N5 - Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge [underway]

How will the pedestrians reach the town?

I agree. Parking could be provided nearby, and not necessarily on the main street, but some of the commentary seems to forget that.

I think you do not fully accept the reality of businesses most of whose business comes from a wider area than the town itself. It is a question of balance, you can turn the main street into a linear park, but that will force long established businesses elsewhere and then there will be feck all people in the town.

Also the new N5 is some distance from towns, local traffic still needs to pass through, unless your are proposing another local bypass.

10 minute video on the project, posted recently.

Great to see solid progress. They've had a great spell of weather recently.

Section of the new road parallel to the Elphin Bellenagare road

https://www.facebook.com/100044743434937/posts/1315282509973184/

Aside from that short section on the east side, you would expect that the rest of the length is progressed enough that all but exceptionally bad weather will hold up progress. Definitely if the summer continues the way it is.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BPJxJbU51/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Few pics of N61 works associated with this

RIP.

The only place to put cycle lanes would be along that main market street so about 800m of a straight cycle lane maybe a touch more?

The other streets are too narrow so you lose the ability to have the area of the town where most businesses are, linked by cycle lanes.

I'd view it all as a waste of money similarly to how I view the works in Ballaghaderreen and Frenchpark. Things are being done in the wrong order imo.

Money put towards encouraging commercial enterprises in these areas would be so much more effective at rejuvenating them.

A cycle lane linking The Rathcroghan Mound and Oweynagat cave to Tulsk would be a development that'd have so much more substance.

Start there and then think about continuing on to Strokestown house/park. In the end then you've something that's actually worthwhile.

Oh I know well but shur that's the problem. People don't come to see nice footpaths and raised flower beds and a bit of a cycle lane either.

It needs to be something of substance to bring in the quantity of people needed to make nice business ventures viable or to attract workers who would frequent these other local businesses on their lunch break or after work.

Without substance these are just window dressing exercises.

People will and do just go to other more attractive towns like Carrick on Shannon.

The locals were never against the streets getting done up and made more appealing. The main issue is the amount of car parking lost on the two wide streets with no off- street alternative provided.

A design that improved the look of and access into the town, without losing too many parking spots could easily have been developed, and they have missed a trick in not making a 'plaza' out of Bawn St, from the roundabout down to the Park House gates, which would be relatively easy to close off to hold events like an Xmas market or food fair. Delineation of the parking areas from the main road would have been a great start, perhaps with lines of cobblestone to give a tactile edge for cars parking close to it.

Coupled with that is the lack of faith in Roscommon co co's ability to design anything that actually improves a town. They made a balls of Roscommon Town Sq and had to rip half it up after a year or two, even yet with that 'structure' it's neither one thing or another.

They have already made a hames of the N5 to Roscommon Town junction by the garage in Strokestown, shrinking the junction so much, lorries cannot take the turn without mounting kerbs. At least that is keeping the weeds down on the new 'flower bed' that went in with no ongoing maintenance provided. That junction did need to be reduced but not to the extent it was. Neither Ballaghadereen nor Frenchpark are a glowing success either.

There have been quite a number of businesses that have closed down in the town over the last few years, I think with the new cafe open on Church St, there are 3 operating on it now with at least 8 empty. Cycle lanes and multiple planters full of weeds are not going to change that.

It strikes me that this article is rather data free. How many cars are currently parked in the town? Is there a statement somewhere that the proposed scheme exceeds the number of parked cars for 95% or 99% of the time? The council should show their calculations.

It could be useful for the council to publish the data but I doubt it would have any effect. When the objectors believe that up to 90% of parking spaces would be under threat I think they are beyond reach. That would involve pedestrianising almost the entire town which is obviously nonsense.

If the space is there then why not segregate it fully? The roundabout also needs measures to give more protection and safety to cyclists and pedestrians and this would attract more users. That's what good active travel designs are all about.

Where have any objectors said 90% of spots were under threat in the current plan?

There are currently approximately 450 parking spots on the two wide streets, that is due to be cut to ~270, so around 40% lost.

The original plan would have been close to that 90%, it would have barely left enough spots for residents on the streets.