Cork traffic

Diabhalta

I have people almost crashing in to me because I am too close. I was furher away from the junction before and it worked fine. What am I supposed to do, stop 2m before the line or what? It's not the drivers, it's the layout. People will not learn new ways how to drive, going around like idiots. So why changing something that worked perfectly fine before.

cantalach

Somebody needs help…

Diabhalta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171327#Comment_120171327

I know I'm right, it's ok to disagree.

That junction is trash now.

Diabhalta

let's blame the drivers for not being able to drive, sure. Maybe the trucks should be smaller then to fit the junction no? So it's safer for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

and I have a van on my right almost on my door. nothing unusual.

the beer revolu

All I see are pictures of cars unnecessarily cutting the corner ending up in a poor road position. There is plenty of room for them to take the turn correctly.

Some junctions and roads are not designed for trucks, perhaps this is one?

For example the street that I live on is far too narrow for trucks, so they don't go down it.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171354#Comment_120171354

You are the only person here on that side of the argument. Doesn't that make you pause and perhaps consider your position, even a little?

Schorpio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171325#Comment_120171325

It most certainly is the drivers.

I'm not a traffic engineer, but I have worked closely with them. Software exists with the sole purpose of evaluating road designs to ensure that larger vehicles can safely manoeuvre at reasonable speeds. I've personally seem it done in cases where roads were being narrowed. It also covers off cases where people (like your good self) try to claim that the road design is at fault.

In your last picture - yes, the Passat has cut the corner. Bet the Skoda in the back didn't though!

Diabhalta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120172858#Comment_120172858

Here on this forum maybe, but in the real world out there you'll come across a lot of people not being happy about all these (negative) changes. I presented evidence that this junction is worse now. Because it is. It's not suitable for HGV's anymore and driving through it is more difficult. For everyone really.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120176546#Comment_120176546

That's all theory though, reality is different. This junction is garbage. I see it every single day almost.

I drive cars in other countries sometimes when on holidays, never ever I came across some trash like this.

Diabhalta

Yeah like this is just insane, a piece of footpath in the road. There for few months already damaged and all black from all the tyres rubbing. Yeah, it's the driver's fault that there's a footpath in the road.

Diabhalta

Creating obstacles, tightening the curves does nothing productive really. It's a nuisance. What's the difference if car is doing 28 km/h instead of 36 km/h? Let's just put speed bumps everywhere in the name of safety, you never know... a pedestrian might decide to jump in front of a car right?

I don't drive to city centre anymore, too much hassle.

Diabhalta

And the way they are jamming cycling down everyone's throat... Few cycle lanes won't change anything about a fact that the quality of the roads is not good enough for cycling. Hills, weather etc. Everything is against it. I sold my bicycle last year when the fuel prices went up, bought two tanks of petrol for that money. No more cycling for me it seems.

I went to Bordeaux last year, cycled there. It was nice, the whole city is flat and the weather was nice (Lime bikes are great). But where do you go here? To work? Yes maybe, recreationally? Um, where? The sky is grey most of the time, I don't see myself sitting on a bench with a bicycle next to it enjoying that. It's not the rain really but it's constantly cold and windy here. Unsuitable for cycling really. That's why the Lime bikes or scooters will never be available here, too many hills, then you have the scumbags. An island next to Atlantic ocean. You would have to move it next to France, then it's a different story.

Like look at this, this isn't how you fix a road. It's there for years like this, never repaired properly and currently falling apart.

Diabhalta

If you're not familiar with this spot and you are doing 30-40 km/h on a bicycle down this hill, you're in for an unpleasant surprise...

Diabhalta

Roads would have to be smooth as a glass, then they would be suitable for cycling. I don't think I'll ever cycle in Cork city again. It's not worth it.

zell12

Take heart, Cork is not as bad as Galway, according to FFer Lisa Chambers https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2021-12-08/8/#

PreCocious

Look we get it OP, you want to be able to drive around your metal clad three piece sofa and not have to give way to the elderly, disabled, person's with limited mobility or cyclists because in your eyes they should stand in the rain waiting for a brief moment of permission to cross rather than discommode you in any way.

It's great that they are tightening radii. It would be good if they could do the junction by the Silver Key, that's very difficult to cross because entitled drivers swing around the corner without giving a single damn.

Also OP - good luck with going to court about Wilton SC - it's their property and the price for entering (and remaining) is adherence to the rules. If you don't like them you can go somewhere else.

the beer revolu

No hills, rain, wind or "scumbags" at all in other cities that have great cycling infrastructure. No, none.

It never rains in Copenhagen or Amsterdam. No wind either, apparently.

It's true, you are not alone. Many people want infrastructure and facilities to benift themselves primarily, and only others if it does not impeded themselves in any way whatsoever.

Yes, having to drive slower and with more consideration is becoming more necessary in city spaces due to road design. Get used to it. There will be more and more of it, thankfully. Cars have been given absolute priority on our city's roads for generations. This is changing to make our city spaces safer and more enjoyable for everyone using them. We still have a long way to go.

Schorpio

@Diabhalta

I don't drive to city centre anymore, too much hassle.

Good! The new measures are working! Grab a bus instead and watch it ably navigate all of the new junction radii from a bird's eye view.

the beer revolu

The Here's a great example of a junction that has an absolutely ridiculous design favouring cars not having to slow down to take the corner but leaving pedestrians about 30 metres of road to cross. It's, essentially a simple cross roads but takes up the space of a large roundabout! All that completely unnecessary road surface that could be grass.

A relic of the past, thankfully.

It's also interesting to not that despite the enormous road space provided, there are still 4 cars parked on footpaths in that image.

notAMember

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120171325#Comment_120171325

I agree with you totally on the layout. That particular junction design, where the cycle lane is in the middle of car lanes is just stupid. I don't see that anywhere else in the world. My kids have had near misses on those, as vehicles HAVE to cut across the cycle lanes to make a turn. It's just so obviously dangerous. I don't get it, why can't the design segregate the cycles lanes like every other country. Why deliberately insert a risk ? And I also agree on the photo of the road in disrepair. This is embarrassing.

And can I also apologize for the utterly obnoxious responses you are getting on this forum. "go somewhere else". Honestly.

the beer revolu

We don't have dedicated, protected cycling in this city and country because every time we attempt it, local residents get up in arm over the loss of road space, parking spaces and ease of driving fast while pretending that they are actually concerned for the few trees that need to be removed for such projects.

I agree that cycling infrastructure as it is being put in is appalling and not fit for purpose. There is constantly too much consideration given to cars for cycling infrastructure to work properly.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179881#Comment_120179881

Yeah, I live very close to that junction you’re talking about. It’s very dangerous for pedestrians. Vehicles often take that semi-blind left into Ballinlough Road at 50-60kph as little old dear and kids are trying to cross. When they resurfaced the area last year, I was fairly stunned they didn’t use the opportunity to “calm” the junction.

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179502#Comment_120179502

A car travelling at at 36kph has 63% more kinetic energy than one travelling at 28kph. And the difference in stopping distance (even with a good reaction time of 0.25s and on dry roads) is roughly 3.5 metres, more than enough distance to take out a few kids or grannies. You did ask…

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120181948#Comment_120181948

That was suprising, seeing as Micheal Martin lives in the immediate vicinity and the junction sees a large amount of pedestrian traffic for Cork Con and Pairc Ui Rinn. And the annoying thing is that they did calm two nearby junctions - Well Road / Churchyard Lane and Well Road / Skehard Road.

Peculiar thing - the Skehard Road / Well Road junction is practically identical to the Harbour View Road junction in the OP and people don't seem to be making an utter bollox of getting around the corner.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120183217#Comment_120183217

The roads up around the Graun and Churchfield areas are, generally, extremely wide. I imagine people are just used to these roads being extremely wide with huge curved junctions.

sporina

Q any know how long Coburg/MacCurtain St etc will be close off for?

any CCC folk on here? (in the relevant dept)

whatever76

Hows traffic since Coburg street closed ? I imagine its mental now trying to get out by richmond/patricks hill ?

the beer revolu

Coburg Street still had traffic going through yesterday.

Schorpio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120191337#Comment_120191337

It was closed to car traffic yesterday morning when I passed through (about 9.15 am).

RetroEncabulator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179536#Comment_120179536

You’ve obviously never lived in Bordeaux. It’s cold and wet all winter. It’s on the Atlantic coast more like Galway than Cork and it has plenty of scumbags that would make the Cork crowd seem like amateurs.

It’s a lovely city and one that I would highly recommend visiting, but being somewhere as a tourist for a few days in sunny weather is completely different to commuting in the lashing rain in mid January.

A tourist’s view of sauntering around Cork, Cobh and Kinsale for a few days will be very much more positive than the view of someone sitting in traffic in Little Island 5 days a week.

When you spent time somewhere and live somewhere you begin to see all the cracks and the graffiti etc etc … as a tourist you often don’t notice them because it’s all new to you.

Also if bike rental schemes can survive Paris and other French cities, they can survive Ireland easily! We grossly overestimate our scumbag issues. They’re far from unique and we’ve nothing like the level of vandalism and so on that occurs in some cities.

Cork doesn’t have any unique issues that would prevent any of those things from working. It has a useless, and utterly powerless, system of local government (all Irish towns and cities do) which barely has the ability to actually do anything - doesn’t run its own transport, has to appeal to central government or QANGOs like TFI, CIE, OPW etc to actually get anything done. That’s the main thing that distinguishes it from French cities.

Perspective is everything!

flexcon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120183217#Comment_120183217

Tbf, that junction turning left as you show is crappy. It's very tight. Usable, but it is objectively too tight for any truck to get by there without having to cross some mid line.