Why does Shop Street look so bad?

RainNeverBow · 17-05-2019 8:31am #1

The new paving they've done is already chipped and uneven. Can't imagine they're gonna leave it like that are they?

ronnie3585 · 17-05-2019 9:23am

That's only a temporary surface.

xckjoo · 17-05-2019 9:45am

I'm in my mid 30s and still waiting for them to put a surface on it that isn't a mess after a couple of months.

Doctors room ghost · 17-05-2019 9:54am

I don’t know why they don’t just take up what’s there and tar the lot of it as far as o briens corner and jury’s.

zell12 · 17-05-2019 10:05am

xckjoo wrote: »

I'm in my mid 30s and still waiting for them to put a surface on it that isn't a mess after a couple of months.

Like this one?

Ashleigh1986 · 17-05-2019 1:59pm

It would make sense for them to Tarmac the whole road from brown Thomas corner to Jurys .
Have benches and flower pots all along .
But a gardai presence at all times during shop/ restaurant / opening times to prevent the usual open drinking that goes on .

pure.conya · 18-05-2019 9:11am

Ashleigh1986 wrote: »

It would make sense for them to Tarmac the whole road from brown Thomas corner to Jurys .
Have benches and flower pots all along .
But a gardai presence at all times during shop/ restaurant / opening times to prevent the usual open drinking that goes on .

the open drinking laws area for law abiding workers that can afford to pay the fine, problem drinkers giving the city and bad name /image aren't fined because sure they're broke from drinking, so to sum this up, the only people exempt from the open drinking on the spot fines are down and out problem drinkers, the arts festival and horse racing crowds

gordongekko · 18-05-2019 9:31am

Council.action. Do nothing

People... Look at the state of the place.

Council. Action. Do something

People.... Look at the state of the place

Milly33 · 21-05-2019 9:21pm

Dont wonder into town much, but on a recant the City looks very run down and scattered.. Went in with someone who went to college there a few years (more than a few years ago) and they even said it was very run down looking..

ben.schlomo · 21-05-2019 10:34pm

Milly33 wrote: »

Dont wonder into town much, but on a recant the City looks very run down and scattered.. Went in with someone who went to college there a few years (more than a few years ago) and they even said it was very run down looking..

Where specifically does the city centre look 'run down', keeping in mind that Shop st is undergoing resurfacing etc.

Milly33 · 22-05-2019 1:06pm

The most centre part looks very run down, inc shop fronts, and then all that area around Debanams looks dirty

bobbyss · 22-05-2019 4:09pm

Buttermilk Lane.
Always found that a depressing short cut. Always dog poo beside a downpipe. Always put me off a lunch.

Tarmac would be much cheaper to lay and more even if done in any way well. It must be ten times cheaper?

witnessrenegade · 23-05-2019 8:20am

Think Tarmac is too cheap looking for a main pedestrian area

I think the main issue is the paving used, the stones are too small, meaning their is a higher chance of them becoming loose and uneven

Look at the paving in other cites, for example the paving stones on Grafton street are much bigger then the paving used on Shop Street

xckjoo · 23-05-2019 8:46am

witnessrenegade wrote: »

Think Tarmac is too cheap looking for a main pedestrian area

I think the main issue is the paving used, the stones are too small, meaning their is a higher chance of them becoming loose and uneven

Look at the paving in other cites, for example the paving stones on Grafton street are much bigger then the paving used on Shop Street

Weren't the first load of paving slabs big? The slippey ones :pac:

I'd always heard it was the medieval sewers and other underlying foundational issues that keeps causing it to go wonky.

Still waters · 23-05-2019 8:52am

the problem with shop street is the water level at full tide, believe it or not the water level seeps up around shop street on a full tide and is undermining the ground underneath causing significant problems over the years, the job they are doing now is supposedly a job for life with new techniques involved, but time will tell

23-05-2019 10:25am

Still waters wrote: »

the problem with shop street is the water level at full tide, believe it or not the water level seeps up around shop street on a full tide and is undermining the ground underneath causing significant problems over the years, the job they are doing now is supposedly a job for life with new techniques involved, but time will tell

I'll choose not, unless you have some evidence.

Storm 10 · 23-05-2019 11:30am

Still waters wrote: »

the problem with shop street is the water level at full tide, believe it or not the water level seeps up around shop street on a full tide and is undermining the ground underneath causing significant problems over the years, the job they are doing now is supposedly a job for life with new techniques involved, but time will tell

So at high tide the water is level at the Spanish Arch yet it magically rises up under Shop Street to undermine the street, how can it climb uphill in Key Street from a water level that is down at the Spanish Arch, going by your thinking the whole of Key Street, Spanish Arch, Cross Street should be under water at high tide.

Mrs OBumble · 23-05-2019 1:15pm

Storm 10 wrote: »

, going by your thinking the whole of Key Street, Spanish Arch, Cross Street should be under water at high tide.

A few times a year, they are. A few times a year is enough.

BTW we spell it Quay St here.

Still waters · 23-05-2019 1:51pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I'll choose not, unless you have some evidence.

It comes from a council engineer whom has been involved in trying to solve the problem on shop street and other areas, I'm sure a quick ring to the council could get you clarification on it

Storm 10 wrote: »

So at high tide the water is level at the Spanish Arch yet it magically rises up under Shop Street to undermine the street, how can it climb uphill in Key Street from a water level that is down at the Spanish Arch, going by your thinking the whole of Key Street, Spanish Arch, Cross Street should be under water at high tide.

My wording wasnt perfect but the water table rises dramatically at times of heavy tide combined with heavy rain, which you'll agree we've had plenty of since shop street was upgraded last, it doesn't have to come up on the street to undermine the ground underneath causing the problem, if your down that way stop up and ask any of the lads working there about the materials they're using there to try and stop damage recurring, they're all very sound

23-05-2019 2:01pm

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal

Robbo · 23-05-2019 2:12pm

Sur les paves, la mer!

Arghus · 23-05-2019 2:30pm

So nobody actually knows why Shop Street looks so bad?

In fact we are not actually sure if it actually looks bad at all.

It could be argued that it looks bad, but, y'know, that could be just temporary.

It may have looked worse in the past, but who is to say that wasn't when it was in reality actually looking good. But that could be nostalgia - who knows really.

It may have looked better in the past too. Remember those big shiny flagstones instead of those shitey cobbles. But they were fierce slippery though.

God, it really is hard to call. And that's without bringing in questions of water-levels and floods that may or may-not be floods, just, maybe, a big load of water hanging around on the streets up to no good.

xckjoo · 23-05-2019 2:50pm

Arghus wrote: »

So nobody actually knows why Shop Street looks so bad?

In fact we are not actually sure if it actually looks bad at all.

It could be argued that it looks bad, but, y'know, that could be just temporary.

It may have looked worse in the past, but who is to say that wasn't when it was in reality actually looking good. But that could be nostalgia - who knows really.

It may have looked better in the past too. Remember those big shiny flagstones instead of those shitey cobbles. But they were fierce slippery though.

God, it really is hard to call. And that's without bringing in questions of water-levels and floods that may or may-not be floods, just, maybe, a big load of water hanging around on the streets up to no good.

Tis almost like the world isn't a simple place with binary answers to everything. That can't be true though or nobody would have anything to get worked up about online

Still waters · 23-05-2019 6:08pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal

Damn, you got me, I need to up my game a bit, I'm off to post my stories in the conspiracy theories thread, they'll believe my pie in the sky stories

Mrs OBumble · 23-05-2019 7:15pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Anecdotal evidence is anecdotal

Flood Street didn't get its name anecdotally.

It ain't rocket science to google "flood galway quay street" and see fairly recent examples of where king tides have swamped the street.

It doesn't have to happen every day or week for this feature to impact the stability of the paving.

23-05-2019 8:25pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Flood Street didn't get its name anecdotally.

It ain't rocket science to google "flood galway quay street" and see fairly recent examples of where king tides have swamped the street.

It doesn't have to happen every day or week for this feature to impact the stability of the paving.

Please read the thread again

topcat77 · 02-07-2019 4:04pm

I was walking down the newly done section on Shop st by Easons and overall I'm left uninspired and disappointed with the look.

Is this the planned finish for the whole of the street?

bobbyss · 02-07-2019 4:29pm

topcat77 wrote:

I was walking down the newly done section on Shop st by Easons and overall I'm left uninspired and disappointed with the look.

topcat77 wrote:

Is this the planned finish for the whole of the street?

I walked there a few days ago for the first time in a long while. I noticed paving stone type of things on both sides and tarmac in the centre. It looked a little dull perhaps yes but it was even and otherwise fine.

Moving up the street towards the four corners area was dreadful. Was it Bob the Builder who put that down? Seriously though, I wonder about the company that laid it and what other work they have done on streets or cities elsewhere.

Mrs OBumble · 02-07-2019 4:43pm

topcat77 wrote: »

I was walking down the newly done section on Shop st by Easons and overall I'm left uninspired and disappointed with the look.

Is this the planned finish for the whole of the street?

It's not finished, they're just paused for the peak tourist season.

topcat77 · 02-07-2019 4:48pm

I'm just not a fan of a tarmacadam finish. It might be practical but it looks cheap and not what you'd expect on the premier pedestrian retail street in the west of Ireland.

bobbyss · 02-07-2019 4:57pm

Mrs OBumble wrote:

It's not finished, they're just paused for the peak tourist season.

But is the bit around Easons what the whole street will look like up to the camera shop when they have finished? And then that's the end of the shop street paving story?

02-07-2019 6:20pm

topcat77 wrote: »

I'm just not a fan of a tarmacadam finish. It might be practical but it looks cheap and not what you'd expect on the premier pedestrian retail street in the west of Ireland.

And what would be your opinion if they went ahead and installed fancy-dancy paving at a far higher cost on a temporary surface?

topcat77 · 02-07-2019 6:31pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

And what would be your opinion if they went ahead and installed fancy-dancy paving at a far higher cost on a temporary surface?

If it's temporary, I've no problem. I just hope it's not the final finish.

what_traffic · 02-07-2019 7:31pm

Tarmac might be better if City Council are going to continue to allow heavy rigid trucks down the street with stock delivery's into the future

topcat77 · 02-07-2019 7:44pm

what_traffic wrote: »

Tarmac might be better if City Council are going to continue to allow heavy rigid trucks down the street with stock delivery's into the future

Very good point. I'd of liked street furniture and keep the medieval feel. Not going to happen when it's not fully pedestrianised.

what_traffic · 02-07-2019 8:10pm

topcat77 wrote: »

Very good point. I'd of liked street furniture and keep the medieval feel. Not going to happen when it's not fully pedestrianized.

Would rather it not - address the root cause but this is Galway City Council. Other European Citys with much larger pedestrian core areas seem to manage stock delivery in a far better manner.

JCX BXC · 02-07-2019 8:11pm

By all means, when (if) it's fixed, I'll miss my game of jumping down shop street avoiding the puddles during the rain.

Mrs OBumble · 02-07-2019 10:13pm

what_traffic wrote: »

Tarmac might be better if City Council are going to continue to allow heavy rigid trucks down the street with stock delivery's into the future

If you have suggestions for better ways to deliver 30+ kegs to a pub, do share.

Lads doing the work have told Mr OBumble that the pause is temporary while they see how well the various tests around the side stand up to being used.

Personally I like walking on the tarmac: a lot safer, and kinder to women's shoes.

Whereisgalway · 02-07-2019 11:10pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

what_traffic wrote: »

Lads doing the work have told Mr OBumble that the pause is temporary while they see how well the various tests around the side stand up to being used.
.

Is it the company’s first job? Various test!! Surely this is done and thought out in the PLANNING stage, mr bumble sounds guilable

02-07-2019 11:18pm

Whereisgalway wrote: »

Is it the company’s first job? Various test!! Surely this is done and thought out in the PLANNING stage, mr bumble sounds guilable

Not necessarily. There is an element of "you don't know what you'll find until you start digging"

Still waters · 02-07-2019 11:26pm

Whereisgalway wrote: »

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Is it the company’s first job? Various test!! Surely this is done and thought out in the PLANNING stage, mr bumble sounds guilable

It's a new type of paving ( in ireland anyway ) that is meant to withstand water egress and movement coming from underneath, popular in holland, it is thought out in the planning phase but practical beats theory every time, what works in venice might not work in galway, you seem like the disbelieving type so dont mind me, youre obviously more a cynic than gullible

thomas 123 · 02-07-2019 11:35pm

topcat77 wrote: »

I'm just not a fan of a tarmacadam finish. It might be practical but it looks cheap and not what you'd expect on the premier pedestrian retail street in the west of Ireland.

I guess you would expect premier retailers there too. But hey, What can you do...

what_traffic · 03-07-2019 8:27am

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

If you have suggestions for better ways to deliver 30+ kegs to a pub, do share.

I do and I am not inventing this - this is done in loads of City's in Europe. Scale it down. Both mode and cargo. The issue is not 1 keg or 10 kegs. its the weight of said delivery vehicle with all the kegs for every pub in Galway City and beyond going down Shop St every morning. Create a distribution center down the docks. Last leg of the journey could be done with various vehicle types.

xckjoo · 03-07-2019 10:07am

Still waters wrote: »

Whereisgalway wrote: »

It's a new type of paving ( in ireland anyway ) that is meant to withstand water egress and movement coming from underneath, popular in holland, it is thought out in the planning phase but practical beats theory every time, what works in venice might not work in galway, you seem like the disbelieving type so dont mind me, youre obviously more a cynic than gullible

The tarmac looking stuff is the new paving? I've only seen it briefly on Saturday and it was busy so maybe I missed something. Didn't think it looked the worst. Looks better than the mess it usually turns into anyway

what_traffic wrote: »

I do and I am not inventing this - this is done in loads of City's in Europe. Scale it down. Both mode and cargo. The issue is not 1 keg or 10 kegs. its the weight of said delivery vehicle with all the kegs for every pub in Galway City and beyond going down Shop St every morning. Create a distribution center down the docks. Last leg of the journey could be done with various vehicle types.

Edit: Not sure why this reply didn't appear originally but here it is:

I've often seen keg deliveries out of delivery hours when they can drive down the streets. It's not that big and issue. Kegs are quite a convenient shape for moving when laid on their side

Still waters · 03-07-2019 10:22am

xckjoo wrote: »

Still waters wrote: »

The tarmac looking stuff is the new paving? I've only seen it briefly on Saturday and it was busy so maybe I missed something. Didn't think it looked the worst. Looks better than the mess it usually turns into anyway

No, the finished product will be using materials that is supposed to prevent water damage to the paving from beneath, the tarmac is a temporary surface

StonedRaider · 03-07-2019 11:52am

what_traffic wrote: »

I do and I am not inventing this - this is done in loads of City's in Europe. Scale it down. Both mode and cargo. The issue is not 1 keg or 10 kegs. its the weight of said delivery vehicle with all the kegs for every pub in Galway City and beyond going down Shop St every morning. Create a distribution center down the docks. Last leg of the journey could be done with various vehicle types.

Seen this done in some eastern european cities

barry181091 · 04-07-2019 4:49pm

Still waters wrote: »

xckjoo wrote: »

No, the finished product will be using materials that is supposed to prevent water damage to the paving from beneath, the tarmac is a temporary surface

What will the finished product look like?

The tarmac looks fairly 'final' to me but it does have an odd shape with paving either side, so it must be temporary I suppose.

gordongekko · 04-07-2019 7:26pm

What wrong with the paving / tarmac mix of the new section. They should just do the whole street in that manner. Probably a lot cheaper that paving the whole lot and cheaper to maintain in the long run

Mrs OBumble · 04-07-2019 8:21pm

what_traffic wrote: »

I do and I am not inventing this - this is done in loads of City's in Europe. Scale it down. Both mode and cargo. The issue is not 1 keg or 10 kegs. its the weight of said delivery vehicle with all the kegs for every pub in Galway City and beyond going down Shop St every morning. Create a distribution center down the docks. Last leg of the journey could be done with various vehicle types.

Jobs for a whole fleet of bicycles - sure they'd be the whole day completing the delivery one keg at a time. Though somehow I'm thinking that the cellarmen wouldn't be so amused. Neither would the customers who have to pay even more for their pints to fund it.

bobbyss · 04-07-2019 10:54pm

gordongekko wrote: »

What wrong with the paving / tarmac mix of the new section. They should just do the whole street in that manner. Probably a lot cheaper that paving the whole lot and cheaper to maintain in the long run

Yeah, the bit around Easons is fine I think. If they continue with the same design that would be perfectly grand. It is even and pleasant enough. It has been ten times worse than that in the past.

pjohnson · 04-07-2019 10:57pm

The tarmac is far better than what came before and whatever is to come next I'd imagine.

Why does Shop Street look so bad?

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