How to use the new Kirwan junction

Much of the criticism above seems to be from cars entering the city from the Headford side or exiting from the Sandy Road.

How are people crossing the city finding it?

Wompa1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117790101#Comment_117790101

The retail park and hotel were there before the junction was put in. The retail park opened in the early 2000s. The G opened in 2005. The people who lived in the area and drove it every day were pretty clear that the tailbacks got worse when the junction went in and it did. I was driving from Lough Atalia out to Ballybrit at the time. It turned to sh1t overnight. They spent months tweaking the timing of the lights, it improved a little but was and has remained worse than when the roundabout was in there. A big part of the problem was and continues to be the set of lights where Lough Atalia and College Road meet. It has been 12+ years and it is only this year that they are talking about addressing that set of lights.

D'ya remember some of the defenses from the council about it being slower until all the roundabouts were replaced with junctions because then they could run in sync with each other. Sounded good but little did we know it could be 15+ years until they are all replaced and by the time that happens the population of the city will probably have increased by 10s of thousands of people.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117792642#Comment_117792642

You're most likely right but the retail park is also far busier now than all those years ago.

Greyhound_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117784099#Comment_117784099

Infrequent and running late buses go into one place - Eyre Square. People need to move in other directions as well. Are e-bikes and e-scooters legal on the road? What about safety implications? Age limits? Weather? How people who live in Tirellan Heights, Ballinfoile, Scelig Ard or Castlegar can do shopping, take their kids to do activities, spent leisure time, visit friends & family, go to work or do business without commuting through the new junction?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117759370#Comment_117759370

I had written a reply to his original comment but decided to not engage with him as his replies are all hostile and he's obviously not interested in an argument, just wants to listen to himself say how right he is and how wrong everyone else is.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117784099#Comment_117784099

Despite it being slow and adding to the problem a car is still the most logical form of transport for most people in Galway. I used to get a bus from westside to Ballybrit and it would take over an hour sometimes, with a car it took 20mins. There is no direct bus from west to east they all go to Eyre Square where they wait for 5-10mins and sometimes the bus driver tells everyone to get off and wait for the next one! Not to mention that most bus stops are just a pole so it's great in the winter standing in wind and rain waiting for a bus that will almost certainly be late. Sure you can bike but it's dangerous (I did it once and never again) and very few employers provides showers at the office. Not to mention it's not the nicest thing cycling in the dark to and from work only adding to the danger and again you are at the mercy of the elements.

I've lived and worked in citys with proper public transport and never wanted or needed a car, the state of Galways transport forced me to buy one. It's easy to say just take the bus or cycle but the reality is it isn't.

the-island-man

I feel that I have two perspectives of using this as a Roundabout and now as a junction.

I could definitely see a need for something to be changed. When it was a Roundabout I lived in Tirellan and commuted back and forth to work using Bothar na dTreabh. It seemed ok going to work but coming back in the evening it was chaos. The Roundabout would be at a complete standstill, blocked up by cars on it but not moving anywhere.

Now I live out towards Headford and commute into the city using the N84 and N6 for work. Going in is worse than before but manageable but coming out is torture. The left lane leading onto the N84 is way too short and to add insult to injury I can see crashes being caused by the slip road up to Menlo. People going out the N84 will be rushing to make it past the lights.

I thought that myself turning onto the Headford road one day. It's obviously designed with a 'get cars from Headford Rd to BnT' ideal in mind and everything else was an afterthought.

WildWater

One simple thing that would have made this junction better, at least in terms of the efficiency of through put from town to the N84 and N6BndT, would have been to route N84 northbound traffic up the Coolough link road and then back out onto the N84.

The way it is now is a bit of disaster. When the lights change to red 2-3 cars waiting to turn left onto the N84 is enough to block off the Coolough Link Rd, making it completely redundant. Then, even worse, when the lights go green the N84 filter stays red* (I presume this is to allow pedestrians to cross). All it takes if about 4-5 cars wishing to make the turn onto the N84 to block the left lane of the N6 Headford Rd. This eastbound side of the junction is all about through put to help clear traffic closer to town and having a design where the left lane is potentially regularly blocked is crazy.

The simple (or at least what would have been very simple to do at the construction stage) change is to have N84 traffic use the Coolough link road and have no left turn at the junction itself. In the current design, N84 traffic have to potentially wait on two long lights. One at the junction itself and the other where the Coolough Rd meets the N84. In the design above there would only be a need for a yellow box where the Coolough Link Rd meet the Coolough Rd and at the existing filter where the Coolough Rd meets the N84. That filter could stay green much longer and more frequently than the one at the junction itself. Thus, you get a much higher though put of N84 traffic and therefore clearing it faster from the crucial section between Bodkin and Kirwan. Also, when the Coolough Rd / N84 filter needs to turn red, you have a much greater holding capacity than down at the junction.

The thing is, it can still work like this with the current design. However, for maximum efficiency, the Coolough Link Rd would ideally finish in a Y with the right lane of the Y joining the Coolough Rd, with a yellow box junction, where the double lane begins. That way, traffic coming down from Menlo, wishing to go town or BndT, would not block access to the left (N84 northbound) lane.

*Edit: coming home tonight the left filter turned green at the same time as the other lights. Perhaps it stays red only when the pedestrian button has been pressed or perhaps they are still tweaking the sequence. IMO the above would still have been a better design.

Came across this part of town yesterday. Going from the Quin bridge to go up Bothar na dTreabh. The left turn off the bridge was blocked with the queue for the Headford road. Couldn't get through to the right lane until there was some movement and a driver left space.

If they can't fix the new junction issue in the short term they'll need to add a yellow box junction here.

It was blocked again further down with drivers taking the right lane and trying to cut in left just before the Headford turn.

realdanbreen

For a small enough city Galway is a complete f**k up when it comes to traffic. I've never come across so many roundabouts in a confined area.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117857327#Comment_117857327

What time were you there?

Around 4.20pm, wasn't expecting to hit traffic issues at that time.

MadYaker

The problem isn’t the roads the problem is the number of cars on the roads and until they tackle the problem from that angle it’s only going to get worse. In another few years after it’s gotten worse and worse they’ll switch it back to a roundabout again.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117857808#Comment_117857808

Every day from 230/3pm I'd expect delays on most city roads really. We went from the Eastside yesterday at 235pm to Liosban and Terryland Retail Park, Tuam Rd inbound and outbound was fine. Return journey at 305pm and Tuam Rd was backed up down to Liosban entrance outbound and increased inbound too.

Fozzie Bear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117857327#Comment_117857327

"If they can't fix the new junction issue in the short term they'll need to add a yellow box junction here."

God I love your optimism regarding a yellow box making any difference! Or that people will use or pass any heed of it if one was painted there.

Most Galway drivers already see them as just big yellow parking spaces as it is....

True 🤦