Getting around Galway

An interesting response from the TII on the request to have a controlled pedestrian crossing put into Kilcolgan village

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/anger-as-tii-fails-to-support-demand-for-pedestrian-crossing-in-kilcolgan/

Unrealistic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121305385#Comment_121305385

@serfboard Those two individuals better be prepared to spend an awful lot of time in court: A person must attend court to prove the digital image.

The line preceding that in the article is critical to understanding the part you quoted. "A common misconception is that a member of An Garda Síochána can provide an unsolicited, unverified digital image in court as evidence." I don't know that this really is a common misconception. I'd say it's widely understood that if it goes to court it's only going to stand if the complainant is there to give evidence. But we already have a system which encourages those who know they have committed the offence to choose to avoid going to court in exchange for a lower fine and fewer penalty points, so most people who submit footage will never have to go to court.

@serfboard As Conor Faughnan says in the same article: You can’t create a culture which says: ‘I uploaded some footage, what are you doing with my case?’ The guards have to be the ones who set their priorities; they can’t chase down every road range incident,” he said. “One person’s passion does not necessarily make the garda’s priority.”

Conor Faughnan is a paid lobbyist for the motor industry so I'd take anything he has to say on this subject with a whole wheelbarrow full of salt. We already have the culture that he says you can't create. If I own a shop and I give the Gardai footage of a known person stealing from it then of course I can call them up and say "what are you doing with my case?". And if I'm the victim of a dangerous overtake while cycling or driving, and I provide footage to the Gardai, then I'm equally entitled to call them up and say "what are you doing with my case?". I have done this myself on more than one occasion. Now of course the Gardai can respond that they're not treating it as a priority, and then you have the option to go higher up the chain of command or to GSOC. It's telling too that Faughnan refers to them as 'road ra(n)ge incidents', trying to position it as two people losing their cool over something petty, when the reality is that most reports currently are by people who feel their safety or life has been put in danger directly, not just that they've happened to record someone up ahead of them going through a red light or some other infraction that didn't impact them personally.

This thing about doctored video has already been covered elsewhere on boards. These reporting systems have worked in other countries for years, including the UK, and that just hasn't been an issue. Having a lawyer argue it is doctored shouldn't be given any credibility unless they produce a qualified expert witness to testify that it has been doctored. Undoubtedly there will be some cases like that, the same as there are some civil cases where doctors on both sides give widely varying opinions on the injuries suffered by plaintiff, but how likely is it to be a common occurrence? When drivers are presented with a FCN for a €120 fine and three penalty points for dangerous overtaking how many are going to choose to spend a four figure sum engaging a solicitor, a barrister and an expert witness, risking five penalty points and a heftier fine. Most drivers will just say 'lesson learned' and take the FCN. Maybe some drivers will throw money at trying to get themselves acquitted, especially if they already have 9 points and are looking at an automatic ban. But even they will still hopefully have learnt a lesson and will modify their behaviour on the road having come so close to a ban.

This whole thing may indeed be a long time away, when you consider that Ireland still isn't ready to use traffic light cameras to enforce red light breaking, 50 years after they were first introduced in other countries, but the momentum does seem to be building so I think it's likely we'll see it sooner rather than later.

Junctions in Galway may get cameras to catch drivers who break red lights

https://connachttribune.ie/call-for-cameras-to-catch-drivers-running-red-lights/

There's a famous image of Galway traffic that can be used to perfectly illustrate how bad the car is in terms of road capacity usage

The image of 200+ cars equates to 4 buses, colour coded for your pleasure.

In terms of space, look at the artic on the RAB and x4 as a guide

sgthighway

If there were buses on that route people might use them. How many buses go from Oranmore or Athenry to Parkmore or Ballybrit Business Park where the biggest employers are?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308515#Comment_121308515

Athenry has a bus service provided by farrells I think, see below for service times. Its a single bus

Oranmore I don't know

Laviski

busses are no good if there are no bus lanes for them to use and that they have high frequency...... segments of bus lanes is progress but not enough if people want them to abandon their cars.

people want to get door to door in the fastest most convenient way possible, at present that is by car. size of the car park at oranmore train station should be doubled. Park and ride from G airport with a dedicated bus lane to parkmore and eyre sq. anything else is a waste of time. on the west side of the city the bus lane should be extended to gateway shopping center, a few trees would need to be knocked so objectors will probably stop that from happening.

Bus service is a joke regardless on the side of city you are on. For example, attempt to take the fam to town on Sunday, did decide on taking the bus but oh wait it just drove by cause it was full. This was more or less at the start of their route. this was two hours before the parade was due to start, nevertheless reversed course got into car and into town with handy enough legal parking. If cityofcars twitter was active these days i'm sure i could photobombed.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121308545#Comment_121308545

Oranmore has none.

Athenry has one per day in each direction.

Some interesting bits of info here

https://connachttribune.ie/detection-rate-for-speeding-in-galway-down-by-half-in-past-year/

• Detection rate for speeding is down 52% on previous year
• Between January and September, 2,714 drivers were caught driving in excess of the speed limit compared to 5,701 in the same period last year.
• A surge in the rate detection for driving while using a phone, up by 55% to 503 incidents.
• Detection of driving without insurance was also down by 18% to 79
• Fines issued to cyclists fell by 45% to 22
• The number of parking tickets issued by gardaí was down by 15% to 487
• Parking fines issued by the City Council wardens were treated separately and more than 3,000 fines were issued by City Hall in September.
• GCC employs 13 wardens, a fully complement

The acting Council CEO agreed to address illegal parking by the councils own vehicles on paths

Laviski

largely down to lack of enforcement, RPU is 659 at present where as in 2009 it was 1,046

serfboard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121310997#Comment_121310997

I'd guess that a large chunk of the reduction in speeding detections is due to the change in speed limits on Bothar na dTreabh, and to a lesser extent, the QCB.

On Bothar na dTreabh, given that there is no physical divider, it actually feels quite unsafe to me doing anything near 80K in the overtaking lane if there's someone in the overtaking lane opposite doing a similar speed.

Laviski

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121314929#Comment_121314929

those speed limit were only just recently changed, if i recall in end of August/September. so that would not account for the big drop in these stats as it was from January to September.

Previous situation was ridiculous, you had people coming up to the curve breaking hard, check for speed van then back as you were. would be happy enough if was just moved 70.

If you feel unsafe in the overtaking lane then do not use it. Afterall it is what you say... its an overtaking lane.

serfboard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121315007#Comment_121315007

those speed limit were only just recently changed, if i recall in end of August/September. so that would not account for the big drop in these stats as it was from January to September.

Fair enough.

Previous situation was ridiculous, you had people coming up to the curve breaking hard, check for speed van then back as you were.

Agreed.

If you feel unsafe in the overtaking lane then do not use it.

Did it once, and haven't used it since.

Concerns raised over traffic controls after the Macnas parade

https://twitter.com/acurno/status/1720006658066207193

sasal

There needs to be more buses too. The 401 and 405 were just cancelled. They could have started them from Eyre Sq going east. The 409 and 404 were jammed.

Mrs OBumble

The whole thing was a shít-show.

No extra public transport.

Nothing like enough crowd control anywhere: I was on High St I a very packed crowd and a very drunk group insisted on pushing thru to get up the street, even though we all knew they wouldn't get anywhere. Luckily everyone kept the head and no one fell. But it could easily have got ugly.

At least GCC are consistent in their distain of cyclists, there's that I suppose

https://twitter.com/kleyden7/status/1721854735181861316

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338513#Comment_121338513

It's called the Canal WALK.

Would've thought the name made things obvious.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338616#Comment_121338616

Hang on, are we not allowed cycle along Long Walk now?

m2_browning

They are there for safety those bars

Gremlinertia

I mean I guess they are there to slow cyclists a bit but the night time visibility seems valid from the tweet. Must go have a look..

Few near misses on the canal with bicycles - I did not have earphones on - so I can see the point for speed. Traffic calming sort of?.

I suppose I should be grateful its not a kissing gate 🤷‍♂️

Laviski

people have little to complain about it seems.

Gremlinertia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338910#Comment_121338910

That's the truth! Even as a pedestrian I hate them, unnecessary snag points imho

Unrealistic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338616#Comment_121338616

No, it's called Upper Canal Road.

And legally it's a 'Shared Path'. The 'upgrades' are part of the Eglinton Canal Active Travel Scheme. And this is designated as a Primary Route in the Cycle Network section of Galway Transport Strategy.

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339173#Comment_121339173

2 steps forward - 1 step back.

If they use the excuse that they are installed to slow down people cycling who are approaching the ZEBRA crossing on the 30kmph Presentation Road ( City Centre 30km zone ) - where is the evidence that its needed and why it was not needed prior to the surface upgrade.

Local Link services in Connemara may be getting extra stops on the routes

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/extra-stops-being-considered-for-connemara-local-link-routes/

serfboard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121341369#Comment_121341369

Eamon looking after his voter base of pensioners.

The NTA has informed [O Cuiv] that Local Link Galway will now examine possible extra stops.

Deputy Ó Cúiv says while it’s not the perfect solution

Indeed not Eamon - the "perfect solution" would be to have the bus stop outside everyone's house who needs it. And why not?

Because, Eamon, you might as well through the timetable out the feckin window if you're going to engage in that crap. Good luck to any of those pensioners trying to make a doctor's appointment if they're going to use the new-look "Stop-Everywhere" local link.

Discodog

Who can one complain to regarding the Silverstrand resurfacing works?

This morning there was a long queue coming in to Galway & no queue from Galway. The traffic management doesn't allow for the traffic flow.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121341660#Comment_121341660

Many Local Link services are door to door.