M4 - Maynooth to Leixlip [planning and design underway]

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365245#Comment_120365245

There's no extra rolling stock. That's more of an issue than signalling right now.

Chris_5339762

...and thats complicated by the fact that our trains are basically custom made due to our track guage being different from most places.

Its not as if we can just buy refurbed units from the UK or anything like that.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120365549#Comment_120365549

I'm not sure what the point is here. Improving railways requires advance planning, so does widening motorways.

JupiterKid

The fact that the highly populated and rapidly growing rail corridor from Connolly to Maynooth still does not have a DART service 20+ years after it was promised is nothing short of a disgrace, an affront to the denizens of West Dublin and North Kildare - and a sad example of just how poorly good quality public transport is prioritised by the government.

brianc89

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120374830#Comment_120374830

Classic example of "...ah yeah no bother, we'll just build the road first, but we promise the PT piece will follow immediately... don't you worry ".

And here we are again talking about widening the M4 to 3 lanes and Dart+West still not approved by ABP.

veryangryman

What road did they build in the past 20 years? This is an example of doing nothing. Don't fall for the divide and conquer crapp. Neither the motorist, bus commuter(who uses these roads too) or train commuter has been sorted out 1 iota.

Build both. Road first and make more direct buses

Jayuu

I never understand these private car v public transport discussions. The reality here is that we need multiple solutions not just on the M4 but in most urban areas.

I agree that the induced demand effect would probably happen with an extra lane on the M4 but I think the effect is overstated. People are only going to commute by car if they have parking available at their work and that's not the case for most people working in the city. And this is also not to mention increased petrol costs which make private commuting less desirable. It's not thousands and thousands of people are suddenly going to stop using public transport and pile onto the M4.

Ultimately better public transport options would be preferable but as other threads on this site show Dublin Bus is alreay struggling to get drivers to meet their current capacity, without even thinking about increasing it. There's no point in bulding bus lanes if we don't have the buses to go on them.

KrisW1001

Agreed, we need multiple solutions. Right now, we have a pretty good solution for private car users, and a poor solution for public transport, with the result that the too many people are forced to use the private car option.

If the bus is not reliable, people will end up driving themselves in, even if it costs them more to do so - fuel and in-city parking just becomes a cost of earning your salary; especially as the alternative, being late all the time, will lose you your job. But why is the bus unreliable? Because it shares road-space with private car commuters. This is a vicious circle, where high car traffic affects the reliability of bus services, driving more potential bus commuters into private cars, and the best solution is dedicated bus-lanes. So, if you’re putting an extra lane on a busy commuter route, making it a bus-lane will have the biggest benefit.

Bus lanes don’t necessarily need more drivers. A dedicated bus lane allows each bus to travel faster on average, and so make more trips per day: the driver’s shift is still the same length, but they get to make more circuits during that shift, increasing capacity. Increased reliability of service improves ridership, which brings more money into the bus operator, which allows them to offer more to drivers, and the job of driving also becomes less stressful if more routes are on dedicated lanes unimpeded by traffic, which should help with the hiring problem.

SeanW

For the Maynooth corridor, it's really clear that what is needed primarily is a massive improvement in the Maynooth railway service. (Like other railway services going into Dublin City Centre). Ideally this would entail not just electrification of the line for DART but also some work done to enable longer trains or double-decker coaches.

As for roads, I do see a benefit to adding an extra lane outbound on the M4 only. Adding a lane inbound would just enable people to get to the M50 faster - hurry up and wait - whereas people would be going in all different directions from the outbound lane in the evening, and thus would benefit from a speed-up.

veryangryman

Aren't those using the m50 equally going in "all different directions? "

It's a big city. The centre isnt the final destination for most

cullenswood

Any idea on the timeline for completion of the bus corridor?

highdef

The westbound carriageway is currently being resurfaced between junction 5 and 6. Not sure if it's being done as the surface is almost 30 years old and is showing its age or if it's the beginning of the bigger project being discussed here. Anyone have any more info?

buffalo

I noticed the lack of traffic on Monday evening. KCC notice just says "resurfacing": https://kildarecoco.ie/PressReleasesAdverts/M4MotorwayTemporaryClosingofRoadsNoticeofDecisionGlobalviaJonsLtd.html

The bus priority project is only going to be on the eastbound carriageway as I understand it (widening into the verge and median), so the westbound side should be untouched, so probably just routine resurfacing.

highdef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121134225#Comment_121134225

But the link that you posted (thank you, BTW) states that the M4 eastbound between junction 7 and 6 is also being resurfaced.....strangely though that will leave only junction 6 to junction 5 eastbound being the only section not being resurfaced in recent times between junction 5 Leixlip East and junction 8 Kilcock (east and west bound).

Perhaps the bus priority project will then begin eastbound between junction 6 & 5 once the current tranche of works are complete?

Mikros

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121134364#Comment_121134364

The M4 bus priority project was meant to be eastbound from J7 Maynooth to J5 Leixlip East so it is a bit confusing why they would resurface J7 to J6 and not keep going to J5? Or why they would do J7 to J6 at all, unless they are going to start the bus project there. Very little information on it, the sooner it is all resurfaced the better.

highdef

The new top surface is complete westbound between junction 5 (start of motorway) and junction 7, at which point it joins with the fairly recently resurfaced stretch between junction 7 and just before junction 8. I leave at junction 8 and the overall drive is now far more pleasant due to the extra smoothness and large reduction in road noise. Hats of to the contractors for getting that done so quickly.

Next up is the eastbound side. Will be interesting if the section from junction 6 to 5 will be left untouched as per @buffalo's recent link from KCC.

buffalo

I'm trying to work this one out, but I can't find the source document:

TII warned of another six deaths and 37 injuries if the N4 Maynooth-to-Leixlip project is delayed,

(from https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/transport-chiefs-predict-77-deaths-unless-these-18-stretches-of-road-nationwide-are-upgraded/a1836048566.html)

The only project I know of is the bus corridor and perhaps resurfacing for noise. I can't see how either of those would prevent six deaths?

L1011

I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting but I don't remember any RTC deaths on that section of motorway.

Do they mean in terms of emissions related deaths? Cause its not like the works will have any impacts on vehicular safety.

Seth Brundle

This was discussed in another thread and the speculation was that TII are including fatalities resulting from drivers using other roads because the M4 is congested.

Nonetheless, as TII hadn't published the details behind these figures, I'm inclined to think there is a lot of bullsh1t included in their figures!

highdef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121134225#Comment_121134225

Well the westbound was completed and the surface is lovely now but the eastbound was not done at all......strange.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121281704#Comment_121281704

Because Eastbound is going to be torn up for the bus lane to be added.

cullenswood

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121281741#Comment_121281741

Is there a timeframe for these works?

highdef

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121281741#Comment_121281741

Yes, but KCC stated in the temporary closing of roads notice that the eastbound carriageway was to be resurfaced between junction 7 & 6 from 2nd to 16th October. That never happened. Why would they post such a notice if they did not intend to carry out the work due to the upcoming plan to completely redo the eastbound carriageway in the future to incorporate a bus lane? Seems like lazy/sloppy planning at the very least.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121282032#Comment_121282032

KCC are not very good with roads stuff.