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Galway traffic

ben.schlomo

Seemed light this evening, seeing as there doesn't seem to be a thread on traffic here I said I'd start this due to the importance of the issue.

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CowboyTed

Johnny_BravoIII wrote: »

Coffee shops/pubs/ restaurants with outdoor seating exist all year round in Ireland. Quay street?
Yes, it doesn't happen on ****ty days. We've had a bad run of it recently but its not wall-to-wall rain all day every day during the winter here.

The point here is the street dining vibe on Quay Street happened because the cars were removed.

Consider if middle street was pedestrianised. Cava Bodege, Milanos, Sangria, Dough Brothers etc would immediately expand out onto the streets for on-street dining.

Theres no reason for cars to drive up middle street and down St Augustine St after 2pm/5pm.

The above would drive footfall, investment, rates etc. It's good news alround.

Open a discussion about it...

As I said, a trial during the Summer months, say June to Sept and see...

I am will to give things a chance

CowboyTed

Johnny_BravoIII wrote: »

Coffee shops/pubs/ restaurants with outdoor seating exist all year round in Ireland. Quay street?
Yes, it doesn't happen on ****ty days. We've had a bad run of it recently but its not wall-to-wall rain all day every day during the winter here.

The point here is the street dining vibe on Quay Street happened because the cars were removed.

Consider if middle street was pedestrianised. Cava Bodege, Milanos, Sangria, Dough Brothers etc would immediately expand out onto the streets for on-street dining.

Theres no reason for cars to drive up middle street and down St Augustine St after 2pm/5pm.

The above would drive footfall, investment, rates etc. It's good news alround.

I will just also say... There is a lot of people who work in the hospitality industry in Galway that don't live in Galway who come in after 7 to work shifts and drive home.
Just be considerate where they would be allowed to park, they normally park on the street. Just be considerate and that would gain more support.

gordongekko

CowboyTed wrote: »

I am will to give things a chance

But youre not. You claim investing in cycling infrastructure is a waste when it hasn't been properly tried yet.

Johnny_BravoIII

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The areas named are specifically zoned as mixed-use: there are residents, commercial and retail/restaurant uses in all those streets, often in the same buildings.

The street use needs to cater for them all.

On street drinking areas (The Kings Head is in the mix too) is explicitly not allowed by planning in many cases because the noise is too unpalatable for residents.

Some areas of the city are more suitable for younger, mobile residents than others. People would make these types of decisons over a 10 year period.

The city needs to be repurposed to encourage commercial activity, drive footfall, create an attractive living environment for residents, reduce pollution etc

It's the sad reality that these types of changes won't suit every individual equally.
Leadership is about making decisons for the greater good of all citizens and not being held back by the personal agenda's of individual residents and business owners.

I will suggest we still need a bigger vision for the city which meets the commuter demands of people over the next 20 years. The current transport plan is not it. We end up in a place where people are scrapping about cross street or a bike path in Salthill.

The transport plan should include an intention to pedestrianise the city centre and build cycle infrastructure along all commuter routes, increase bus corridors, maybe light rail, upgrade rail-lines from satelitte towns and eventually introduce congestion charges.

My view is people would be more accepting of a decision to close middle street if it was part of a radical progressive larger vision.

?Cee?view

John_Rambo wrote: »

It's not, and it's certainly not up for debate on this thread. We're talking about Galway traffic, skip off and start your own thread about the capital if you wish.

You're the one who brought Dublin up in the first place!

** I stand corrected. See donvito99's post below

donvito99

?Cee?view wrote: »

You're the one who brought Dublin up in the first place!

That was me.

The point being that Galway will certainly face the same destruction Dublin did once it took measures to get more people into the city more quickly by restricting access to the private car almost 40 years ago.

?Cee?view

donvito99 wrote: »

That was me.

The point being that Galway will certainly face the same destruction Dublin did once it took measures to get more people into the city more quickly by restricting access to the private car almost 40 years ago.

Not sure I agree with you though. Grafton Street is a wasteland compared to what it was. Other than one or two flagship stores, it's now a sea of phone shops and the like. Dundrum and before that Stillorgan, and all the various shopping centres are where real commercial activity other than selling cups of coffee now take place. Even the iconic Bewleys' Cafe can't make a go of it in the area anymore.

[Deleted User]

Johnny_BravoIII wrote: »

Closing cross street to traffic is a no-brainer.
In fact, I would pedestrianise, St Augustine Street, Middle St, Cross St, Ravens Terrace, The West End, I'd also look at Abbeygate St, Woodquay.

There's no need for car access in that inner city area, the city is well served with car parks at the cathedral, dock road, forrester st.

Or at least we should do it after 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. I was in Granada last year where they do something similar. It would encourage more coffee shops, restaurants ala Quay Street etc increase footfall, etc

Rubbish of the highest order.

I regularly have to access some of these streets with an elderly relative who is unable to walk more than a metres at a time. Close these and they can no longer go about their business in the area. Also what about residents.

Clueless anti-car nonsense as usual in this thread.

xckjoo

Mad the amount of elderly invalids that live in these areas and can't go anywhere without cars.

Presumably all these good Samaritans avoid driving through these areas when they aren't ferrying an elderly relative to an appointment since it's so essential for good car access to be maintained?

?Cee?view

xckjoo wrote: »

Mad the amount of elderly invalids that live in these areas and can't go anywhere without cars.

They're probably disproportionate in the number of people that are left, as with the noise of street drinking etc. less people will want to move to the area. Consider the amount of older people that live in Whitehall and some in Middle Street.

xckjoo

?Cee?view wrote: »

They're probably disproportionate in the number of people that are left, as with the noise of street drinking etc. less people will want to move to the area. Consider the amount of older people that live in Whitehall and some in Middle Street.

Whitehall ya, but I'd say the majority of the rest of the people in the area are young people working or studying in the city. There's a small number of the old houses and a large number of apartments.

I do think there should be local access where required but the priority should be for people walking.

donvito99

?Cee?view wrote: »

Not sure I agree with you though. Grafton Street is a wasteland compared to what it was. Other than one or two flagship stores, it's now a sea of phone shops and the like. Dundrum and before that Stillorgan, and all the various shopping centres are where real commercial activity other than selling cups of coffee now take place. Even the iconic Bewleys' Cafe can't make a go of it in the area anymore.

Ha what? Have you been to Dublin since, say, the millenium?

The city has quite steadily become less easy to park or drive into and has steadily reached bursting point... you couldn't move on Grafton St, prior to Covid of course.

?Cee?view

donvito99 wrote: »

Ha what? Have you been to Dublin since, say, the millenium?

The city has quite steadily become less easy to park or drive into and has steadily reached bursting point... you couldn't move on Grafton St, prior to Covid of course.

Reaching bursting point is hardly a measure of sustainability or success. Are all those crowds allowing commerce to thrive in the business heart. Or are they just people milling around buying the odd coffee and socialising? And then taking their cars at another time to Stillorgan Shopping Centre or wherever to do their main shopping?

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/fear-and-loathing-on-the-retail-rental-hotspot-of-grafton-street-1.4156331

TwoWheeledTim

CowboyTed wrote: »

Dublin
Flatter city

I had a few minutes spare so just wanted to dispel the myth that Galway is too hilly for cycling and Dublin is more suitable as it's flatter.

I mapped out a 29km tour over and back around Galway City, it shows 109m of climbing.

I then did a 29km tour around Dublin City to compare, it shows 119m of climbing.

Those numbers will obviously push/pull based on route selection but the notion that Dublin is a flatter city just isn't true.

?Cee?view

In fairness, hills are problem the least problem with cycling in Galway, even more so now with the popularity of e bikes.

donvito99

?Cee?view wrote: »

Reaching bursting point is hardly a measure of sustainability or success.

It's funny to see a proponent of unbridled private car access to city centres talking about sustainability.

Are all those crowds allowing commerce to thrive in the business heart. Or are they just people milling around buying the odd coffee and socialising? And then taking their cars at another time to Stillorgan Shopping Centre or wherever to do their main shopping?

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/fear-and-loathing-on-the-retail-rental-hotspot-of-grafton-street-1.4156331

So because Grafton St doesn't have a Lidl with parking out the front to do the weekly shop from Stillorgan, it is not a success?

?Cee?view

donvito99 wrote: »

It's funny to see a proponent of unbridled private car access to city centres talking about sustainability.

So because Grafton St doesn't have a Lidl with parking out the front to do the weekly shop from Stillorgan, it is not a success?

Read the article.

Did I say anything about Lidl?

what_traffic

I would not make all streets pedestrian only streets in the City, however would have resident only access for many of them to cut out through traffic. The technology exists for this. A handful of automatic bollards with camera would work. So bus, taxis with wheelchair access would only have permission along with residents. These systems are in place in many European Citys with similar town centres to Galway.

donvito99

?Cee?view wrote: »

Read the article.

Did I say anything about Lidl?

Literally in the first line:

Grafton Street in central Dublin may be the country’s prime retail zone and the 13th most expensive shopping street in the world.

You're labelling this as 'unsuccesful' and 'unsustainable'? Should we bring back on street parking and take it down a peg or two?

Mrs OBumble

I get the feeling that I'm the only person in this discussion who actually lives in the city centre.

And the only one who has had surgery which prevented me from walking far for a while.

Am I right????

It's actually funny that the city-centre is the focus of ant "fix the traffic " initiatives, because the very centre is not the cause of most of the city's traffic problems.

Kingp35

?Cee?view wrote: »

In fairness, hills are problem the least problem with cycling in Galway, even more so now with the popularity of e bikes.

I'm from Dublin, I moved to Oranmore 2 years ago. I've cycled to work everyday for years, 9 km in Dublin and now 7 km commute from Oranmore to Renmore area.

The hills in Galway aren't a problem. The biggest difference by far is weather. Galway has far more windy and rainy days than Dublin. It makes cycling a less enjoyable experience however with decent wet gear it's definitely doable.

The cycling infrastructure in Galway is also light years behind Dublin. To put it simply, the roads are terrible. I had to change from a road bike to a mountain bike as I kept getting punctures.

I don't think Galway will ever reach huge numbers of cyclists due to the weather but with improvements in roads, including getting rid of the needless roundabouts, and cycle lanes the number can definitely increase.

We should be doing all we can to reduce the amount of cars on the road, for both the environment and a better quality of life for people in the City.

?Cee?view

donvito99 wrote: »

Literally in the first line:

You're labelling this as 'unsuccesful' and 'unsustainable'? Should we bring back on street parking and take it down a peg or two?

Yeah, maybe read the whole article?

donvito99

?Cee?view wrote: »

Yeah, maybe read the whole article?

The article has almost no relevance to success or sustainability and traffic. It is relevant to the challenges facing retailers - in Grafton St and Dundrum SC et al - as a result of online shopping.

A place that ought to be on its knees because of the ease of shopping online is not on its knees and was thriving prior to Covid precisely because it is an attractive, car free area for people to "mill about" as you say and do what they like.

?Cee?view

donvito99 wrote: »

The article has almost no relevance to success or sustainability and traffic. It is relevant to the challenges facing retailers - in Grafton St and Dundrum SC et al - as a result of online shopping.

A place that ought to be on its knees because of these ease of shopping online is not precisely because it is an attractive, car free area for people to "mill about" as you say and do what they like.

Maybe just stick your fingers in your ears? :rolleyes:

donvito99

?Cee?view wrote: »

Maybe just stick your fingers in your ears? :rolleyes:

Did you mean to link another article?

i.e. one that actually suggests Grafton St (and Galway) are worse off because of restrictions placed on drivers?

TwoWheeledTim

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I get the feeling that I'm the only person in this discussion who actually lives in the city centre.

And the only one who has had surgery which prevented me from walking far for a while.

Am I right????

It's actually funny that the city-centre is the focus of ant "fix the traffic " initiatives, because the very centre is not the cause of most of the city's traffic problems.

This is going to sound harsh, but if you choose to live in a city centre you should be prepared for progressive urban development as the city grows.

It's inevitable that private car access will be restricted over time as the city grows and can't handle private cars, same as every modern city centre.

ratracer

Speaking of Galway traffic, there seems to be a lot of talk here on the ‘suffering’ of city dwellers or those that can’t walk a few meters, but not a lot of care or concern for the forty- plus families who will have their homes demolished for a ring road so long out of date that it will be useless by the time it’s built, (if ever).

I do believe another river crossing is needed btw, I just think that infrastructure designers in this country are very short sighted in their designs/ imaginations and really don’t consider long term, joined up thinking catering for all forms of transport.

xckjoo

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I get the feeling that I'm the only person in this discussion who actually lives in the city centre.

And the only one who has had surgery which prevented me from walking far for a while.

Am I right????

It's actually funny that the city-centre is the focus of ant "fix the traffic " initiatives, because the very centre is not the cause of most of the city's traffic problems.

I thought you claimed residence near the Small Crane when people were discussing removing parking there?

But if you are the only one that's city centre and had a recent issue that prevented you from walking is that not an indicator of how few people are going to experience that kind of scenario?

Personally, I'd still be in favor of local access being maintained as required. But the majority of the city centre shouldn't be given over to through car traffic and parking spots for fit and healthy people that could easily walk. And the city centre traffic is one of the biggest contributor to bus delays so it does contribute to people choosing the car over public transport.

what_traffic

xckjoo wrote: »

And the city centre traffic is one of the biggest contributor to bus delays so it does contribute to people choosing the car over public transport.

Huge issue at peak times. I feel sorry for the City Bus drivers. Dont know how they do it. Even the car centric City Council engineers have finally woken up and have now proposed a Bus Corridor from Colleage Road -> Eyre Sq -> Salmon Wier -> UHG, which will resrict private car access along that route.

gordongekko

Im not sure of the logic in the closure of traffic on Eglington Street. It'll just move traffic onto narrow and unsuitable roads.

Woodquay, Eyre street, Newtownsmith and nuns Island will see increased traffic flows and these roads aren't suitable for this. Has the reasoning around the decision been explained anywhere?