North Side of Campus Exit

unichick

Anyone any idea what’s going on with the North Side of campus exit? It’s been closed Thursday & Friday. Still no word on whether it will open today.

unichick

Dear Campus Community,

The North Exit will remain closed this evening and for the remainder of this week. A further update will issue on Friday, 11th October 2019.

We apologise for any inconvenience to users of this exit.


Buildings and Estates

MarkR

I heard that there was a protest by the locals last week. Blockaded the road.

unichick

Absolute joke. If anything happens that side of the campus we’re all fecked. Can’t get out of the place. Such a bottle neck. Poor planning when expanding UL.

MarkR

Closed until further notice.

unichick

An absolute joke. I heard residents weren’t informed about it. The bottle neck continues.

Popoutman

Just an FYI on access to the North Campus..

To my knowledge (and I'm happy to be corrected on this) the planning permission for the original expansion across the Shannon into Co. Clare, was dependent on an agreement by PCC to have no vehicular access from the University to the road system in that part of Clare - excepting emergency-type access.

This was sought to prevent UL being used as a rat-run by people seeking to cross the Shannon. When the bridge was built, the next road-capable bridge downstream was Athlunkard Bridge, and the next nearest upstream was O'Brien's Bridge. It was felt at the time that the road infrastructure in Clare would not have been able to support the volume of traffic that would have used UL as a crossing if UL had allowed through traffic. It would be about the same volume of traffic that will be expected to use the Northern Distributor Road that's currently under construction that will connect the Annacotty region through to Coonagh. The new road is expected to have a link to the North Campus, as by this stage the local infrastructure then becomes somewhat irrelevant for the traffic volume as the new road will provide all of the access.

Given the constraints put on UL and PCC when expanding across the river, I don't think that they have done badly at all.

MarkR

I was surprised that it went ahead without the legalities reviewed.

I just move my car at lunch to a space closer to the east gate.

Miike

Surprised they invested building a gate and everything there, just to shut up shop. They knew the locals were going to go buck ape - the same happened 10 years ago when this was tried again?

Is it fair to say the dream of the north gate reopening is well and truly over?