and Michael O’Brien also voiced their approval of the project at the Athlone Municipal District meeting.

They could have spent half the amount on a mini roundabout and zebra crossings and avoid creating yet another pinch point in traffic flow.

veryangryman

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They could have spent half the amount on a mini roundabout and zebra crossings and avoid creating yet another pinch point in traffic flow.

Wont suit cyclists and pedestrians. The road is an r road so one can forget about roundabouts there

L.Jenkins

It's good that something is being done about it atleast. It's a nightmare and I've seen too many cars and cyclists just fly out in front of me without even looking, so it's a surprise that junction isn't an accident black spot.

veryangryman

veryangryman wrote: »

Wont suit cyclists and pedestrians. The road is an r road so one can forget about roundabouts there

Being an R road has no real bearing on the junction design, traffic flows dictate the best junction design, in this case a mini roundabout would work well. Pedestrians are few and far between in this area and cyclists are ok with roundabouts as long as they follow the rules.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

I'm not a huge fan of more traffic lights but in this case, it's probably no harm. Trying to turn right at that junction coming from Roscommon can be a risky business when the road is busy, when stopped at the junction you've got cars coming up a bit of a hill from town and cars coming around a gentle corner coming from The Grove direction. As L.Jenkins says, it's surprising there aren't more accidents there.

White lighting

The old batteries could get very busy with traffic, Its bad enough the lights at bright idea's with having more lights 200 meters before it. Think ill be sticking to going the other route

cena

What happened to the apple green this was to go on the motorway pass kilmartins