So 24 hours and no response, even though you have posted in this thread since then.
So do we take it that you just jump to biased conclusions without bothering to check the details? Or are you maliciously trying to falsely malign a group you don't like?
That you got the Brendan McGrath 'death threat' story so wrong suggests it could be the former, but the fact you let these defamatory statements stand without correction makes me think it's the latter.
Teething problems should be expected with any major work. Lights are an easy fix in the grand scheme of things
It's the same pattern with all these changes though: 1) people moan about how bad traffic is, 2) roads/junctions are upgraded, 3) people go crazy about how it's the worst thing to ever happen to the city and everyone involved should be shot, 4) things settle down and are better than before but people still moan about how things were better the way they were (completely forgetting step 1 above).
The dedication to keeping sliplanes renders the bikes lanes practically useless as their too dangerous for most
Terrifyingly so. This design is a sure way to kill somebody. That's why so few people cycle this section.
So if we want to know why people are NOT using the N6 cycle paths / lanes ............. this and plenty of examples at other sections at the junctions along N6 (like here: https://goo.gl/maps/d4Yk5u6ymNyRBGgP7) are a clear reason why.
Donal Lyons is just paying lip-service... You are not getting parking on the Prom for a long while, that it...
I said while it was going on that this would create a backlash... You woke a sleeping giant and they were pissed off now...
People who park on the Prom and go for a walk are contingent of Galway.. It is an institution and the Cycling lobby threatened them...
Sory but you got nothing and don't think they are going to be humouring you for a good while... Those councillors got burnt and they will remember to not go near this for a while.. Positions have been hardened now...
Yeah, that Tuam Rd lane is....special
The Kirwan Traffic lights initially was Sh*t Show... Everyone in the town knew it.. They screwed up the lights system...
Thing is the Corp Executive never admitted to that at the time... No matter what it was great..
https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/123381/charity-demands-heads-should-roll-for-the-disaster-of-the-kirwan-junction-design
I can't find where the executive acknowledged the problem and took responsibly and apologised afterwards...
I agree with ya here.
The CEO does not live here in Galway City/Galway/Connacht right now, never has actually. He confirmed the same with Keith Finnegan yesterday on Galway Talks.
TII were really responsible for the N6 roundabout removals - City Council had some involvement. It was nothing to do with Pedestrian / Cycling facilities, throughput of vehicles was the NO 1 priority, and as you have shown already in this thread - it has worked in that respect. It has improved life for people of foot and bike, but by European standards it is still poor stuff. Plenty of cycle lane sections on it - are only for the brave and fast. Which confirms really that throughput of vehicles was the main priority.
This cycle lane here on the N6 approaching the Tuam Road junction is crazy stuff. https://goo.gl/maps/BK9d4MbrcKXHGTvz9
Some articles in todays Advertiser on the farce that is the councils actions over Salthill
Lyons wants to take away part of the Prom to provide a bike lane and keep parking.
I am all in favour of a fully integrated cycle way, off the road.."
At least that what I guess he means, because there is no other physical way to do what he is talking about given the current layout of Salthill
The City executive would be bad if they don't come off incompetent most of the time...
No one is particularly happy with them... We are effectively run by someone from I think Tipperary(Chief Exec) and another from Cork(Transport) who most likely will not be here when we see the results of their work... This to me is one of the root problems
The Headford Road change is a good lesson in how our intuition and observations on things aren't always correct and it's important to look at quantitative data to confirm or deny them. I'm sure there's plenty out there that still think the removal of the roundabout at the Galway Shopping Centre was the worst thing to ever happen to Galway traffic.
It also shows how big the outrage is to EVERY change in road/transport infrastructure in this city.
Where now indeed
A recent letter appeared in the Irish Times from a Salthill local
And another one
Changing the junctions to 4 arm, light controlled, increased the throughput of the junction allowing for more people to pass through it.
The raw data from traffic measurement is available on the TII site if you want to verify this for yourself. I also posted an analysis completed by the Insight Institute a few pages back which confirmed this too.
Simply put, a RAB works up to a certain point after which it becomes clogged and ends up actually reducing the throughput.
Also important to note, while not perfect by any means, the situation has improved immensely for pedestrians and cyclists at these new junctions. Lastly bus priority measures require light controlled junctions to allow for more consistent journey times.
well, they have a poor record in road design too. The removal of the Bóthar na dTreabh roundabout is a key example, and they're now repeating it at the Galway Clinic roundabout (whatever that's called).
I'm old enough to remember that the roundabout was put in to replace a light-controlled junction because....... light controlled doesn't work for such applications.
All they literally had to do, at a fraction of the price & time, as to put in a much larger diameter roundabout -this could have aborbed and kept moving a greater volume of traffic - like ones over motorway junctions - and it would have a natural rythm to it.
But oh no, someone thinks a PLC and several million euro is better. It wasn't better back then, it's not better now.
Galway is going backwards.
The whole matter reflected very poorly on Galway, the level of debate really sunk to a new level :( I can't help but apportion some of this blame to the civil servants running the city council, the whole matter seems to have been very poorly handled. If this is normal business for how the council goes about its business there is very dim future ahead for the city.
Salthill bike lanes came up for discussion today in the Dail
Article on it
Dail record showing full content of what was discussed
I would have to agree with your perception of the debate.
Further coverage on the issue in todays Advertiser
You don't mention the big elephant in the room. Multi-lane Roundabouts. The N6 section for most of that scenario you mention is a service duct - with a cycle lane put on top of it the past decade, previous 20 years it was just a service duct. The SQR/BOD section is a designed bus and cycle path with two of those big elephants either end of it!! The Council themselves call the City cycle network a "disjointed network."
I know you're being facetious, but obviously we are better off investing in Public Transport over cycling. Cycling, as various groups point out, is particularly popular in Salthill and Taylor's Hill, yet it isn't within an asses roar of making any impact. Even if the current cycle use goes up by factors of 2 or 3, the modal shift will still be insignificant. Further bus lanes, actively used, with high frequency services should be prioritised over wasting time and money on cycling lanes that won't be used. Buses should have priority in those lanes over taxis, bicycles and any other users except emergency services on active shouts.
That is a good point... About 70% of people goto work by Car...
Now lets look at the Knocknacarra to University, Hospital and on to Ballybrit cycle lane... This is under used and rather than figure out what is wrong they want to double down...
That is why targets and goals matter in projects..
Maybe we are better investing in Public Transport over cycling?
Maybe what we allow as E-Bikes could be increased in Power ( to say the US standard)...
Denmark allow Pedalectrics in there cycle lanes...
Maybe we should be subsidising tricycles or other electric type motorbikes?
Thing is, I am saying there is plenty ways of skinning a cat... But this idea of 'build it and they will come' is a plan which really only works in movies and corn fields...
Yes and he is commenting based on experiences of his many workers, some of whom used to cycle to work but do not anymore due to a lack of safe cycling infrastructure. The same infrastructure that has been turned down in Salthill in favour of more cars.
Its just the tip of the iceberg as far as poor city management and the lack of sustainable travel options go.
He was talking about cycling infrastructure in general.
Now that you mention it though, from dangain, his employees could take the path by the river, in to NUIG, across road at Wards, down the canals, across the road at monroes, across the road at raven terace, a short 100m to claddagh path and on to knocknacara cross from there.
Sounds joined up to me. Your point or do you have one?
Rule number one when as chief executive you are under pressure always stand up for the Mayor. Politics 101.
He had to say that, though, didn't he? But it's telling that he chose to highlight the abuse directed at the Mayor. It wasn't the cycling campaigners who were screaming obscenities at her as she cycled around town.
I got involved in some of the social media discussions over the last few weeks, and was a spectator for others. The general tone from those supporting the cycleway was about offering explanations to counter misconceptions (the widely spread false claim that all blue badge parking was being relocated to Seapoint etc.) and generally polite explanations about their motivations, coupled with advocating for changes to the plans to better accommodate blue badge holders, the less mobile etc. But, from those against the cycleway, there were multiple calls for cyclists to be physically harmed, from individuals seemingly posting under their real names and feeling no shame in doing so. Rather than being condemned by others, these posts would get lots of 'likes'.
While I was coming at it from one perspective I have no doubt that an honest objective observer would also conclude that the abuse was definitely heavily weighted on one side.
Literally the first line of the article:
"The head of a major Galway-based med tech company has criticised the failure to develop a cycle lane at Salthill promenade as a “lack of joined up thinking”."
route cause:
who came up with these two options?
poorly thought out and no stakeholder involvement.
I was all for a cycleway in salthill until i seen the two options.
dead duck
and yes, i am a fanatical cyclist!
regularly commute to work.
amazing how local government manage this in Budapest and everywhere in the Vendee France.
What are talking about the Prom for?
N59 is wide enough for cycle paths on either side of it as it approaches IDA Dangan from Westside and Busypark. Start there I'd say.
I consider current number <add_any_percentage_here> of people driving to work in Galway City a failure as well and when I sit in a car in car traffic I a taking up all the current available space. The Ring Road which is a decade away is still the only plan.
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