Galway's traffic issues

biko

Last time a ferry was used between north Clare and the city - Ballyvaughan Bay Hop
I wouldn't be a fan of stepping onto this small vessel*
We know ferries to the islands works well, so why not across the bay.





*but that's not why it was stopped
https://clarechampion.ie/bay-hop-halted/

Ashleigh1986

Regarding ferries/ water taxis ...
Piers / car parks / offices would have to built .
People wouldn't drive to a pier ...pay for parking / pay for ferry and than have to get a bus/ taxi when they are dropped to get to their final destination .
They would require a car for bringing kids to school/ sports/ shopping/mass etc etc .
Irish people use their car because it's cost them a lot of money to buy it/ insure it/ maintain it/ tax it .
Cheap reliable public transport is the way to go .
Is bus eireann capable of providing such service??
I doubt it !!

Doctors room ghost

People would use water taxis if they were affordable,reliable,fast and regular.

There’s already plenty of piers. I can think of at least 5 piers in the oranmore maree Ballindereen direction that aren’t used.

In Boston they even have a bus that doubles as a boat.it drives up the town then into the river and away she goes.its called the duck tour.

Doctors room ghost

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Regarding ferries/ water taxis ...
Piers / car parks / offices would have to built .
People wouldn't drive to a pier ...pay for parking / pay for ferry and than have to get a bus/ taxi when they are dropped to get to their final destination .
They would require a car for bringing kids to school/ sports/ shopping/mass etc etc .
Irish people use their car because it's cost them a lot of money to buy it/ insure it/ maintain it/ tax it .
Cheap reliable public transport is the way to go .
Is bus eireann capable of providing such service??
I doubt it !!

If you were dropped off at the docks by water taxis you could walk or coca cola bike it anywhere in the city.

Mrs OBumble

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Regarding ferries/ water taxis ...
Piers / car parks / offices would have to built .
People wouldn't drive to a pier ...pay for parking / pay for ferry and than have to get a bus/ taxi when they are dropped to get to their final destination .
They would require a car for bringing kids to school/ sports/ shopping/mass etc etc .
Irish people use their car because it's cost them a lot of money to buy it/ insure it/ maintain it/ tax it .
Cheap reliable public transport is the way to go .
Is bus eireann capable of providing such service??
I doubt it !!

You know that Bongam Quay is being built at the docks, right?

Seems to me that what is being proposed is indeed reliable cheap public transport- in the sense of being accessible to the public.

Thelonious Monk

A friend drove us there from Dublin maybe 10 years ago and I couldn't believe how bad the traffic was in the city. By the sounds of this thread it hasn't improved. Realistically you'll prob get another road built or some roads widened which will just get clogged up with more cars. For such a small place it's frightening how bad the traffic is. Although the constant stream of ribbon development all around Galway is always going to make adequate public transport impossible. You're f*cked.

Mrs OBumble

A few posts ago, someone claimed that nothing to do with traffic had been improved in the last twenty years.

I've been taking an active interest in improvements in public transport and traffic overall for about ten years now. For context, I thought it might be useful to make a list of things that have improved. In no particular order,

The 409 bus to Parkmore, via Doughiska. I don't know the exact date it started, think it was 2007-ish. Before that, both areas had a very sparse bus service. Now it's the best in the country

A major re-organisation of the city bus timetable in ... 2012 was it? Routes were made more sensible, clockface times introduced, and a proper timetable published. Big extensions to hours of service.

Bus lanes on the Dublin Rd. Not perfect. Not covering the length of the road (yet!) But they make enough of a difference that I know many Doughiska / Roscam residents who don't take the car into the city anymore, because the bus is better.

Buslanes on Bothar-na-BigHill and Forster Street have sped up services thru town in the afternoons.

Bus shelters at the main stops.

Bicycles can now be pre-booked onto trains.

Coke Zero bikes.

Bukes Tuam and Headford buses moved from little-known bus stop in a side street to a main-street bus stop in Eyre Square. They also increased the number of services, and the Tuam service is now seven-day.

Boyles extended their commuter bus from Mountbellew to a multi-trips each day service to/from Roscommon.

BusLink vastly extended the Athenry bus service, replacing an infrequently poorly planned service run by Bus Éireann. They now have one bus each way travelling via Parkmore. (Again, now enough to make real change - but it's a start).

Athenry also has a night-link bus from the city on Friday/Saturday.

Healy's started a daily service from Loughrea via Oranmore.

Oranmore railway station.

A seven day, extended-hours city bus linking Oranmore, Galway Clinic, the city centre and UHG/NUIG/Newcastle.

Real time bus signs installed, and working properly on some routes. (Agree that better is needed - but it's a start).

Traffic management plan for the Galway Races: when I was first here, the thing was a nightmare. Now workers in the area are barely affected.

Widening of Monivea Rd into Wellpark, and removal of the roundabout there: Has made a big difference to speed of bus trips home from work in that area.

Bus lane on the SQR.

Standardisation of the CityDirect services, and moving their depot to a more suitable location.

Double-decker buses have increased capacity on lots of routes.

Bus Eireann now have 24 hour tickets on city buses.

The Dublin motorway, which enabled non-stop bus services to Dublin. Journey time to the city centre is 2.5 hours. Dublin is now a day-trip away.

The National Transport Authority built a website listing all licensed public transport services, and including a journey planner www.a-b.ie
Express buses to Limerick and Cork.

Hospital staff/patient shuttle bus between Merlin and Newcastle campuses.

NUIG park and ride in Dangan.

GoBus are running 7-day servcie to Ballina.

Express buses from Ballinasloe.

Lots of roundabout were removed. Some motorists hate this. But with the traffic volumes we have, they were inadequate. And they were pedestrian and cyclists hostile, stopping people from walking some minor journeys.

The Cycle-bus in Knocknacarra has community volunteers supervising groups of children cycling to school. While I have some concerns with the concept, especially if it's replacing walking journeys with wheeled ones - I have to admit that it's got some people out of unnecessary car journeys.

An express service to Killarney was trialled (now discontinued). Actually various other things were trialled too ... too many to list.




Agree that things are far from perfect - or even adequate in some cases.

But to claim that nothing has gotten better is just ill-informed ranting. And each public transport improvement is more people not needing to use individual vehicles to go places. We are far from fecked.

McGiver

The problem from a blowin point of view is that all you listed isn't enough and it happened from abysmally low base, so although I trust the progress has been significant, the current state is way below acceptable in European standards. Long way to go...Absence of sheltered bus stops is a particular issue in one of the rainiest cities in Europe.

youngrun

McGiver wrote: »

The problem from a blowin point of view is that all you listed isn't enough and it happened from abysmally low base, so although I trust the progress has been significant, the current state is way below acceptable in European standards. Long way to go...Absence of sheltered bus stops is a particular issue in one of the rainiest cities in Europe.

True. A Lot done more to do

To my half blind eye the most obvious thing is to put in several massive Park and Rides and use them all year round linked with buses. Surely it is worth the cost . Eg the NUIG one thats only used half the the year, Racecourse, Airport, + a couple of others on the key links eg Oranmore, Tuam road ( Corinithians? ), and Headford rd
Several thousand spaces there

what_traffic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

A major re-organisation of the city bus timetable in ... 2012 was it? Routes were made more sensible, clockface times introduced, and a proper timetable published. Big extensions to hours of service.
.
..
...
The National Transport Authority built a website listing all licensed public transport services, and including a journey planner www.a-b.ie
Express buses to Limerick and Cork.
.
..
....
But to claim that nothing has gotten better is just ill-informed ranting. And each public transport improvement is more people not needing to use individual vehicles to go places. We are far from fecked.

Good post apart from the bike bus post? Anyhow the interesting thing from a Galway City perspective - was that it was an outside body who are responsible for this change in public transport in 2012. The NTA, not Galway City Council. Unfortunately NTA cannot build bus lanes in the City.

Storm 10

Don't go anywhere in the City centre direction there is chaos in there, they are digging up and laying down Tarmacadam at the Foster Court hotel, it has taken nearly an hour to get from Bohermore to the bottom of the Square, there were buses ahead and behind me so I can only imagine how far behind they are in their bus schedule, why can this not be done at night time is beyond me its a joke what going on there.

fergiesfolly

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

A few posts ago, someone claimed that nothing to do with traffic had been improved in the last twenty years.



But to claim that nothing has gotten better is just ill-informed ranting. And each public transport improvement is more people not needing to use individual vehicles to go places. We are far from fecked.

I think that was myself.
It was a rant against the ineffectual leadership shown by our elected councilors and disbelief that we voted them in again( not the thread for this I know)
MrsBumble, I, like everyone on this forum has read your input and recognised your work in this area for several years and you're to be commended for it. I wouldn't have the time or energy to put that sort of effort into this topic and I'd bow to your superior knowledge on the subject.
I read through the list and any improvements, large and small are to be applauded.
There are some of the points in that list that would be the bare minimum I'd expect a city of this size would have implemented, but I don't want to be nitpicking for the sake of it.
But what I would say, is that for the improvements made, we're in a worse off state now than we were when I first started driving, some 20 years ago.
So were the improvements made, part of an overall plan or strategy? Or just adhoc ideas shoehorned into a list.
Bus and cycle lanes are definitely the way ahead. Why aren't there more of them?
Park and Ride has been touted for years, but nothing has happened.
The by-pass has been stuck for over a decade.
You've listed some improvements and there are probably some you haven't mentioned and yet the traffic situation is worse than ever.
I'm not as informed as others here on the statistics, but I'm informed by the people I speak to. Family, friends work colleagues. Car users, bus users, cyclists. All frustrated by the ever worsening commutes into and through the city.
And as I write this I'm reading the front page of this week's Advertiser and the most important discussion to be had at the opening meeting of the council next week is who gets to be Mayor.
Maybe we aren't fecked, but with this bunch leading us, we're not that far from it.

Again, MrsOBumble, not a swipe at you. Just a tired rant at the status quo.

_Puma_

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

.....................

Real time bus signs installed, and working properly on some routes. (Agree that better is needed - but it's a start).

..............

The Real Time App just updated today with functionality that allows it to to display real time departure Information, not just the time tabled info.

Major step forward, no need for those signs now really. They have renamed the App "Live Departures"

what_traffic

fergiesfolly wrote: »

And as I write this I'm reading the front page of this week's Advertiser and the most important discussion to be had at the opening meeting of the council next week is who gets to be Mayor.
Maybe we aren't fecked, but with this bunch leading us, we're not that far from it.

They really have very very little say in anything to do with Transport in the City. That's why we have "Who will be next Ceremonial Mayor with no actual political power" headlines in the free sheets. It really is the Road Engineers Dept who dictate what happens in Galway City.

JCX BXC

_Puma_ wrote: »

The Real Time App just updated today with functionality that allows it to to display real time departure Information, not just the time tabled info.

Major step forward, no need for those signs now really. They have renamed the App "Live Departures"

Did it not show real time information before? I was sure it did as it never matched timetabled times.

Also, you're assuming everyone who gets the bus has a smartphone, that app, sufficiently charged, and has mobile data.

McGiver

fergiesfolly wrote:

It was a rant against the ineffectual leadership shown by our elected councilors and disbelief that we voted them in again.
...
There are some of the points in that list that would be the bare minimum I'd expect a city of this size would have implemented...

This is exactly what I wanted to say. Thanks for articulating that for me.

Yay another roundabout will soon be removed

Design options almost finalised for upgrade of Martin roundabout in the city

Design options are being finalised for the upgrade of Martin roundabout at Galway Clinic to a signalised junction.

The design is expected to progress to planning in the next few weeks.

The junction will provide primary access to Ardaun at the southern section which will provide bus priority, as well as full pedestrian and cyclist crossing facilities.

It’s being provided as part of an overall plan to develop the Ardaun area for housing.

Ardaun is located on 164 hectares on the east side of the city and has been designated as a major urban housing delivery site under the Rebuilding Ireland programme.

2.7 million euro in funding has been sanctioned for the Ardaun upgrade of Martin roundabout under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.

Ashleigh1986

Deleted User wrote: »

Yay another roundabout will soon be removed

Thank god for that .
Get the rest of them out Asap.
In there place CCTV monitored at rush hours traffic lights .
Wait until this Sunday , Connacht final in pearse stadium.
It will be carnage .
Traffic lights left on their normal sequence even tho hundreds of extra vecihcles going to event in salthill .
Where else but galway would you get this bull****.

jjpep

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Yay another roundabout will soon be removed

Excellent!! Although with the track record Galway city councils transportation dept has I'm sure they'll easily make a balls of it.

jjpep

jjpep wrote: »

Excellent!! Although with the track record Galway city councils transportation dept has I'm sure they'll easily make a balls of it.

In fairness, I'm not sure how it's possible to go from a RAB to a 4 arm signalised junction without inconveniencing all junction users during the transformation process

jjpep

[Deleted User] wrote: »

In fairness, I'm not sure how it's possible to go from a RAB to a 4 arm signalised junction without inconveniencing all junction users during the transformation process

It's not the construction part I'm worried about. But, yes for me on a bike or driving I'd take a junction ahead of a roundabout any day.

gordongekko

Is this announcement different to the last time they announced this development?

youngrun

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Thank god for that .
Get the rest of them out Asap.
In there place CCTV monitored at rush hours traffic lights .
Wait until this Sunday , Connacht final in pearse stadium.
It will be carnage .
Traffic lights left on their normal sequence even tho hundreds of extra vecihcles going to event in salthill .
Where else but galway would you get this bull****.

Yes roundabouts clog up , no good anymore at big junctions unless lights on them

If there is one thing the new Mayor and council should focus on imho its Park and ride and bus links to town and workplaces
There has to be a major push to encourage people to use PT and the likes of Galway Airport, NUIG, and satellite car parks on main routes to city ( ie [pick a location on each of Tuam Road /Claregalway, Headford Rd, and Oranmore )could and should be used and linked to a frequent bus service into town /( and Salthill for big games for eg. Could even make one road in Bus Only eg Monivea Road and College road ?

Is there such a plan for this Sun?

Ashleigh1986

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

Thank god for that .
Get the rest of them out Asap.
In there place CCTV monitored at rush hours traffic lights .
Wait until this Sunday , Connacht final in pearse stadium.
It will be carnage .
Traffic lights left on their normal sequence even tho hundreds of extra vecihcles going to event in salthill .
Where else but galway would you get this bull****.

No no no, getting rid of roundabouts is why our traffic has got so add. Not one roundabout should have been removed, they are far far better for traffic flow than lights as they automatically do what you want the cctv monitoring to do, give priority to the busier junction.

The biggest disaster in the history of Galway roads was getting rid of roundabouts.

youngrun

Gwen Shallow Raccoon wrote: »

No no no, getting rid of roundabouts is why our traffic has got so add. Not one roundabout should have been removed, they are far far better for traffic flow than lights as they automatically do what you want the cctv monitoring to do, give priority to the busier junction.

The biggest disaster in the history of Galway roads was getting rid of roundabouts.

Whats the data on traffic volumes and throughputs on junctions with/without roundabouts?

Mrs OBumble

Gwen Shallow Raccoon wrote: »

No no no, getting rid of roundabouts is why our traffic has got so add. Not one roundabout should have been removed, they are far far better for traffic flow than lights as they automatically do what you want the cctv monitoring to do, give priority to the busier junction.

The biggest disaster in the history of Galway roads was getting rid of roundabouts.

Source?


As a pedestrian I have entirely the opposite perspective.

jjpep

Gwen Shallow Raccoon wrote: »

No no no, getting rid of roundabouts is why our traffic has got so add. Not one roundabout should have been removed, they are far far better for traffic flow than lights as they automatically do what you want the cctv monitoring to do, give priority to the busier junction.

The biggest disaster in the history of Galway roads was getting rid of roundabouts.

Roundabouts are grand until traffic gets busy, and then they're a disaster because they end up jammed and then blocking all routes.

They're also hostile to pedestrians and cyclists.

For a busy city like Galway, junctions are clearly a better choice.

Mrs OBumble

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Source?


As a pedestrian I have entirely the opposite perspective.

My own experience of driving into and out of Galway almost every day for many years and that of the countless people who express the same opinion.Traffic flowed far better at all times with roundabouts. Most people have the exact same opinion and you will regularly hear people complaining about the roundabouts.

The discussion is how best to make traffic flow, pedestrians etc shouldn’t be dictating junctions especially on the outskirts of the city where they are used minimally by pedestrians and massively by cars.

WallyGUFC

Drivers in Galway cannot use roundabouts safely so each one being taken away can only be positive.

johnmcdnl

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Source?


As a pedestrian I have entirely the opposite perspective.

https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm

Studies by Kansas State University measured traffic flow at intersections before and after conversion to roundabouts. In each case, installing a roundabout led to a 20 percent reduction in delays. Additional studies by the IIHS of intersections in three states, including Washington, found that roundabouts contributed to an 89 percent reduction in delays and 56 percent reduction in vehicle stops.

Ashleigh1986

youngrun wrote: »

Yes roundabouts clog up , no good anymore at big junctions unless lights on them

If there is one thing the new Mayor and council should focus on imho its Park and ride and bus links to town and workplaces
There has to be a major push to encourage people to use PT and the likes of Galway Airport, NUIG, and satellite car parks on main routes to city ( ie [pick a location on each of Tuam Road /Claregalway, Headford Rd, and Oranmore )could and should be used and linked to a frequent bus service into town /( and Salthill for big games for eg. Could even make one road in Bus Only eg Monivea Road and College road ?

Is there such a plan for this Sun?

Youngrun.... Plan for Sunday ???
Plan for an event in galway ???
The plan for galway is get the people here to spend their money.
Doesn't matter what happens when they get here just get them here.
I was talking to a woman who worked in city hall.
She was known as the woman that brought up the dirty word at meetings.
The word was ...TRAFFIC
She was told " our job is to get people here to spend their money so businesses can pay their rates so we get our salaries.
She left city hall ... Couldn't deal with the bull**** .

Ashleigh1986

Sara Shapely Bead wrote: »

No no no, getting rid of roundabouts is why our traffic has got so add. Not one roundabout should have been removed, they are far far better for traffic flow than lights as they automatically do what you want the cctv monitoring to do, give priority to the busier junction.

The biggest disaster in the history of Galway roads was getting rid of roundabouts.

Nox001... Your clueless .
You said in a previous post that you work certain hours.
Leaving work at 6.30pm ???
Roundabouts work brilliantly in 2 places .
(1) on paper
(2) when there's a small flow of traffic coming into them ( salthill)
Beleive me after over 30 years of driving in this city our only short term hope is getting roundabouts out and CCTV traffic lights in their place.
Galway traffic needs to be run during rush hours just like air traffic control.
8 sets of lights from galway clinic to huntsman junction and all on different sequences.
What's needed is a " green wave " of traffic lights .
In other words " flush the traffic out "

bobbyss

Just look at the Browne RA behind hospital. It's a disaster. Dangerous for pedestrians. Mayhem. And that's a small, rather tight one. Look at the RA at Seapoint. Cars parked up to exit point. Ridiculous. Can't recall if there is a pedestrian crossing there even? Just tweak some junctions e.g. filter left turn over QB coming from town.

McGiver

Sara Shapely Bead wrote:

My own experience of driving into and out of Galway almost every day for many years and that of the countless people who express the same opinion.Traffic flowed far better at all times with roundabouts. Most people have the exact same opinion and you will regularly hear people complaining about the roundabouts.

That's called anecdotal evidence.

Roundabouts with nothing lights (and no lane markings!) are good for town level of traffic but not for cities.

Pinch Flat

roundabouts look great on a traffic planners design page, but in reality are usually a receipt for disaster in an Irish context, particularly where you have very heavy traffic congestion. People cannot use them correctly at the best of times, so you have cars in the wrong lanes. Also people insist on clogging up the throughput of a roundabout, even when it's been marked wit h a yellow box. It's all about me and my car getting from A to B without a jot of consideration for other people, this is what screws up roundabouts.,

Ashleigh1986

Pinch Flat wrote: »

roundabouts look great on a traffic planners design page, but in reality are usually a receipt for disaster in an Irish context, particularly where you have very heavy traffic congestion. People cannot use them correctly at the best of times, so you have cars in the wrong lanes. Also people insist on clogging up the throughput of a roundabout, even when it's been marked wit h a yellow box. It's all about me and my car getting from A to B without a jot of consideration for other people, this is what screws up roundabouts.,

Exactly pinch flat
Anyone that doesn't see that hasn't a clue about driving.
Roundabouts in galway work well except for 7.30 am to 9.30 pm
4pm to 7pm mon to Friday .
Why is that ???
Because during rush hours they can't cope with the amount of traffic trying to get onto them and off them.
Get them all out and do it fast !!!

grbear

Roundabouts work great for people who are aggressive/assertive drivers. Y'know, take whichever lane is moving quicker on the way in and then assume every other driver will anticipate you breaking the rules of the roads and make way so they don't lose their front bumper.

Wompa1

I moved back to Galway after 8 years away. I was living in the US. An interesting observation from me is that Galway doesn't really getting going until at least 9am these days...

There's hardly a sinner in the city centre before 9am.

I've been starting work at 7am. There is no traffic between 6am-7am along the Headford Rd, Prospect Hill, Quinncintennial bridge etc. It's great for me but makes me wonder why the traffic isn't being spread out time wise.

I know the likes of Boston Scientific, Medtronic and Wayfair for example do staggered shifts with some starting later than others but I wonder if looking at where most people are going and then trying to work with employers, schools, colleges etc. to stagger start times could that have a positive impact.

e.g. What if not all secondary schools and primary schools in the city start and finish at the same time. Maybe get the companies in Ballybrit and Briarhill to co-ordinate shift times.

Just an idea.

Personally, I don't see a huge benefit in the bypass. I fear it'll just mean the traffic moving onto the bypass.

Wompa1

Wompa1 wrote: »

I moved back to Galway after 8 years away. I was living in the US. An interesting observation from me is that Galway doesn't really getting going until at least 9am these days...

There's hardly a sinner in the city centre before 9am.

I've been starting work at 7am. There is no traffic between 6am-7am along the Headford Rd, Prospect Hill, Quinncintennial bridge etc. It's great for me but makes me wonder why the traffic isn't being spread out time wise.

I know the likes of Boston Scientific, Medtronic and Wayfair for example do staggered shifts with some starting later than others but I wonder if looking at where most people are going and then trying to work with employers, schools, colleges etc. to stagger start times could that have a positive impact.

e.g. What if not all secondary schools and primary schools in the city start and finish at the same time. Maybe get the companies in Ballybrit and Briarhill to co-ordinate shift times.

Just an idea.

.

I made this very point earlier in the thread but it was shot down by a few of the anti-car brigade and a person or two who don’t even live on this side of the country as it wouldn’t suit the agenda being pushed. I go the other way to you and generally don’t start work until sometime between. 9:30 and 10am most mornings and similar have no traffic issues anywhere once I’m hitting the city around 9:15am or later.

I disagree on the bypass though, it’s an absolute necessity.

McTigs

Wompa1 wrote: »

e.g. What if not all secondary schools and primary schools in the city start and finish at the same time.

A big help would be a return to secondary school students making their own way to school.... there shouldn't be the massive difference that there is in traffic when the schools are on or off. There is no way i'm driving my kids to school

Mrs OBumble

The city centre is not generally where the traffic problems are.

zell12

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The city centre is not generally where the traffic problems are.

chock-a-block with pedestrian traffic earlier, everywhere you looked

Wompa1

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The city centre is not generally where the traffic problems are.

I come in on the N84 and drive into the City Centre usually. I have come in via the Tuam Rd in and direct N84 to the square. So far no traffic at all.

I was working later today and got to work remote but had an appointment early this morning by GMIT. 7-7:45am no traffic at all, it was great.

There was traffic at 8:45am when I was heading out of town. There was a tailback on the Headford Rd and a steady line of cars on their way in via the N84 which I'm sure would have made the tailback even worse. I did a quick count. All but 5 of the cars I passed had only one occupant.

Bus service through the likes of Ballinrobe and Headford is much better now than it was 15+ years ago in terms of frequency but based on my observations over the last few weeks, they are all missing a trick. They are stopping so much between the larger villages and there's still 3 hours between buses, if you miss one, you may as well call out sick from work of give college a miss.

Is there any grant scheme or something in place to incentivize car pooling? Obviously, we don't have the infrastructure for car pool lanes but there should be something. I also still think plan out the start of schools and college classes around the city. Get the large employers to stagger their start times. Not all of them will be able to do it, if they are providing service for customers during a set time but still worth trying something.

A park and ride down by Bothar an Choiste might be handy too. Free parking and maybe 3 euro per person return and I'd use it.

dok_golf

I tell ya what will happen. Galway City Council will introduce a congestion charge. Whether or not it will be reduced/eliminated for car pooling cars is debatable ( how would it ne enforced etc). also, I don't understand why Galway airport isn't put to better use. Apart froma few in the flying club and the odd concert, who uses it? Prime location for a park and ride ( even open it to private operators to run a constant loop of shuttle buses. Make an exit on the Oranmore side of the Carnmore junction and split the buses at the motorway end, one going Parkmore into town, one going Remore into town ( whichever ratio suits whatever time best)

Wompa1

dok_golf wrote: »

I tell ya what will happen. Galway City Council will introduce a congestion charge. Whether or not it will be reduced/eliminated for car pooling cars is debatable ( how would it ne enforced etc). also, I don't understand why Galway airport isn't put to better use. Apart froma few in the flying club and the odd concert, who uses it? Prime location for a park and ride ( even open it to private operators to run a constant loop of shuttle buses. Make an exit on the Oranmore side of the Carnmore junction and split the buses at the motorway end, one going Parkmore into town, one going Remore into town ( whichever ratio suits whatever time best)

Same with the Race Track. People commuting in from the N17 to get into the city could hang a left at the track, park up there and take a bus the rest of the way.

McGiver

Sara Shapely Bead wrote:

I made this very point earlier in the thread but it was shot down by a few of the anti-car brigade and a person or two who don’t even live on this side of the country as it wouldn’t suit the agenda being pushed. I go the other way to you and generally don’t start work until sometime between. 9:30 and 10am most mornings and similar have no traffic issues anywhere once I’m hitting the city around 9:15am or later.

It's a nonsense. Nowhere in a European city this is being done AFAIK. Also, local government can't control private businesses in this manner, it's non workable.

Note:I have no anti-car agenda. Just anti polluting and anti inefficient transport agenda. I own a car myself but at least it's s zero emission one.

McGiver

dok_golf wrote:

I tell ya what will happen. Galway City Council will introduce a congestion charge. Whether or not it will be reduced/eliminated for car pooling cars is debatable ( how would it ne enforced etc). also, I don't understand why Galway airport isn't put to better use. Apart froma few in the flying club and the odd concert, who uses it? Prime location for a park and ride ( even open it to private operators to run a constant loop of shuttle buses. Make an exit on the Oranmore side of the Carnmore junction and split the buses at the motorway end, one going Parkmore into town, one going Remore into town ( whichever ratio suits whatever time best)

Agree but what about the West Side. This would help only the east side, specifically commuters from the east going into the east side bison parks.

yer man!

dok_golf wrote: »

I tell ya what will happen. Galway City Council will introduce a congestion charge. Whether or not it will be reduced/eliminated for car pooling cars is debatable ( how would it ne enforced etc). also, I don't understand why Galway airport isn't put to better use. Apart froma few in the flying club and the odd concert, who uses it? Prime location for a park and ride ( even open it to private operators to run a constant loop of shuttle buses. Make an exit on the Oranmore side of the Carnmore junction and split the buses at the motorway end, one going Parkmore into town, one going Remore into town ( whichever ratio suits whatever time best)

This very thing was trialed years ago, airport was opened to a private operator to run regular buses into town. Parking was free but you just had to pay for the bus. It didn't go well, most days there were only a hand full of cars parked there, the scheme was very quickly called off and never spoken of again.

https://connachttribune.ie/unsustainable-park-ride-catering-for-20-cars-a-day/

I do think a heavily subsidised scheme could work like what is run in the race course during the christmas season. For a service to work it has to be fast and it has to be cheap. Only since the shuttle bus in Oranmore dropped the fare to city prices, it's the only way I make my way into the city anymore. It's brilliant, a bus every 30 mins for less than the cost of a cup of tea and quicker than the car at most hours of the day.

Frozen Veg

A public consultation survey on the Western Rail corridor which would join the lines at Claremorris-Tuam-Athenry. Have your say whether positive or negative.

https://emea.focusvision.com/survey/selfserve/214c/190513

Personally think it would be a great addition to the West. Could get the train from Galway all the way through to Westport and serviced towns. Also providing link ups to Dublin and other lines.

Wompa1

I found the traffic

I had to go to Dublin last week. Around 8:15am the traffic coming in from Oranmore was terrible. I may need to rethink my ideas of moving somewhere South of the city.

It's kind of a trend but also looking at the Train timetables from Athenry and Oranmore, the service is pretty regular but is constantly sold out during a couple of the slots in the morning and a couple in the evening. Majority of commuters travel at the same time.

Have to wonder what will happen when that traffics gets pushed onto a bypass. How many lanes will the bypass have, presumably more than the motorway?