New Ross bypass bridge

Zebra3 · 29-01-2020 12:41pm #1

No footpath. :rolleyes:

https://twitter.com/misteil/status/1222198219712663558

Fritzbox · 29-01-2020 12:46pm

Did Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy ever visit Ireland in her life?

And why are we naming it after the mother of a US President - I mean, when did we last name an important piece of Irish infrastructure after the mother of an Irish President - or the mother of a Taoiseach?

Idbatterim · 29-01-2020 12:46pm

Wow! Wow! Assuming their mates can make a nice extra chunk by adding footpath and segregated cycle lanes later. Get the engineers involved , council. Public consultations etc. great !

Thelonious Monk · 29-01-2020 1:08pm

Is it part of a motorway or N road? Jesus Christ... if they had put a bike lane on this it would have been a tourist attraction for cycling in itself like the Waterford Greenway. I despair for this country.

D.L.R. · 29-01-2020 1:09pm

Fritzbox wrote: »

Did Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy ever visit Ireland in her life?

And why are we naming it after the mother of a US President - I mean, when did we last name an important piece of Irish infrastructure after the mother of an Irish President - or the mother of a Taoiseach?

+1. Mega cringe.

Barrow bridge it is.

CrabRevolution · 29-01-2020 1:43pm

There's no footpath on 98% of the road network. There's no footpath on the roads leading to and from the bridge. Why would they specifically build a footpath just on the bridge?

loyatemu · 29-01-2020 1:49pm

it's not a motorway, but it is a new-build national road with no houses or businesses directly on it, so I'm not sure why it would have a footpath - where would you be going that required walking over it?

A little way downstream, the disused Rosslare-Waterford railway is due to be converted to greenway; though there are question marks over the condition of the old rail bridge.

CrabRevolution · 29-01-2020 1:51pm

Fritzbox wrote: »

Did Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy ever visit Ireland in her life?

And why are we naming it after the mother of a US President - I mean, when did we last name an important piece of Irish infrastructure after the mother of an Irish President - or the mother of a Taoiseach?

I've been to New Ross a lot, and you'd think JFK currently lived there the way they've named everything after him.

I get the "oh it'll attract american tourists" idea in theory. But I doubt it has any real effect. Who chooses their holiday based on the name of a bridge?

It just seems so embarrassingly effusive and grovelling. It's effectively the county councils telling unspecified americans "We exist to please you".

Paddico · 29-01-2020 1:58pm

Any photos

Thelonious Monk · 29-01-2020 1:59pm

CrabRevolution wrote: »

There's no footpath on 98% of the road network. There's no footpath on the roads leading to and from the bridge. Why would they specifically build a footpath just on the bridge?

No there is a footpath they just stopped it at the bridge, lol

EPb9-sZXsAITiQZ?format=jpg&name=medium

kksaints · 29-01-2020 2:02pm

CrabRevolution wrote: »

I've been to New Ross a lot, and you'd think JFK currently lived there the way they've named everything after him.

I get the "oh it'll attract american tourists" idea in theory. But I doubt it has any real effect. Who chooses their holiday based on the name of a bridge?

It just seems so embarrassingly effusive and grovelling. It's effectively the county councils telling unspecified americans "We exist to please you".

Should just rename New Ross Kennedy Town at this stage. Although interestingly there was complaints from the Kilkenny councillors (both sides were involved in the naming) about the naming of the bridge. I don't think any of them voted in favour of the name the first time it went to vote.

Atlantic Dawn · 29-01-2020 2:03pm

Why is it not tolled like Dublin infrastructure?

magicbastarder · 29-01-2020 2:04pm

CrabRevolution wrote: »

There's no footpath on 98% of the road network. There's no footpath on the roads leading to and from the bridge. Why would they specifically build a footpath just on the bridge?

because you can walk along the majority of the N road network if you so wish, there are hard shoulders (not that this is an adequate substitute for a footpath). is there such a provision on this bridge, or would it be the case that a pedestrian on the bridge would have the gardai called on them in short order?

padraig.od · 29-01-2020 2:05pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

No there is a footpath they just stopped it at the bridge, lol

Thats a lay-by

Wildly Boaring · 29-01-2020 2:09pm

It's frankly ridiculous to build a bridge on an n-road without a footpath.

Those stating none on the n road- there is a hard shoulder and a verge.

Love to see how the designer and PSDP got around that one.

JohnC. · 29-01-2020 2:32pm

There are no pedestrians allowed on it. Same as the bridge on the Waterford bypass. You’re all losing your minds over nothing.

Cookiemunster · 29-01-2020 2:43pm

Wildly Boaring wrote: »

It's frankly ridiculous to build a bridge on an n-road without a footpath.

Those stating none on the n road- there is a hard shoulder and a verge.

Love to see how the designer and PSDP got around that one.

It's designed as a 2+2 dual carriageway, which have no hard shoulders anywhere in the country. There are no hard shoulders on the rest of the bypass either.

Wildly Boaring · 29-01-2020 2:43pm

JohnC. wrote: »

There are no pedestrians allowed on it. Same as the bridge on the Waterford bypass. You’re all losing your minds over nothing.

N25 bridge has fine big hard shoulder.
Done maintenance on it myself under TM.
Cyclists allowed on either?

Wildly Boaring · 29-01-2020 2:44pm

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's designed as a 2+2 dual carriageway, which have no hard shoulders anywhere in the country. There are no hard shoulders on the rest of the bypass either.

Jasus.
Good luck to whoever has to maintain it so.
Do you need a lane closure to cut the grass?

coastwatch · 29-01-2020 2:51pm

It's another missed opportunity, same as the Waterford bridge.
With a little imagination, a footpath / cycle path could have been included to make a looped walk from New Ross, with the bridge crossing being the main attraction.
In a different league, but the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is a great example, 10M visitors a year.

Cookiemunster · 29-01-2020 3:02pm

coastwatch wrote: »

It's another missed opportunity, same as the Waterford bridge.
With a little imagination, a footpath / cycle path could have been included to make a looped walk from New Ross, with the bridge crossing being the main attraction.
In a different league, but the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is a great example, 10M visitors a year.

It's not a missed opportunity. It's a bypass to take HGVs and cars out of New Ross. It's not a tourist attraction. Pedestrians should be nowhere near a 100kph dual carriageway.

md23040 · 29-01-2020 3:52pm

The longest bridge in Ireland previous to this is the Foyle Bridge in Derry (11 metres shorter) and it's a hot spot for suicide jumpers with a similar elevation. I am sure that if there was a foot path across the bridge it would become a problem and glad it hasn't been included in the design.

marno21 · 29-01-2020 3:57pm

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's designed as a 2+2 dual carriageway, which have no hard shoulders anywhere in the country. There are no hard shoulders on the rest of the bypass either.

There are hard shoulders between the Glenmore roundabout and the R733 interchange, with the exception of the bridge section. It's Type 1 west of the R733 and Type 2 east of there.

coastwatch · 29-01-2020 4:09pm

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's not a missed opportunity. It's a bypass to take HGVs and cars out of New Ross. It's not a tourist attraction. Pedestrians should be nowhere near a 100kph dual carriageway.

Like I said, with a little imagination it could have been a tourist / leisure attraction. BTW, it has a 60km/h speed limit, same as the Golden Gate 3 lane carriageway I mentioned in my post.

CatInABox · 29-01-2020 4:11pm

md23040 wrote: »

The longest bridge in Ireland previous to this is the Foyle Bridge in Derry (11 metres shorter) and it's a hot spot for suicide jumpers with a similar elevation. I am sure that if there was a foot path across the bridge it would become a problem and glad it hasn't been included in the design.

If someone has their mind set on suicide, I'd doubt that a lack of footpath will put people off.

listermint · 29-01-2020 4:12pm

coastwatch wrote: »

Like I said, with a little imagination it could have been a tourist / leisure attraction. BTW, it has a 60km/h speed limit, same as the Golden Gate 3 lane carriageway I mentioned in my post.

Just no.

Hibernicis · 29-01-2020 4:13pm

coastwatch wrote: »

It's another missed opportunity, same as the Waterford bridge.
With a little imagination, a footpath / cycle path could have been included to make a looped walk from New Ross, with the bridge crossing being the main attraction.
In a different league, but the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is a great example, 10M visitors a year.

Having had the thrill of cycling across the Golden Gate some years back on one of the Pedestrian/Cyclist sidewalks I had exactly the same thought when walking across the bridge on Sunday last. This is a most disappointing omission. It would have been a major addition to our hoped for network of greenways/long distance footpaths/cycleways.

Seth Brundle · 29-01-2020 4:18pm

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's not a missed opportunity. It's a bypass to take HGVs and cars out of New Ross. It's not a tourist attraction. Pedestrians should be nowhere near a 100kph dual carriageway.

...but other 100km/h roads are ok to allow pedestrians and cyclists?
I assume the concept of it being a dual carriageway is irrlevant as everyone should be driving appropriately and responsibly.
So why then is there no space allocated for road users other than those with an engine?

Cookiemunster · 29-01-2020 5:10pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

...but other 100km/h roads are ok to allow pedestrians and cyclists?
I assume the concept of it being a dual carriageway is irrlevant as everyone should be driving appropriately and responsibly.
So why then is there no space allocated for road users other than those with an engine?

No. There shouldn't be pedestrians or cyclists on any 100kph road. It's highly dangerous. There's a reason that N roads that are replaced by motorways drop to 80kph.

Harry Palmr · 29-01-2020 5:20pm

Jasus untwist your knickers everyone (who has them twisted).

The greenway which is in the planning stages is the bike route not a flipping DC with 30 tonne trucks whizzing by.

Oh and imagine how windy/gusty it is going to be more days than not.

donvito99 · 29-01-2020 5:28pm

Cycling the Golden Gate is a legitimately frightening experience, the noise is deafening and the proximity of the traffic is startling.

Seth Brundle · 29-01-2020 5:42pm

Cookiemunster wrote: »

No. There shouldn't be pedestrians or cyclists on any 100kph road. It's highly dangerous. There's a reason that N roads that are replaced by motorways drop to 80kph.

My point was that it's fine all over Ireland to mix the two but to create a new road with space set aside for all non-engined transport obviously wasn't done (i.e. segregates space). I'd obviously be against mixing the two (VRUs & engined traffic) but to completely exclude them is a disgrace.
It shows the ongoing lack of investment in any kind of meaningful cycling infrastructure whilst pouring millions into infrastructure for engine based vehicles.

Cookiemunster · 29-01-2020 7:35pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

My point was that it's fine all over Ireland to mix the two but to create a new road with space set aside for all non-engined transport obviously wasn't done (i.e. segregates space). I'd obviously be against mixing the two (VRUs & engined traffic) but to completely exclude them is a disgrace.
It shows the ongoing lack of investment in any kind of meaningful cycling infrastructure whilst pouring millions into infrastructure for engine based vehicles.

Cycling infrastructure can be placed along the now quieter old road and in and around New Ross itself. A national road connecting Cork to Waterford and Wexford isn't the place for it.

And as Harry said above, there's soon to be a greenaway for which a bridge has been built over the new road.

Last Stop · 29-01-2020 7:48pm

Seth Brundle wrote: »

My point was that it's fine all over Ireland to mix the two but to create a new road with space set aside for all non-engined transport obviously wasn't done (i.e. segregates space). I'd obviously be against mixing the two (VRUs & engined traffic) but to completely exclude them is a disgrace.
It shows the ongoing lack of investment in any kind of meaningful cycling infrastructure whilst pouring millions into infrastructure for engine based vehicles.

It’s a road bypass, why would any cyclist want to use it unless they are training for the Tour de France (which some cyclists seem to think they are).
The road will eventually be upgraded to motorway once the section to the Waterford bypass so it makes no sense to put a cycle lane on it.
If anything, this post shows that no matter how much space cyclists are given (a brand new greenway being built serving the same route) they still want more!!

Zebra3 · 29-01-2020 7:57pm

Last Stop wrote: »

It’s a road bypass, why would any cyclist want to use it unless they are training for the Tour de France (which some cyclists seem to think they are).
The road will eventually be upgraded to motorway once the section to the Waterford bypass so it makes no sense to put a cycle lane on it.
If anything, this post shows that no matter how much space cyclists are given (a brand new greenway being built serving the same route) they still want more!!

Always reassuring to see people sneering at cyclists, but some do actually be in training for La Marmotte, and not the TDF.

As for cyclists looking for more road space? Cycling infrastructure here is an absolute disgrace. Hundreds of millions being promised to add more cars and pollution around Galway, and we still haven't got a safe cycling greenway along the Royal Canal from Dublin to Leixlip which could instantaneously reduce car demand on Intel, and for a fraction of the cost.

irish_goat · 29-01-2020 8:24pm

md23040 wrote: »

The longest bridge in Ireland previous to this is the Foyle Bridge in Derry (11 metres shorter) and it's a hot spot for suicide jumpers with a similar elevation. I am sure that if there was a foot path across the bridge it would become a problem and glad it hasn't been included in the design.

AFAIK, studies have shown the existence of a local bridge doesn't affect suicide numbers.

Last Stop · 29-01-2020 8:48pm

Zebra3 wrote: »

Always reassuring to see people sneering at cyclists, but some do actually be in training for La Marmotte, and not the TDF.

As for cyclists looking for more road space? Cycling infrastructure here is an absolute disgrace. Hundreds of millions being promised to add more cars and pollution around Galway, and we still haven't got a safe cycling greenway along the Royal Canal from Dublin to Leixlip which could instantaneously reduce car demand on Intel, and for a fraction of the cost.

So do you want a cycle lane along the M50 or M8 for those cycling enthusiasts? Because this road is essentially a motorway and will be one once the section to the Waterford bypass is complete.

donvito99 · 29-01-2020 8:51pm

Last Stop wrote: »

So do you want a cycle lane along the M50 or M8 for those cycling enthusiasts? Because this road is essentially a motorway and will be one once the section to the Waterford bypass is complete.

If there was space why not? The M50/M8 doesn't offer an incredible view and an interesting route for people to walk or cycle.

Zebra3 · 29-01-2020 9:07pm

Last Stop wrote: »

So do you want a cycle lane along the M50 or M8 for those cycling enthusiasts? Because this road is essentially a motorway and will be one once the section to the Waterford bypass is complete.

If there was the will, I'm sure there would be a way to accommodate safe cycling infrastructure parallel to a motorway, but politicians, civil servants, council officials, engineers, don't give a damn.

Last Stop · 29-01-2020 9:15pm

donvito99 wrote: »

If there was space why not? The M50/M8 doesn't offer an incredible view and an interesting route for people to walk or cycle.

1. Cost
2. Safety
3. Lack of demand

Last Stop · 29-01-2020 9:17pm

Zebra3 wrote: »

If there was the will, I'm sure there would be a way to accommodate safe cycling infrastructure parallel to a motorway, but politicians, civil servants, council officials, engineers, don't give a damn.

Could it be that cycling isn’t anywhere near as popular as some people make it out to be and there is no demand for such a route?

Zebra3 · 29-01-2020 9:24pm

Last Stop wrote: »

Could it be that cycling isn’t anywhere near as popular as some people make it out to be and there is no demand for such a route?

Nobody could've imagined cars would become so popular, but you know what?

The state went ahead and built a vast road network.....

gman2k · 29-01-2020 9:30pm

Well, I hope to cycle across it tomorrow afternoon!

Sober Crappy Chemis · 29-01-2020 9:33pm

So we want a Narrow Foothpath on an extremely exposed river bridge suspended dozens of metres above river level with HGVs whizzing past at high speeds....

Fcuk me. People’s thinking is very basic really. Jesus.

Last Stop · 29-01-2020 9:35pm

Zebra3 wrote: »

Nobody could've imagined cars would become so popular, but you know what?

The state went ahead and built a vast road network.....

New roads (including this one) were built to match increasing demand...exactly the opposite of what you’re saying

whisky_galore · 29-01-2020 9:43pm

Fritzbox wrote: »

Did Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy ever visit Ireland in her life?

And why are we naming it after the mother of a US President - I mean, when did we last name an important piece of Irish infrastructure after the mother of an Irish President - or the mother of a Taoiseach?

They couldn't name it after the Kennedy that ran away from a car accident or the other Kennedy they forced a lobotomy on or the crooked patriarch of the family.

Andrewf20 · 29-01-2020 9:45pm

Ive been on numerous bridges around the world with 100km/h or similar speed limits with barriered off cycle lanes / footpaths. They could also drop the speed limit for the road to 80km/h if needed.

Different traffic volume perhaps - but the N52 is 100km/h with an unprotected footpath.

https://www.google.com/maps/@52.8751913,-8.2268704,3a,75y,48.53h,86.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slVn8A8XGMtFcEAEm9EFYyQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

I feel they missed a trick here. Even to make space for a potential cycle or walk way in the future.

Zebra3 · 29-01-2020 9:47pm

Last Stop wrote: »

New roads (including this one) were built to match increasing demand...exactly the opposite of what you’re saying

Which will bring more cars on to the roads and we'll be back at the same congestion problem further down the line.

Last Stop · 29-01-2020 9:49pm

Zebra3 wrote: »

Which will bring more cars on to the roads and we'll be back at the same congestion problem further down the line.

And somehow building a cycle lane on a bypass will change all that?

Seamai · 29-01-2020 9:52pm

donvito99 wrote: »

Cycling the Golden Gate is a legitimately frightening experience, the noise is deafening and the proximity of the traffic is startling.

I walked over it and it's kinda scary all right, more scary than the 200 foot drop.

Zebra3 · 29-01-2020 9:59pm

Last Stop wrote: »

And somehow building a cycle lane on a bypass will change all that?

It's about the overall attitude to cycling infrastructure.

New Ross bypass bridge

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