240 Bed Student Accommodation In Westside

sgthighway

I hear the priest in Westside is introducing some sort of pay and display from 11am (after mass). I have seen him close the gates a few times. I wonder what made him do this :-(

mjp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123190659#Comment_123190659

That will help as driving school instructors take up good chunk of parking spaces down near mc donalds. Could see credit union moving out of there aswell now. Did i see someone mention here a couple of months back that st jarlaths credit union Tuamwere opening an office beside tesco in Knocknacarra but didnt see anything more about it.

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123190690#Comment_123190690

Sunday, tis a day of rest!

bobbyss

I was there a few days ago and there was a queue as you turned into the whole place. Cars just lined up waiting for a car to exit. A disaster.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123190659#Comment_123190659

Far better location for it. Starting driving tests near a busy supermarket is nuts.

GBXI

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123191486#Comment_123191486

It's been like that forever. McDonalds is the biggest reason for this - it's just hugely popular and you see the same issues in other towns/cities where they have drive-thrus. The next biggest reason is the fact that there is a driving test centre there - great to see that it is moving elsewhere.

jackyjoe1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123191581#Comment_123191581

How so?

jackyjoe1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194527#Comment_123194527

Interesting observation…. So the all the other units have no impact…?

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123194527#Comment_123194527

This is true - they are what they call in the Transport Engineering Business; car traffic generators.

zell12

Noticed a clamped car in the church grounds

zell12

Why are they protesting? "their problem is with the location"

https://www.galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/westside-residents-to-protest-at-city-hall-this-afternoon-over-plans-for-student-accommodation-191882

xckjoo

Crazy it seems to have taken them this long to notice the development. It's over 2 years since I made the original post and there was plenty of discussion about it before that.

Don't think there's much that can be done now is there? Everything is approved and underway

witnessrenegade

I don’t see any problem with the location. It’s on a main road with bus and cycle lanes, and only about a 10-minute walk from the University. Seems like an ideal spot to me.

I live pretty close to all the approved and planned projects in the area, this student accommodation in West SC, the apartment block on the old O'Higgins site, and the new healthcare center planned for the current O'Higgins site. I’m happy to see all of these going ahead.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123357040#Comment_123357040

Old people don't like change. And fear mongering towards them is easily enough done.

Mrs OBumble

We've Got Our Houses, We Don't Want You To Have One.

GBXI

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123357040#Comment_123357040

Agreed. It's such a stupid protest based on NIMBYism and fear. Basically saying the car park losing some spaces is more important than new accommodation. Once this is built you'll never hear a word about it again because only then will they realize that it has actually improved the area. Same principle as the lights at the N84/N6 junction and the Galway clinic.

zell12

Still don't know 😐️

Homelander

It does seem really confusing and messy. Half of them seem to have an issue with how its being built and another half seem to be just protesting against it even though it's already approved and in the middle of being built.

zell12

No construction work there today. Easter break?

MenloPete

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123357243#Comment_123357243

I don't recall any protests about the Galway Clinic junction - that was a straightforward replacement of a roundabout.

The Kirwan junction is another matter entirely. Obviously there's no point in complaining now that it's built, but it was sold as reducing rat-running through Tirellan and other areas. Whereas, in fact, it has markedly increased traffic through Menlo in particular and through the neighbouring estates. Yes it improved flow on the N6 (which was the real reason for the work) but at the expense of those who live adjacent.

I have no regrets about opposing the blatant untruths peddled by the council at the time and would certainly do it again in the same circumstances. Westside is a completely different story however…

Homelander

Bit more info here.

https://www.galwaybayfm.ie/galway-city/city-council-responds-to-concerns-over-student-accommodation-complex-in-westside-192004

rustyfrog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123361309#Comment_123361309

Mike Cubbard claiming here that their concern is the removal of parking spaces that small businesses rely on. Makes no sense, surely the increased footfall from the block of student accommodation is an overall win for local businesses.

Student accommodation is particularly beneficial as people are coming and going throughout the day, as opposed to heading off to Parkmore in the morning and back in the evening.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123361337#Comment_123361337

Car lovers don't like their precious spaces being taken. It's as simple as that, it's nothing to do with the businesses, they're just a handy aside to it.

GBXI

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123361004#Comment_123361004

I was referring to the negative online commentary at the time, of which there was a lot, more so than physical protests. I am not familiar with the rat-running at Tirellan but that was silly of the council to say when they could have just said they are going to improve traffic flow. If rat-running is an issue then the council should fix that too - you just put some planters in half way between to the two exits onto the main road.

GBXI

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123361337#Comment_123361337

Absolutely. He's a flute who is just projecting the baseless fears of a small group of locals. Where is his data to back up the claim that removing less than 100 car park spaces and replacing it with hundreds of people - people who need to use supermarkets, cafes, hairdressers, and health food shops - will result in a loss to these businesses? I live in the area and 50% of the spaces being removed are absolutely never used, bar Christmas week. Not to mention the shopping centre have the use of the spaces at the other side of the centre and are planning a new entrance to Dunnes on that side.

Also, he says they are being labelled as anti accommodation and that they are actually for accommodation but just against it in their locality which is the definition of NIMBYism. It's really disappointing seeing elected councilors acting against the best interests of the city they serve.

Psychlops

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123363138#Comment_123363138

That car park was always full.

witnessrenegade

I live just across the road and I’ve never seen the car park completely full. The only real problem is when there’s a long queue for the McDonald’s drive-thru, it can make getting in and out a bit tricky. But with the driving test centre moving and fewer instructor cars around, that should free up some spaces. Hopefully they give Dunnes a proper update too, like the ones in Knocknacarra and Briarhill

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123365324#Comment_123365324

This is the main problem alright. Drive-thrus are big car traffic generators.

The trolley/cycle path (as part of the footpath)from the Church to Dunnes has been widened; could have been done a few weeks but cycled it yesterday. Handy having it back

beardybrewer

I think in the US it's more common to have entrance/exits to the main road which addresses this. We have a tendency to create a bottleneck by forcing a single entrance from a side road. Same problem at the Aldi up the road.

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123370694#Comment_123370694

Ya they create these STROADS alright in the US for this.

Nearly every town is blighted by it - not something to emulate here.

Does nothing on the traffic reduction front. Create convenience, create car traffic.

ALDI junction does not make any sense.

The ALDI site in Westside is another example of poor poor planning. Could easily have 240 student accomodation at this site as well above the retail - with the underground car parking been utilised and road entrance/exit opposite the Library