New bus routes in Galway

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120581164#Comment_120581164

Circular Roads problem is still density of the housing but if a route could link up with Letteragh Road perhaps ? Ad in todays Galway Advertiser by Carirn Housing for even more APARTMENTS going in there. (its a revision of this application: https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/housing/planning-sought-for-151-homes-in-galway-city/)

other option is if Circular Road estates could have more permeability so as people could access bus routes on Siobhan McKenna Road?The Bailey & Hy-Brasil Court is probably the places that is probably suitable for that right now.

Stevolende

I was trying to post a thing a few days ago saying it would be good if the ticket display units on the buses would be fixed since it helps to have the feedback that fare has been charged. It was my response to the comments on adding a 2nd electronic ticket checking device. I'm just aware that there are at least a couple of buses around town that have blank display screens on the units months or even years after they stopped working. THo9ught they might be something that would be useful to have working. I thnik that feedback point of knowing that ticket has been registered as read would be helpful and i think that is something that has been noted in other transactions elsewhere.

Also is there a reason that bells for stopping the bus at the next stop seem to go non responsive regularly. I've noticed it myself and seen other people trying to find out why when they press the bell as the bus leaves a bus stop it does nothing, makes no sound, lights no light etc seems to be counterintuitive and counterproductive.

There's public information events on this week in Oranmore and the city on the new route proposals

https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/public-information-events-in-city-and-oranmore-on-overhaul-of-bus-network/

The meetings will be held in the Ardilaun Hotel, Taylors Hill on Tuesday; Maldron Hotel, Oranmore on Wednesday; and Hardiman Hotel, Eyre Square on Thursday.

They’ll be open to the public each day from mid-day until 7pm.

zell12

Reminder to give your views on the new routes at busconnects.ie/galway

ceatharloch

The new routes are an improvement, but IMHO a lot better can be done. Galway city is rectangular in shape. Have three hubs (one in Eyre Square, one 5km west of city centre (say Gateway Retail Park), one 5km east (say ATU)). Connect this line of 3 hubs with very frequent buses of two types (1) ones that stop everywhere (2) ones that just stop at the hubs. Then at each hub have 3 or 4 much shorter "local" bus lines connecting to it (these lines about 5km long).

See the schematic picture. The red dotted line is a very frequent bus line, non-stop, about 10km long.

zell12

Cork are having their Round 2 consultations, and you can read the public submissions. Many of the same moaning about the reduction of space for cars, "devaluation of property", empty bike lanes,.. but also some detailed thought-out responses https://consult.nationaltransport.ie/en/node/7047/submissions?page=1

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120634617#Comment_120634617

This sounds good in theory. But do you know any cities where it has worked well in practise?

rustyfrog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120634617#Comment_120634617

This would mean 3 buses (2 changes) to complete some journeys

Stevolende

I found out over the weekend that the frequency of the 401 service had improved majorly over last year. Timetable is showing that it remains at a 20 minute interval until the last bus instead of changing at 7.30 or around that.

I was down on Salthill Road lower and seeing buses coming around in 2s as I think I had also seen a bit earlier.

It has been a while since I had taken the 401 beyond Eyre square, more likely to be on the Eastside so I hadn't looked at timetable since last summer when I did see there was a change in frequency around 7.30 to about half as many buses per hour.

So I'm just wondering when that changed, if it is a really new development which might explain exta bises last Friday or if it was just happening on the far side of town to me so I only came across it by chance after it had been going on for a while. Also if this is something that will already be being applied to other routes before teh consultation process has been processed.

One other thought, is there a system dictating what stops get electronic time schedlule units and which don't? I'm just a little surprised that the busy stops on Doughiska rd don't have them. You frequently see crowds f people standing at them. & also unfortunatlely often not knowing when the next bus is likely to appear.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120649588#Comment_120649588

20 minute frequency on the 401 started in Sept 2018: https://news.galwaytransport.info/2018/09/galway-city-bus-service-changes.html

Stevolende

I know I got stuck waiting for that bus a lot longer than 20 miinutes last year.

Also hadn't seen multiple buses in succession along the route with like less than a minute between them which I had noticed both on there and I think at Eyre Square recently, Is that a frequent thing now? Would be good if they are doubling up the service during rush hour to make sure passengers aren't left waiting.

I thought I had checked the timetable at the Salthill road stop outside the Casino last year and saw it still changed for the evening. Put me off getting stuck waiting for it.

ben.schlomo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120650673#Comment_120650673

You do realise there's an app for buses?

ceatharloch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120645233#Comment_120645233

Yes it would. But (1) You have to analyze the overall system, any system will "inconvenience some" and "convenience others". (2) the only people taking 3 buses would be those going, not locally (local=5km say) or not to city center, but those taking a long trip east-west. (3) what is the criterion for saying the bus trip is "good" or "bad"? The thing I would claim is - even for those taking 3 buses, the total travel time (and this IMHO is the criterion) can be less that even taking 1 bus. For the 3-bus trip you take (a) short local bus less than 5km (b) central bus line for 10km (which is fast - no stops) and (c) another short local line less than 5km. The trip can be quicker because the time made up in (b) can be bigger than the 2 waiting times between (a) and (b) and between (b) and (c). Since the central non-stop line can have a bus every 5 minutes, wait time between (a) and (b) is on average then 2.5 minutes. Over the 10km central run, you skip nearly 20 bus stops (each bus stop costs about 30 seconds), so that gains 10 minutes. So you just need to make the frequency of the short buses less than 15 minutes (so average wait time less than 7.5 on the wait between (b) and (c)) to be winning. (4) In this model if we call the zones from left P, Q, R, we were just talking above about trips from P to R. Trips from P to Q are obviously quicker (i.e. trips from suburbs to city center) since wait time on transfer = 2.5, which is less than time caught up by skipping bus stops (5 minutes). (5) Lastly very local trips are now possible without changing bus on the short black lines.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120652471#Comment_120652471

You haven't factored in unloading + loading time. Which is a very significant factor: Buses got quicker overall when wetside to GMIT and Salthill to parkmore thru routes were introduced, because it reduced the number of changes needed.

There is also a hassle factor perception of having to get off and on again. Even if the wait is short, it would feel really annoying if Eyre Square to Parkmore (for example) involved 2 buses.

And the cost of enough buses to keep waiting time short at off peak times would be high.

ceatharloch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120652505#Comment_120652505

The over-riding factor is the amount of time you gain in having a non-stop central route.

1) "it would feel really annoying if Eyre Square to Parkmore (for example) involved 2 buses." I do not honestly believe so IF the total journey is quicker.

2) "the cost of enough buses to keep waiting time short at off peak times would be high." Not so if you do the calculations. Without stopping (or stopping once rather in Eyre Square) one can expect round-trip 10K + 10K = 20K to take say 40 minutes. That needs 8 buses for a frequency of a bus every 5 minutes. The other short (5K) routes would need only about 4 buses on each route.

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120650673#Comment_120650673

Two 401s on route at same time at the moment. A bus can carry max 76 passengers. I'd say they need 3 buses at peak times in this weather

Stevolende

If I see two buses in quick succession on a route as long as the 401 one does that mean several others elsewhere along routes.

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120680117#Comment_120680117

No.

It means two have gotten bunched up, and the controller hasn't untangled them yet

ceatharloch

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120652794#Comment_120652794

Don't want to clog up BOARDS with lots of details - further ideas/details at https://sites.google.com/view/galwaybus

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120578295#Comment_120578295

Read in last Thursdays Advertiser - that Cairn homes have submitted a NEW housing application to the Local Authority. In the article it states they are NOT going to put in a regular road linking from Letteragh to Bothar Dhiarmuida, but will be a walking and cycling route here - so perhaps a chance they will put in a BUS Gate here also I reckon for this new proposed bus route or Council could stipulate this to tie in with the BusConnects proposals. Cannot find the online link to the article.

Here is the planning application

Planning application details ref: 23129 Galway City Council

https://geo.galwaycity.ie/ePlan5/AppFileRefDetails/23129/0

"

3. Provision of shared communal and private open space, an Active Travel pedestrian and cycle path, car and bicycle parking, site landscaping and public lighting, site services, vehicular and pedestrian access with Letteragh Road and pedestrian and cycle access with Bóthar Dhiarmuida and all associated site development works.

"

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120685881#Comment_120685881

Are you able to access any of the planning documents? Even pulling up the application through eplan gives me nothing for that application number

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120685914#Comment_120685914

try this link

//geo.galwaycity.ie/ePlan5/AppFileRefDetails/23129/0?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

23129 is the File No

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120685914#Comment_120685914

You might just need to hit ENTER twice after pasting the URL - think there is problem with the way the City Council WEBSERVER handles the GET request payload

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120686003#Comment_120686003

I can see that page, but when I go to view the related files

I get this

Maybe there's nothing uploaded yet?

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120686283#Comment_120686283

Ah get ya now - ya not uploaded by City Hall at all. See the end of the Development Description

"

All application documentation and information including the Natura Impact Statement (NIS) is available to view online at the following website set up by the applicant: www.RahoonLRDplanning.com

"

Believe decision (by City Council planning Dept) on this is 8 weeks from submission and 3 weeks have passed (16-05-2023 City Council site) -so only two more weeks to make a submission

as per www.RahoonLRDplanning.com

"

A submission or observation in relation to the application may be made in writing to the planning authority on payment of the prescribed fee of €20.00 within the period of 5 weeks beginning on the date of receipt, by Galway City Council, of the application, and such submissions or observations will be considered by the planning authority in making a decision on the application. The planning authority may grant permission subject to or without conditions, or may refuse to grant permission.

Signed: Pamela Harty (Planning Agent, MKO, Tuam Road, Galway, H91 VW84)

Date of erection of site notice: 11th May 2023

"

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120686848#Comment_120686848

Cheers. Based on the docs on that website I can see how they are trying to get it over the line and a lot of it looks really good.

That being said, I would be very reluctant to see any more development done on Letteragh Rd until the road itself is overhauled. Its an unmitigated fustercluck

Included in the traffic and transport doc they have a screenshot from the RSA RTA site. It shows how bad the road is. Given it only has data to 2016 I'm guessing those grey dots now go a lot further up that road

what_traffic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120686938#Comment_120686938

Been a few weeks since I have been on it but ya Letteragh Road is getting serious Development. The main carriageway where Building Developments are occurring will be sufficiently wide and will get footpaths as part of the builds - junction at Circular Road needs City Council intervention for decades now. Feel sorry for residents having to put up with this, at least BusConnects is going to provide a Bus Service here soon.

zell12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120679269#Comment_120679269

Saw four double deckers inbound through Salthill in the space of five minutes Friday - a 401, a 412, a 424, a 401

minimary

The objections to the cross-link bus corridor have been withdrawn, so it looks like its a go pending the 31 CPO's they have to do. Am I right in thinking it can't be judically reviewed given no decision was made by ABP rather the objection was withdrawn?

https://www.pleanala.ie/en-ie/case/314597

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120765926#Comment_120765926

There still has to be a final decision by ABP i.e. Grant/refuse.

Objections etc have no bearing on JR's as JR's are the only avenue of appeal for an ABP decision. You don't have to have objected to be able to take a JR against an ABP decision