Galway traffic

LostDuck

https://connachttribune.ie/30m-high-student-accommodation-building-in-galway-is-too-tall/

The backers of a proposed 250-bed student accommodation complex on the Headford Road have been told that its 30-metre height is excessive and needs to be scaled back.

And the management company of the adjacent Galway Retail Park have expressed “grave concerns” that it would be an overdevelopment of the site and would exacerbate an already-congested parking situation in the retail park.

This is very backward thinking. We need to build up residential density around the city centre. Students in these facilities will manage with no cars, get off the bus or train in Eyre Square and walk/bike to college.

Instead we push them further out to the suburbs or nearby towns and they're commuting in.

biko

LostDuck wrote: »

Is regular traffic permitted to drive down Shop Street during those hours? Genuine question, I thought it was deliveries only...?

It's not through traffic, it's mainly shop owners bringing stuff to their shops in regular cars.
It's not a good rat-run as it's even slower to go through than around.

zell12

biko wrote: »

It's not through traffic, it's mainly shop owners bringing stuff to their shops in regular cars.
It's not a good rat-run as it's even slower to go through than around.

It's used by people to park outside places ie McDonalds, credit union etc
Also used as a school run by parents in mornings

xckjoo

LostDuck wrote: »

https://connachttribune.ie/30m-high-student-accommodation-building-in-galway-is-too-tall/



This is very backward thinking. We need to build up residential density around the city centre. Students in these facilities will manage with no cars, get off the bus or train in Eyre Square and walk/bike to college.

Instead we push them further out to the suburbs or nearby towns and they're commuting in.

Ya we need to start going up higher at some stage. Anyone know why we're so against it in this country?

biko wrote: »

It's not through traffic, it's mainly shop owners bringing stuff to their shops in regular cars.
It's not a good rat-run as it's even slower to go through than around.

I used to walk that street every morning and there seemed to be a lot of parents with kids driving through. Purely anecdotal admittedly but there's definitely a regular cohort that use it for through traffic

what_traffic

xckjoo wrote: »

I used to walk that street every morning and there seemed to be a lot of parents with kids driving through. Purely anecdotal admittedly but there's definitely a regular cohort that use it for through traffic

Pre Summer 2020 - this was technically OK if one was using a private vehicle like a car,bicycle,minibus. Restrictions now mean only 'Deliverys in Motor Vechicles". They have also banned Deliverys by bike/cargobike as well now, most European Citys are doing the opposite for Zones like this. Doing the last leg via bike/small electic vehicles etc

gordongekko

what_traffic wrote: »

I see you missed the point of the thread, not surprised at that.
Which side streets? Outline the route for a kid living in Bohermore who is going to St Pats school in the morning via bicycle at 08h30?

Go down Eglinton street and nuns island , or newstownsmith and across the canal or god forbid get off the bike and walk down shop street

what_traffic

gordongekko wrote: »

Go down Eglinton street and nuns island , or newstownsmith and across the canal or god forbid get off the bike and walk down shop street

Shout that detour at the kids with your God forbidding voice when they are going to School in the morning.

gordongekko

what_traffic wrote: »

Shout that detour at the kids with your God forbidding voice when they are going to School in the morning.

I don't either shout or have a god forbidding voice. But I suppose when your nonsense is called out for what it is ,you've got to try something

what_traffic

gordongekko wrote: »

I don't either shout or have a god forbidding voice. But I suppose when your nonsense is called out for what it is ,you've got to try something

God forbid

Similar to Galway, there are issues in London with regards to cycling infrastructure with some folks claiming its not being used because it looks empty when they are stuck in traffic beside it.

Mrs OBumble

ratracer wrote: »

What? Dodging between trucks and vans during delivery times is safe for pedestrians, but the rampant school going kids ( even though we don’t have a lot of cyclists according to some on here?) are a source of serious injury?
Yeah, sound!

Cyclists are a lot harder to dodge, because they move so quickly, and are unpredictable. Cars and trucks in Shop etc street move fairly slowly, and because they are quite wide it's easy to see where they will go.

Ruhanna

gordongekko wrote: »

Go down Eglinton street and nuns island , or newstownsmith and across the canal or god forbid get off the bike and walk down shop street

Boards was never a place for learning, as your post clearly shows.

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Cyclists are a lot harder to dodge, because they move so quickly, and are unpredictable. Cars and trucks in Shop etc street move fairly slowly, and because they are quite wide it's easy to see where they will go.

As reflected in the annual road safety stats and hospital admission figures, presumably.

McGiver

LostDuck wrote:

This is very backward thinking. We need to build up residential density around the city centre. Students in these facilities will manage with no cars, get off the bus or train in Eyre Square and walk/bike to college.

Villager mentality. FFS in a city cut off by the sea in the South, by farmland in the East, by a lake and bogs in the North and by bog in the West, one would imagine that building high is the only sensible option. But no we'll just litter the place with 1 to 2 story suburban jungle, and also don't build associated infrastructure apart from ridiculously narrow roads and force everyone into driving cars on those roads. The low population density is the core issue here, it makes any sort of public service or infrastructure implossible. Galway needs more high rise and higher density.

Also the locals are telling me "apartments really don't work for us" as in for the Irish or at least Galwagians. Can someone explain this to me rationally please?

Appartments work for the whole urban Europe from Slovakia to Spain, from Sweden to Italy.

McGiver

McGiver wrote: »

Also the locals are telling me "apartments really don't work for us" as in for the Irish or at least Galwagians. Can someone explain this to me rationally please?

Appartments work for the whole urban Europe from Slovakia to Spain, from Sweden to Italy.

While you make good points the biggest issue with irish apartments is the poor quality and small size of them. Until we start building apartments that are of a sufficient size.....

John_Rambo

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Cyclists are a lot harder to dodge, because they move so quickly, and are unpredictable. Cars and trucks in Shop etc street move fairly slowly, and because they are quite wide it's easy to see where they will go.

I guess if Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had used a push bike instead of a truck he'd have killed more than 86 people in Nice.

fergiesfolly

John_Rambo wrote: »

I guess if Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had used a push bike instead of a truck he'd have killed more than 86 people in Nice.

That's right JohnR. 86 people did die in a terrorist attack in Nice.
But what kind of person uses that atrocity to prove a point in this kind of debate?

What kind of person are you, John?
I'm guessing most people on the thread already have their answer.

biko

John_Rambo threadbanned until October.
Back on topic everyone else.

McGiver

Deleted User wrote:

While you make good points the biggest issue with irish apartments is the poor quality and small size of them. Until we start building apartments that are of a sufficient size.....

No, not really, this is wrong. Continental apartments aren't massive by any chance, in average. And that's before I go to Scandinavia. The appartements I've seen here in Galway, Cork and Dublin aren't small size at all, perfectly fine when compared with Europe.

So here comes the issue - Irish people seem to fancy large dwellings (apartments or houses for the matter), these are unrealistic, exaggerated expectations from my point of view.

If this is the majority view then I'm afraid you'll be stuck with urban sprawl forever as the only solution to this is high density accomodation. UK style mass terraced houses have also somewhat a higher density, but given the above 1-bed or 2-bed tiny hobbit houses wouldn't cut it for you either (I lived there so I know what I'm talking about).

I agree with the quality argument although it's not that bad. It's better to live in a little bit lower quality apartment than to be homeless or be sharing houses with other people.

mjp

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Re why more people they take leave on Friday: If your annual leave allowance is 160 hours per year, and taking Friday off only uses 4 hours (due to short hours), you can take 8 Fridays or 4 Mondays. It's a no-brainer. (Actual hours vary between companies, but the principle holds)

Most companies restrict the number of Fridays staff can take as holidays. Last place I worked in used finish half day on Friday. Counted as 0.5 days holidays for first 6 Fridays taken in year but after that they counted as full day. They would end up with all staff on 4 day weeks mostly if didn't put this in place.

LostDuck

mjp wrote: »

Most companies restrict the number of Fridays staff can take as holidays.

Really? I never came across a company that limited Friday holidays so would be surprised if most companies did that.

Never heard of it either but places I’ve worked didn’t have an official shorter day on a Friday either so people wouldn’t be taking Fridays off very often (though most people finished an hour or two early on Fridays (unofficially).

Wompa1

McGiver wrote: »

No, not really, this is wrong. Continental apartments aren't massive by any chance, in average. And that's before I go to Scandinavia. The appartements I've seen here in Galway, Cork and Dublin aren't small size at all, perfectly fine when compared with Europe.

So here comes the issue - Irish people seem to fancy large dwellings (apartments or houses for the matter), these are unrealistic, exaggerated expectations from my point of view.

If this is the majority view then I'm afraid you'll be stuck with urban sprawl forever as the only solution to this is high density accomodation. UK style mass terraced houses have also somewhat a higher density, but given the above 1-bed or 2-bed tiny hobbit houses wouldn't cut it for you either (I lived there so I know what I'm talking about).

I agree with the quality argument although it's not that bad. It's better to live in a little bit lower quality apartment than to be homeless or be sharing houses with other people.

Size was rarely the problem where I lived in the city. Like both of yee have said, it's the quality. The older places in the city are cold damp dwellings with black mould. The newer places\Celtic Tiger buildings (not that new anymore) like Dun na Coiribe were built very poorly. There are some very good places though like out on Lough Atalia but they cost a small fortune. Hopefully some of the other newer builds are good quality.

mjp

LostDuck wrote: »

Really? I never came across a company that limited Friday holidays so would be surprised if most companies did that.

It's notthing to do with the Friday but it's holidays on shorter days where the day only counts as half day. Worked in company that finished at 1 clock on Friday and had them restrictions in place to stop people taking off the 12 Fridays during summer months and only have to take 6 days holidays. Makes sense for a company that it's not abused by staff.

LostDuck

Every company I worked in with short Fridays generally encouraged people to take their holidays on Fridays as there are very few meetings. I suppose it'd be different if you're making widgets or need cover to face the public.

Mrs OBumble

mjp wrote: »

It's notthing to do with the Friday but it's holidays on shorter days where the day only counts as half day.

Some do it based on hours. So Friday is worth 6 hours leave, Thursday is worth 8.5.

A quick look at any Industrial estates carpark showed that fewer people were atcwork on Fridays. Pre-Covid anyways.

what_traffic

What are the Council doing here? Dont have pics but its a weird looking looking bollard and bike parking installation.

LostDuck

what_traffic wrote: »

What are the Council doing here? Dont have pics but its a weird looking looking bollard and bike parking installation.

Where?

Sounds like something bike week related

aw

Seems they have changed the alignment of the Dyke Road. You can no longer go straight across to St Brendan's Avaenue to go up past Sleepzone. You must take the left route and exit the Dyke at St Bridget's Place, across from Argos.

https://twitter.com/GalwayCityCo/status/1307998995848015875

sasal

https://twitter.com/GalwayCycling/status/1308006774419664896

LostDuck

Very strange.

And it's being presented to make it look like cycling infrastructure even though it's purely to increase the motorist throughput at that junction.