Athlone thread

flazio

In front of D.B. Cycles? Are they related to the garage beside Ganlys on the Roscommon road?

Barti

Yeah, the one beside the shack. It does look to be the same company as the one by Ganly's, wonder if they just moved all operations to that one location. They never seemed short on cars to work on though.

charlieIRL

Barti wrote: »

Yeah, the one beside the shack. It does look to be the same company as the one by Ganly's, wonder if they just moved all operations to that one location. They never seemed short on cars to work on though.

Crikey. Didn’t know that. Separate owners as far as I know.

veryangryman

flazio wrote: »

In front of D.B. Cycles? Are they related to the garage beside Ganlys on the Roscommon road?

Buckley cycles im sure you mean. Db cycles is on magazine rd.

flazio

Well, I was right about there being a bike shop. But like the First Stops different owners.

demanufactured

Do how do you all find the orange loop?
I find it grand, I use the dual carriage way most of the time anywsy.

tractorporn

demanufactured wrote:

Do how do you all find the orange loop? I find it grand, I use the dual carriage way most of the time anywsy.

It's a balls trying to get to work in the morning. It has easily added 15 mins to my travel time in the morning.

demanufactured

demanufactured wrote: »

Do how do you all find the orange loop?
I find it grand, I use the dual carriage way most of the time anywsy.

The only way to use the eastbound part of the loop(py) is to not!
I have only gone east on it once, never again, it's a total bollix of a road layout, five sets of lights and queues at all of them.

roosterman71

I strolled up through town from Eddies last week at 9am. Couldn't believe how quiet the street was, even with cars going westbound. Then, swung around the corner for the Radisson and it was carnage for eastbound traffic. Backed up to the bridge from the traffic lights at the hospital. I've said it before, but Athlone is not laid out right for a one way. The westbound part is fine, but eastbound is far from it.

roosterman71

roosterman71 wrote: »

I strolled up through town from Eddies last week at 9am. Couldn't believe how quiet the street was, even with cars going westbound. Then, swung around the corner for the Radisson and it was carnage for eastbound traffic. Backed up to the bridge from the traffic lights at the hospital. I've said it before, but Athlone is not laid out right for a one way. The westbound part is fine, but eastbound is far from it.

For a successful one way system there needs to be a suitable route for the return traffic, Athlone does not have that unless you're referring to the bypass!
They should be more honest and route that orange line via the bypass.

L.Jenkins

roosterman71 wrote: »

I strolled up through town from Eddies last week at 9am. Couldn't believe how quiet the street was, even with cars going westbound. Then, swung around the corner for the Radisson and it was carnage for eastbound traffic. Backed up to the bridge from the traffic lights at the hospital. I've said it before, but Athlone is not laid out right for a one way. The westbound part is fine, but eastbound is far from it.

There's a lot that can be done to improve the traffic flow situation. Traffic traveling east, as a pain in the hole as it might be, instead of being able to turn down right at the Genoa, should continue straight on to the roundabout. That would reduce the need for traffic to stop at the AIB bank.

The lights at the old hospital is also slowing things down. Another arrangement should be made to keep traffic moving. The junction at the Cresant and Dunnes is another issue slowing down traffic flow.

As for the traffic at Dunnes, coming from the Cresant, maybe it should only be allow to turn left and traffic coming from Golden Island towards Dunnes should be allowed to turn left, thus expanding on the loop to keep traffic moving.

If I could easily create a traffic flow map to show what I'm thinking, that would be great.

roosterman71

L.Jenkins wrote: »

There's a lot that can be done to improve the traffic flow situation. Traffic traveling east, as a pain in the hole as it might be, instead of being able to turn down right at the Genoa, should continue straight on to the roundabout. That would reduce the need for traffic to stop at the AIB bank.

Good point. Would HGVs have trouble swinging around that roundabout?

L.Jenkins wrote: »

As for the traffic at Dunnes, coming from the Cresant, maybe it should only be allow to turn left and traffic coming from Golden Island towards Dunnes should be allowed to turn left, thus expanding on the loop to keep traffic moving.

Are you not allowed turn left coming from GI to the lights at Dunnes?
Again I'll point to HGVs here at that junction. Coming from the crescent to those lights would mean a nightmare of a turn left there. So going down to GI may be their only option.

If money was there, the O'Neills site should be bought and that junction widened to allow and easy turn back left there.

holyhead

Curious they are trying the one way again. A disaster from what I remember the last time. The circuit is too long and cumbersome. If Mardyke House was knocked that would have solved a lot of the traffic issue as far as I can see. It would also have the effect of opening up a proper entrance onto Church St. Can't see it working. Time will tell

flazio

I think the long term plan is to have no way traffic down there and to turn Church street into a pedestrian zone shopping street akin to Grafton in Dublin and Shop Street in Galway (minus the wobbly cobbles hopefully.).

Zubeneschamali

holyhead wrote: »

Curious they are trying the one way again. A disaster from what I remember the last time.

Last time there was an orchestrated campaign against it by the old Athlone traders, the real dinosaurs. These are the people who think trade means someone parking their Corolla on a double yellow line after Mass to drop in, have a chat and buy a Pringle jumper.

There are very few of them left.

Sunny Dayz

Yesterday was the first time I'd to drive across the centre of town since the new one way system was put in. It was fine but when we were at the lights at the top of church street, some guy came out of Northgate street and wanted to go left down Church street. He couldn't understand why it was barricaded off, myself and the car beside me were pointing to go across the bridge and he didn't see the "no left turn" sign in front of him. He eventually got the message. And then when I was leaving town, I went to travel back across the bridge but then realised that I wouldn't get back down Church st so went out by Ganlys to join the bypass.


People are just going to have to get used to it. They are going to have to give a little more thought to their journeys and what's the best route to take and place to park. Many large towns have one way systems or pedestrian streets in the town centre. If Athlone wants to grow as a town and into a city we need to accept things like this. People also need to stop whinging about traffic, actually scrap that people complain about traffic when they are finished complaining about the weather, it's an Irish thing. But again it's part and parcel of a big town.


Lastly, out of curiosity, when did the one way system come into effect on the Connaught side of town?

veryangryman

flazio wrote: »

I think the long term plan is to have no way traffic down there and to turn Church street into a pedestrian zone shopping street akin to Grafton in Dublin and Shop Street in Galway (minus the wobbly cobbles hopefully.).

Access to the Strand Area needs to be kept. Lloyds Lane, Friary Lane and Griffith St would need to close to allow Church St remain car-free. 
I dont think there's a way to completely take cars out of town centre unless town is wildly reconfigured.

demanufactured

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

Last time there was an orchestrated campaign against it by the old Athlone traders, the real dinosaurs. These are the people who think trade means someone parking their Corolla on a double yellow line after Mass to drop in, have a chat and buy a Pringle jumper.

There are very few of them left.

Spot on, I thought last time was a better way of doing it too.

Anesthetize

flazio wrote: »

I think the long term plan is to have no way traffic down there and to turn Church street into a pedestrian zone shopping street akin to Grafton in Dublin and Shop Street in Galway (minus the wobbly cobbles hopefully.).

veryangryman wrote: »

Access to the Strand Area needs to be kept. Lloyds Lane, Friary Lane and Griffith St would need to close to allow Church St remain car-free. 
I dont think there's a way to completely take cars out of town centre unless town is wildly reconfigured.

In an ideal world I'd like to see Church Street pedestrianised. Something that is lacking in the centre of Athlone is pedestrianised streets. All cities in Ireland have them, and some bigger towns such as Wexford, Ennis, Killkenny, and Tralee.

This will probably never happen in our lifetime, as the way the town has developed over the centuries has made this almost impossible. It would take something drastic like knocking down buildings around Custom Place, widening The Strand for two-way traffic, and then linking up with Golden Island through Burgess Park.

On the other hand, I've always wondered why Lloyd's Lane has never been pedestrianised. It could develop into a nice little street if they did. There's no real reason to send traffic down it either as there's already enough access to The Strand.

endabob1

Anesthetize wrote: »

In an ideal world I'd like to see Church Street pedestrianised. Something that is lacking in the centre of Athlone is pedestrianised streets. All cities in Ireland have them, and some bigger towns such as Wexford, Ennis, Killkenny, and Tralee.

This will probably never happen in our lifetime, as the way the town has developed over the centuries has made this almost impossible. It would take something drastic like knocking down buildings around Custom Place, widening The Strand for two-way traffic, and then linking up with Golden Island through Burgess Park.

On the other hand, I've always wondered why Lloyd's Lane has never been pedestrianised. It could develop into a nice little street if they did. There's no real reason to send traffic down it either as there's already enough access to The Strand.

I also love the idea of little pedestrianised streets like you have in Galway, but in reality while there is only the one bridge in the centre of the town, that will be where traffic goes...
If you are looking to pedestrianise somewhere , why not the strand? I have always thought that not enough is made of the river frontage in Athlone.

White lighting

endabob1 wrote: »

Anesthetize wrote: »

In an ideal world I'd like to see Church Street pedestrianised. Something that is lacking in the centre of Athlone is pedestrianised streets. All cities in Ireland have them, and some bigger towns such as Wexford, Ennis, Killkenny, and Tralee.

This will probably never happen in our lifetime, as the way the town has developed over the centuries has made this almost impossible. It would take something drastic like knocking down buildings around Custom Place, widening The Strand for two-way traffic, and then linking up with Golden Island through Burgess Park.

On the other hand, I've always wondered why Lloyd's Lane has never been pedestrianised. It could develop into a nice little street if they did. There's no real reason to send traffic down it either as there's already enough access to The Strand.

I also love the idea of little pedestrianised streets like you have in Galway, but in reality while there is only the one bridge in the centre of the town, that will be where traffic goes...
If you are looking to pedestrianise somewhere , why not the strand? I have always thought that not enough is made of the river frontage in Athlone.

Flooding could become an issue

endabob1

White lighting wrote: »

Flooding could become an issue

True.... adequate flood defences seem to be a mystery in Ireland

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

The Strand is also very open to the elements, there's usually at the very least a good breeze blowing up the Shannon from the South and on a day where Church Street might seem breezy, there's a gale blowing down there.

Anesthetize

White lighting wrote: »

Flooding could become an issue

Boxer will fix that

endabob1

endabob1 wrote: »

True.... adequate flood defences seem to be a mystery in Ireland

Same as the mystery of flooding on flood plains that are "developed", or flooding in adjacent areas when the flow of water is blocked from the most direct & natural route.

pawrick

Deleted User wrote: »

Same as the mystery of flooding on flood plains that are "developed", or flooding in adjacent areas when the flow of water is blocked from the most direct & natural route.

Sure wasnt there planning permission for 96 apartments on the callows near Deerpark for a field which floods every year. Sign is now gone but was there around the time Enda Kenny was visiting the flooded areas.

Owryan

Hi folks, would appreciate some local knowledge.

I'm due to attend a conference in the Radisson this week and just wondering what parking is like?

In the event their carpark is full is there parking nearby suitable for all day parking? or are there areas to avoid?

MadYaker

Theres loads of parking around there. Theres another carpark just down the road from the radisson

Owryan

MadYaker wrote: »

Theres loads of parking around there. Theres another carpark just down the road from the radisson

Thanks a million

4ensic15

Owryan wrote: »

In the event their carpark is full is there parking nearby suitable for all day parking? or are there areas to avoid?

In Athlone, once you don't park on the Far Side, you will have no problem.