N40 - Cork South Ring Road upgrade [early planning underway]

I still don’t understand why they went to the effort to physically remove the lampposts. What a ridiculous waste of time and money.

Plus when you come out the northside of the tunnel you're faced with multiple gantry signs all saying different things

I was thinking it could be something to do with the harbour SPA and birds nesting alright.

I don’t know that it’s true to say that “us on here” generally are advocating for removal of local traffic from the N40. I’m not anyway. Our starting point for fixing the N40 should not be to look at whatever was originally envisaged for it over a quarter century ago. Our starting point needs to be a recognition of what the N40 has become. Almost more so than being a bypass, it is a major arterial route for moving around within the wider south side of the city. It is difficult to see how any kind of outer distributor could be built with sufficient capacity in a corridor that would enable it to accommodate all those trips. The opposition to BusConnect demonstrates how difficult it would be to widen and/or realign roads in suburban Cork.

Perhaps a limited distributor has a role to play, but I think that the key to fixing the current N40 is to build the North Ring.

While on the topic of road signage. It seems to be standard practise in the last ten+ years across the country to just use the title "Airport" or a symbol of an airplane for identifying airports, rather than saying the airport's actual name. However, over the last 2/3 months, all new road signage on/around the N27 specifically names the airport (i.e. Cork Airport), and in the last few weeks, signage at Kinsale Road Roundabout and on Airport Road that just said Airport has been removed and replaced with signs saying Cork Airport. I wonder why they're going to this effort? And if they will replace the N40 mainline gantry signs too to say Cork Airport?

I completely get them replacing old N25 signage with N40, and replacing previous county controlled area signage that said Cork with City Centre. It just seems weird to go to all the effort to add the word Cork before Airport, as if it isn't already obvious what airport is being referred to? I even saw they replaced the N27 directional sign at the Tramore Valley Park end of Mick Barry Road. Before, it said "CORCAIGH City Centre", and now it says "AN LÁR City Centre". A whole new sign just to replace the Irish? I'm not complaining, I just wonder what the justificaiton is

I've heard nothing at all. This one may require emails to find out.

one upon a time there was a desire to upgrade the N40 to the M40. Although upgrade in that context is probably just the signage!

I wonder what interventions could even be done realistically speaking, short of closing junctions. Maybe widening the flyover with a third (centre) lane that can switch directions based on the time of day. This would require a much lower speed limit though.

Also, add an active travel route along the length of the N40.

If there is one thing currently that needs to be addressed on the N40 is the tail backs caused by the old Kinsale Road, as in that section that goes from the Kinsale Road Roundabout in towards Turners Cross.

What used to be a pre Christmas issue has now become a year round one whereby traffic gets backed up on that road and it backs up onto the roundabout causing issues there, which then affects all approaches to the roundabout.

Could the road by the P&R be used as an alternative route and perhaps have that road only going one way, towards the roundabout?

This is more my personal desire to have a way to travel the N40 corridor without driving. It wouldn’t solve the worst of the capacity problems which are related to the tunnel and Douglas flyovers. But if they are putting serious work in to enhance the N40 they should introduce an active travel option.

At the very very least, safe routes to travel between Douglas and the Sarsfield Roundabout, and ideally a much improved Well Road for cyclists to travel on to Mahon (or a trail along the edge of the Estuary). There’s plenty of room alongside the road from Douglas to the Kinsale Road Roundabout, and enhancement of the existing trail by the Tramore River (extending it to the Sarsfield Roundabout as well) would be a game changer. This would also permit banning cycles from that section of the N40, supporting a TEN-T application.

Talking sense indeed! Some wonderful ideas here.

@hans aus dtschl the last 18 months I have been emailing councillors, TDs, those in charge of certain projects. Its always the same. "They will look into iy", "raise it with the council", or "there is no update", "no funding to progress". It is like banging ur head against a wall. There seems to be no drive or funding or ambition at all. I look at the success of the Marina and if a few smaller versions were rolled out across the city, to actually connect places, it would be amazing.

I also look at the Cork-Kinsale proposed greenway.

I honestly think they should connect a place like Douglas to Togher first (the room is there, offline, no cranky farmers, landowners being effected) or Glanmire to city. Huge populations, schools emplyment etc. It would be a much better use of money. Rather than building a masssive greenway down to Kinsale where the local population is so sparse.

I imagine that the Cork Southern Distributor was intended to do most of that active travel (in a good way or not). Sadly the first hurdle failed - the bridge over Mangala/Ballybrack Woods was fought by residents and it is an incredibly important link.