Farronshoneen Roundabout

Cabaal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121953234#Comment_121953234

Careful,
Big roundabout will silence you.

Dunmoreroader

I feel their pain.

Jerry Atrick

These fellas wouldn't run a raffle

https://www.waterford-news.ie/news/metro-raises-questions-over-city-centre-traffic-in-waterford_arid-42017.html

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122975091#Comment_122975091

"It was like something you would see at rush hour, but this was at half past two in the afternoon"

A lot of favorites operate 6-2, a lot of schools finish between 1-3, I would consider 2.30 to be a busy time in Waterford.

People also seem to forgot a dual carriage way never worked on the Quays. The inner lane was often used as a car park.

I remember a time when traffic backed from the bridge hotel all the way out to Hasbro on the cork road. From bridge Street all the way up to the corner shop on the upper yellow road. From bridge Street all the way back to Norris's.

People seem to forget these days and see the solution is by adding an extra 200 meter lane on the Quay.

Jerry Atrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122975716#Comment_122975716

When was this time exactly?

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122975803#Comment_122975803

Through the late 90s and early 00's, a regular occurrence. Before the outer ring road and by pass was built.

Even then when the Quay still had four lanes it was a nightmare, the Quays, Parnell St, the manor and Lombard Street all backed up.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122975847#Comment_122975847

There was even a time when the traffic in Granny went from the train station all the way back out the n24 by the turn off for kilmacow

Jerry Atrick

So they're doing a great job in the Council with traffic management, that solves that so!

Amazing so many are not happy...

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122976479#Comment_122976479

Where did I say they are doing a great job, I was merely highlighting the fact Waterford has always had and at times had even worse traffic than it is experiencing now.

The solution for the majority of the people is to put the Quay back to two lanes both sides?

Does anyone truly believe that will solve or at least help the issue?

Despite the bypass Waterford still only has one river crossing at the very end of the Quay and this causes major issues.

Ideally a river crossing would need to also exist near the tower hotel, peoples park or by UHW, that would help to reduce a a lot of traffic that presently uses the Quay as a main artery.

Public transport is a difficult alternative, take the Cork Rd or Dunmore Rd areas as examples, if traffic is heavy you are no quicker than if you are in the car, and chances are you would be quicker in the car as you wouldn't be stopping at the bus stops along the route.

The majority of Waterford's roads are narrow so there is little to no scope to add to the existing infrastructure.

One area that has worked well in my opinion is the manor loop, moving that to one way has definitely helped that area.

The Quay never worked and never operated as town lanes on both sides due to parking, buses etc.

I would be keen to hear proper solutions or alternative ways of managing the traffic as Waterford's population continues to rise and Ireland is a very car centric minded country it's difficult to see what can to be done without massive government capital projects.

Bards

Restore the roundabout to the way it was on farronshoneen and offer free public transport for everyone.. At the moment busses are stuck in traffic and can't move so the incentive to use busses is not there

Jerry Atrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122976962#Comment_122976962

Two lanes on the Quay would absolutely help but not the silver bullet either. Dunno is the Manor all you make out to be. It looks calm but is causing massive issues elsewhere. The council's policy on traffic needs to be taken out of their hands and get some actual experts in to offer some tangible benefits.

azimuth17

Council built the ORR. Without that we would be at absolute gridlock. Manor Street is in effect a large roundabout, without it life in that street would be unbearable. People deserve to be able to live in their houses. Johnstown should be made one way IMHO because two way traffic is making it uninhabitable at some times. The problem is not council, its simply traffic volume and us, car drivers who want to have unlimited freedom to drive anywhere, anytime.. More cars than ever on the streets and new housing estates being largely built in the suburbs. There are rat runs everywhere. Solutions are very difficult. More simple painted dots at junctions treated as roundabouts as they do in UK, would help. More and better public transport has to be part of the answer, as has the densification of the urban centre by housing, live over the shops, new apartments.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122978583#Comment_122978583

It really wouldn't help. One lane would be used as a car park, no dedicated space to turn right would result in blocking one lane for anyone turning right in either direction.

Pedestrian crossing lights would still exist and the usual bottle necks would still happen.

Bus set down areas will still need to exist for the hotels, truly the Quay was never really two lanes both sides, parts of the Quay are not actually wide enough to accommodate two lanes each side, bus set downs etc.

The Manor works very well, anyone who remembers the old system it was a nightmare, and not forgetting the poor two year old child that was killed in pram.

JohnC.

Coaches should be banned from dropping people off at Tracy’s hotel by taking up a lane. The amount of times you see a coach blocking a lane at rush hour at a very major junction…

Either enforce the coach bay at the front of the hotel by keeping cars out of it, or make them use their dedicated coach parking around the back.

Valhalla90

Big new roundabout now on the Abbey road perfect for a bridge then over to the Tower Hotel. It would take a lot of the traffic off the quays. Ideally a continuation of the ring road over to the Port would be the final piece as you would then have a full circle of the city.

gw80

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122984481#Comment_122984481

Would a tunnel be out of the question?

Cut the quays off completely to traffic, straight down the mall and ito the tunnel,use the old bridge for entering north and west side of city and tunnel for east and south side, quays for shopping and recreation, there would be some disgruntled car park owners,but f#%k em.

Cabaal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122984481#Comment_122984481

Honestly, you think a new road linking to the tower hotel will help improve traffic?
Scary that you think this is the case. I suggest you look up induced demand. All such a scheme will do is make the traffic there far, far worse.

People need to move away from this idea of driving into the city centre. Most of the traffic going the quays and the park are not going to either location as a final destination. If your destination isn't in the city centre you have no place being in it.

You want to take traffic away from the city centre entirely via a complete ring road which goes AROUND the city (not part of it that goes into the city), then increase the bus and cycle lanes to encourage people working in the city centre to get into the city via other means.

A tunnel idea would be a insane waste of money when there's so many viable, cheaper alternatives.

Asdfgh2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122984481#Comment_122984481

yeah it would reduce traffic on the approx 1km section of keys ie rice bridge to the new bridge at tower hotel but have little if any impact on anything else the q’s/congestion would just transfer to the mall and Dunmore road and also bridge St. what would be interesting would be to see what impact a toll free ‘Thomas Francis Maher’ / Cat Flap/ N25 bypass bridge would have on traffic…..?

Jerry Atrick

But the traffic used to be way worse in Waterford 🙄

https://www.wlrfm.com/news/public-being-silenced-in-relation-to-congested-farronshoneen-junction-in-waterford-city-410027

Jerry Atrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122979328#Comment_122979328

The Manor would want to work well, huge road used as an entrance to a funnell. It's not being utilised properly.

It currently sends cars up Bunkers Hill, into Poleberry or down a congested one lane Quay and Mall. Ask residents in Poleberry what they think of the set up.

Valhalla90

The one lane and two roundabouts are the problem along the Quays. Removal of the roundabouts would help. Two traffic light junctions would be better. The flow would be improved if the Quays had priority. There also needs to be a bridge from Reginald’s Tower over to Ferrybank. There’s a massive new roundabout on the Abbey Road now and it’s a dual carriageway so maybe in the future there’s a plan to link both sides up.

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123119798#Comment_123119798

And ask the people who live in manor or the mother who lost her child due to a fatal accident in the manor prior to the change?

The manor does work well, it keeps traffic flowing, yes a Christmas and festivals traffic can be backed up in the area but that would be expected due to the high volume of traffic.

Dunmoreroader

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123120163#Comment_123120163

That new roundabout and access was stated to be to get in and out of the North Quays, same as the new setup opposite the Ardree entrance. No plan to cross the river there.

914

It genuinely was worse. Not in this area mind you and I agree with this the two lanes should be reinstalled and the pedestrian crossing moved further towards farren park where only two lanes exist.

Asdfgh2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123120228#Comment_123120228

I’d imagine ‘the engineer’ guy mentioned above will eventually be made to eat his words and reinstate the two lanes to the outbound approach to the roundabout as you approach it from farren park. Sounds like the councillors are ready to get him in a head lock and administer a few slaps…😡

The traffic Q’s are truly awful particularly at peak times. However the inbound morning Q’s on the Williams town road gave largely disappeared so the roundabout upgrade did achieve something….?

Bards

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123121889#Comment_123121889

I would not be surprised if this engineer does not even live in Waterford

914

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123121889#Comment_123121889

It has definitely achieved something, the only two issues I see are.

1. The two lanes should have remained outbound from Williamstown park and have the pedestrian crossing where only the two lanes exist.

2. The pedestrian crossing on the Williamstown road is too close to the roundabout, it's right in the turn as you come from ardkeen.

Other than the two above it has been working well. That said the reinstallation of the lanes would most likely only allow for an extra 6 cars so I would still expect tailbacks but possibly the traffic might move quicker with the two lanes, especially if the left lane is only a filter lane for left and the right lane is straight and right.

Jerry Atrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123120220#Comment_123120220

Continually highlighting one tragedy to make your point reeks of desperation! Unfortunately by nature, there will always be accidents on any road.

Jerry Atrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123121889#Comment_123121889

The queues on Williamstown Rd often reach out to Grantstown on most mornings. The road network is not fit for purpose and Council tinkering only makes it worse.

azimuth17

People who live in Manor Street and John Street and in William Street etc have to be considered too. We can't just decide that car traffic has primacy. Their quality of life matters too. Streets in Waterford are generally narrow. People want four lanes on the quay, for what? So they can speed from Rice Bridge to a bottleneck in Lombard Street. It simply move pinch points from one area to another. Car numbers have grown threefold in past 30 years. I dont know what the answer is, but widening, demolishing, saturating with cars is not the answer. Public transport must be part of it. I would underake one drastic solution now and that is to make Dunmore Road outbound one way from fried egg roundabout to UHW and one way inbound from Williamstown Rounabout along John's Hill as far as the Inner Ring Road.

Mad maybe, but could be done tomorrow.