Mobility improvement works to the city centre road network

jkforde · 03-02-2021 10:23pm #1

https://www.galwaycity.ie/news/1905/59/

Mobility Improvement Works to the City Centre Road Network

Galway City Council wish to notify you of the following planned works to implement mobility improvements in the City Centre. The traffic management changes involve reversing the existing traffic flow direction along the following streets;

· Abbeygate Street Lower (between Merchants Road and Middle Street)
· Cross Street (Upper and Lower)
· Flood Street
· Middle Street

Just posting in case people don't know about this

And some advanced GIS \ cartography with the map..

Mrs OBumble · 03-02-2021 10:27pm

I'd love to hear someone explain how reversing the flow along these streets will lead to improved mobility.

And as usual - residents of these streets weren't consulted, and haven't even been informed except via the same media releases that everyone else is getting.

[Deleted User] · 03-02-2021 11:01pm

jkforde wrote: »

And some advanced GIS \ cartography with the map..

I think I need a sit down after looking at that.

[Deleted User] · 03-02-2021 11:05pm

"In conjunction with the successful measures implemented along Cross Street in 2020"

This appears to open Cross Street back up to traffic? And Lombard Street becomes pedestrianised? Maybe the market getting moved out from the school and back to the street?

They're communication is poor, what's the plan here.

zell12 · 04-02-2021 10:32am

It's simply reversing the vehicle flow along that city block.
been flagged for a while

?Cee?view · 04-02-2021 11:44am

Completely confusing. What does this achieve? I cannot even see how this benefits the anti-car agenda?

Mrs OBumble · 04-02-2021 11:57am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

"In conjunction with the successful measures implemented along Cross Street in 2020"

This appears to open Cross Street back up to traffic? And Lombard Street becomes pedestrianised? Maybe the market getting moved out from the school and back to the street?

They're communication is poor, what's the plan here.

There is no change to Lombard Street.

Cross Street is still open for traffic during delivery times now.

zell12 · 04-02-2021 12:00pm

Vehicles will be mostly confined to Lwr Abbeygate->St Augustine->Flood
Less cars, if any, will be using Middle Street

what_traffic · 04-02-2021 2:51pm

Can see Cross Street becoming closed to though traffic here Post Pandemic with this change. Only modification I would do here is put in a Contra Flow Cycle lane on Flood St and Augustine St and Merchants Road.

[Deleted User] · 04-02-2021 10:53pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

There is no change to Lombard Street.

Cross Street is still open for traffic during delivery times now.

Ah - I read that as right only and assumed Lombard was therefor closed. So right turn down Cross Street is an option during delivery times.

I suppose it stops traffic going across Middle Street when they want to get to a St Augustine street destination.

It will also stop people looping on those street while waiting for parking or picking someone up - you see this a good bit.

Overall looks like an improvement. Can't believe that's the best map they could throw together though!

Mrs OBumble · 05-02-2021 12:22am

what_traffic wrote: »

Only modification I would do here is put in a Contra Flow Cycle lane on Flood St and Augustine St and Merchants Road.

Would make no difference: the peddler's just go the wrong way down the footpath (Merchant's Rd) and road (other streets) anyways.

Deleted User wrote: »

I suppose it stops traffic going across Middle Street when they want to get to a St Augustine street destination.

It will also stop people looping on those street while waiting for parking or picking someone up - you see this a good bit.

Overall looks like an improvement. Can't believe that's the best map they could throw together though!

It just makes the loop longer - will have to go out on to Merchant's Rd each time.

The initial closing of Cross St, substantially increased traffic going past my house, I expect this will do the same. I'd rather this than having the streets pedestrianised, though.

Map quality is possibly due to copyright issues from their licensed mapping system.

what_traffic · 05-02-2021 10:01am

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Would make no difference: the peddler's just go the wrong way down the footpath (Merchant's Rd) and road (other streets) anyways.

Of course it would make a massive difference as you highlight above on said One Way Roads.

biko · 05-02-2021 10:27am

Please stick to the traffic changes as presented and leave bikes out of it.

what_traffic · 05-02-2021 10:49am

As part of improving mobility for the scheme area. Contra Flow for people on bikes should be installed on Flood St and Augustine St and removal of car parking should be done to facilitate this.

Mrs OBumble · 05-02-2021 12:06pm

what_traffic wrote: »

As part of improving mobility for the scheme area. Contra Flow for people on bikes should be installed on Flood St and Augustine St and removal of car parking should be done to facilitate this.

How would that improve mobility for elderly or disabled residents of those streets?

what_traffic · 05-02-2021 12:09pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

How would that improve mobility for elderly or disabled residents of those streets?

Those elderly or disabled residents of those streets would have shorter distances to cycle or use mobility scooters on said streets if contra flow was available rather than having longer routes via the One way system that motorized vehicles have to take.

biko · 05-02-2021 12:27pm

Drop the bike stuff please, not every traffic thread needs to be a bike thread.

what_traffic · 05-02-2021 1:10pm

biko wrote: »

Drop the bike stuff please, not every traffic thread needs to be a bike thread.

Is it a "traffic" thread? It is a road layout change.

Do I understand the parameters of the thread discussion means you can just describe the effects this road layout change will have on residents, businesses, various road users, we just cannot discuss changes that could be done to said road layout change?

[Deleted User] · 05-02-2021 1:19pm

Appears to be the implementation of this...
https://galwaybayfm.ie/galway-bay-fm-news-desk/city-mobility-team-presents-plans-to-reduce-traffic-flow-on-middle-street/

"Proposals presented by the planning team aim to transform the route into a shared surface with pedestrian priority."

Mrs OBumble · 05-02-2021 2:33pm

what_traffic wrote: »

Is it a "traffic" thread? It is a road layout change.

Do I understand the parameters of the thread discussion means you can just describe the effects this road layout change will have on residents, businesses, various road users, we just cannot discuss changes that could be done to said road layout change?

Given that implementation started several weeks ago (kerbing changes in St Augustine St), and residents were (eventually) notified on Wednesday evening, I'd guess it's well past the time for suggesting more changes.

[Deleted User] · 05-02-2021 3:59pm

Hope they permanently close those streets to traffic soon

at1withmyself · 05-02-2021 6:12pm

biko wrote: »

Please stick to the traffic changes as presented and leave bikes out of it.

Eh bikes are traffic and directly impacted by this change just like cars, trucks, buses and pedestrians. Can't see why your asking to exclude bikes!

biko · 05-02-2021 7:05pm

The reason is that this information thread (traffic flow has reversed) swiftly become another "how to implement more cycle lanes if I could decide" and it detracts from the OP.
We already have the Galway Traffic thread for nice-to-have traffic changes.

Here is the flow change as per article, in case people missed the image attached in the OP.
Looks fairly easy to implement and use.
I don't really see the benefit from it though. It's the same traffic, just in another direction.

In conjunction with the successful measures implemented along Cross Street in 2020, the changes are expected to significantly reduce the volume of vehicular traffic along Middle Street and the adjoining sections of Abbeygate Street Lower and Cross Street Lower.

How will the reversal of flow achieve this?

zell12 · 05-02-2021 7:18pm

Currently, vehicles have to use LwrCross->Middle Street->Lwr Abbeygate to access St Augustine
This new layout will remove Lwr Cross and Middle Street,and makes it more pedestrian friendly

biko · 05-02-2021 7:20pm

Thanks, that makes sense.

Mrs OBumble · 05-02-2021 9:42pm

zell12 wrote: »

Currently, vehicles have to use LwrCross->Middle Street->Lwr Abbeygate to access St Augustine
This new layout will remove Lwr Cross and Middle Street,and makes it more pedestrian friendly

So to check for available car-parks in St Augustine or Middle Streets, I will potentially have to do two loops including Merchant's Rd, but at least won't have to loop out to Dock Rd to get back to the system entry point. It may make a little difference I guess. Hard to see that it will be much.

Re the suggestion to long term pedestrianise: post-Covid and with accelerated affects of on-line sales (and potentially the removal of "wet-pubs" - that's a topic for elsewhere but my money says it will happen), the city centre will go through massive change. Demand for retail premises will be wayyy down. Existing shop-units in Shop/High/Quay street will need to see price drops just to get them filled. Shops that previously couldn't afford the main street, will be able to. So if anything, residential use will become more important in the "quaint" streets in between Shop/Quay/High streets and the Docks. Removing vehicle access, though, would make them less attractive for residents, so just is not a clever thing to do.

what_traffic · 05-02-2021 9:45pm

DaCor wrote: »

Hope they permanently close those streets to traffic soon

Careful now

JCX BXC · 05-02-2021 10:14pm

I'm confused, is cross street reopening to traffic? Are the bollards still there?

what_traffic · 05-02-2021 10:21pm

JCX BXC wrote: »

I'm confused, is cross street reopening to traffic? Are the bollards still there?

Yes, for the time been......

Mrs OBumble · 06-02-2021 1:10am

JCX BXC wrote: »

I'm confused, is cross street reopening to traffic? Are the bollards still there?

Yes, from roughly 10am - 6am.

When they aren't there, traffic will flow in the opposite direction.

[Deleted User] · 06-02-2021 8:21pm

biko wrote: »

Please stick to the traffic changes as presented and leave bikes out of it.

"This will support safer pedestrian and cyclist access, support local businesses, and give more space for social distancing."

https://www.galwaydaily.com/news/traffic/cross-street-to-remain-pedestrianised-after-changes-to-city-traffic/

It's directly related to the provision of pedestrian and bike access - how is it not relevant?

Mobility improvement works to the city centre road network

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