The Sean Mulvoy Road.
Coming from the Q Bridge and once past the lights, with a cyclist ahead of you, you drive on in the left lane.
The cyclist is in the cycle lane. Then all of a sudden the cycle lane disappears and said cyclist joins the main road. A car would want to be very careful overtaking at that point as inevitably there would be traffic on the right lane.
This puts all parties at risk. But later on you see this long wide enough island in the middle of the road stretching most of it maybe?
What is this island for? It is much needed space being wasted.
Why not get rid of it. Have a look at the new width and make a proper cycle lane that actually extends all the way along the road? Maybe two cycle lanes?
Plans for Wolfe Tone bridge walkway approved by the councilors
Of course there was the concern that pedestrians would be getting too much priority from the usual anti-active travel councilor
Very true + very few of these young lads in Galway City anyhow. Probably count on 1 hand here.
Holy crap lol, that tweet shows how absurd they are
Here's another. the kids reaction says it all
Very true.......
https://twitter.com/shanemoloney19/status/1400888423364374529
If a young lad in a scrambler wants to get in, a low gate is not going to stop them
You really highlight well the absurdity that it the South Park situation. Scramblers thing is a bit of a legacy at this point. Perhaps back in the 80's - but NEW motorbike sales in Galway City / County barely hit 3 digit numbers in sales. That recent case you mention is the first one I have read for many many years.
Ostensibly to keep out scrambler bikes but in Galway they mostly seem to be trying to solve a problem that doesn't really exist. There is one neighbourhood where councillors have highlighted a problem with scramblers damaging a pitch but, for the rest of the city, it doesn't seem to be on people's radar.
The example pictured above is especially ridiculous because the gate tries to block access to South Park from one side while at the other end of the park there is an opening 12 meters wide that you could drive a whole fleet of motorbikes through. So that gate does nothing to keep our scramblers, and also lets in regular bicycles, standard wheelchairs and children's buggies. But it stops those in larger electric wheelchairs (or who don't have the mobility to move the gate), parents with double buggies or carrying kids in cargo bikes or bike trailers, and less mobile people who use adapted bikes as mobility aids (there are two I know of living within a few minutes of that gate) from entering the park there. To access the park they instead have to do a 1.3km roundtrip detour on a busy road or narrow pavement.
As a pedestrian those gates are really annoying also - what is the purpose of them?
Good turnout again for the #Sundays4Safety folks. The most recent event involved showing how to do the Dutch Reach
So Galway City Council have clarified their position on the removal of kissing gates to improve accessibility for the disabled, wheelchair users, cyclists and parents with prams/buggies.
The instruction from the NTA was as follows
Joe Seymour, head of Active Travel Investment at the NTA wrote to councils in February. He said: “The Department of Transport has issued a notification from the Minister for Transport (attached) in regard to access control points (including Kissing Gates) where such infrastructure may hinder access by members of the public, with the following applying with immediate effect.”
The email said that “All existing, or future, Active Travel infrastructure (including relevant urban Greenways) shall not include non-compliant access control points.”
Seymour added: “In this regard, the NTA requests that each Local Authority identifies existing non-compliant access control infrastructure on active travel projects within their administrative area and provides these locations to the Active Travel Investment Unit in the NTA by the 1st March 2022 in order for a programme for the removal of inaccessible control points to be agreed.”
In response, GCC went with the "fake news" argument, saying they don't have them
According to records released under the Freedom of Information Acts, Galway City Council told National Transport Authority that the city does not have any “non-compliant access controls”, such as kissing gates, on what it terms as “on any of our existing or proposed future Active Travel Schemes”.
This is a blatant outright lie as they have received Active Travel funding for locations which have them.
But where they are in place, its not their fault
The reply from the council also implied that most gates were in “provided as part of the housing developments” and blamed “private developers”. These gates are typically between roads and estates which have been long taken in charge by the council.
And besides, the councilors want to keep them so 🤷♀️
Uinsinn Finn a senior engineer and head of transport at Galway City Council, said: “Our local elected members are also very vocal on the retention of such none-compliant access control points within residential developments,”.
So yeah, if you're able-bodied and on foot, you're the target audience. Anyone else, meh
We have this to look forward to with the current bus connects plan
I think she was talking about cars, SUVs, vans, trucks - the things that injure and maim and kill people each week.
If you think the issue is 'a few random cars', maybe spend 15 minutes looking back over postings on https://twitter.com/GalwayCityCars and we can talk again.
They built one of those city bikes stands on university road year ago resulting in the loss of about 2 spaces. Locals kicked up a huge fuss and the rack was removed.
Honestly, nothing meaningful has changed in Galway in over 30 years that I have been an observer. It's my home and I'll always call myself a Galwegian but Christ on a bike does the place need to grow the hell up.
Yeah I went through all of that. Opened it with great hope. Closed it with dismay.
This project will be done and that's it for this route for probably 20 years before they'll go at it again.
Galway is honestly fkd.
Christ that's fcuking grim.
Hopefully ABP will think the same especially here at the University
There is another good table in there showing the parking removal. Apart from the two "plazas" of Woodquay / Cathedral - very little on street car parking is been taken out.
So after many hours of going through the cross city link doc's, focusing on just one road (for the sake of a sample) I've found why they are not doing bike lanes on the University rd
Honestly, I'm calling this complete and utter horseshit
Who doesn't like lolipops but grabbing on the move is not a good idea in any circumstance. Ain't a relay race.
Done that.
The Dublin Road is a disgrace. Today at Glenina heights the lollypop lady had her sign knocked out of her hand by a van turning right from Michael Collins Rd.
Actually, after taking a quick scan of all the drawing, there has been zero change. Ths pic below shows the full route, going from the hospital to the huntsman. The little bit in orange? Thats where they've made provision for cycling.
In fairness, it looks like a protected bit of bike lane, but its pointless due to how it ends so its not going to be a driver of modal shift in any meaningful way
Oh, its also only on one side of the road
Looking at some aspects of the proposal to see how things might have changed
The drawings showing the following proposal
Parking will be retained, with a removal of 4 spaces. As a result, no bike lanes can be provided along this stretch despite several properties already having space for driveways, space to add driveways or space at the rear of the properties for car storage
The applications final word on it
So, no change to the original plans and a lost opportunity. Just as a remainder, there is space currently, for 3 lanes plus parking. This will be reduced to 2 plus parking
The plans have been submitted for the Cross city link
Documentation on the proposal is available below
Regarding pedestrian and cyclists safety concerns, in the application it states
Cycling safety concerns - GCC response
So basically "lads, those drawing for the consultation were only an indication of what we might do, it has still to be finalised".
Pedestrian safety concerns - GCC response
Sooooo, same again
First thing they've done that I fully agree with. I've always felt that it should be tested as part of the driving test.
Ya I've logged it on the council website. An absolute joke, it's lethal trying to cross there with kids. Maybe more reporting will help, wont hold my breath on that though. Can't be expecting the "public" sector to work past 4 on a Friday.
Lights at Dawn Dairys have been off for a week now. Near two schools.
Utter contempt for pedestrians.
So the 1 billion estimate for the ring road looks like its on the low side
Honestly, I despair
No. There will still be local bus services, Cross City Link is just going be doing the heavy lifting.
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