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Traffic management - a couple of simple suggestions to Waterford City Council

fricatus

Dunmore Road:

A lot of the tailbacks there in the morning are caused by the pedestrian lights at Powerscourt not being in sequence with the lights 50m away at the top of Island Lane.

Solution: link the two sets of lights so that they change together.

City Square:

Most of the traffic in Arundel Square is caused by those stupid traffic lights by A-Wear. These are a relic from the days when that junction was a proper crossroads. They're not needed any more, so they should just be replaced with pelican crossings so that pedestrians have priority.

Also, there are tailbacks down by the Belfry Hotel all the time because people block the place up trying to turn right towards the Tower.

Solution: either put physical measures in place to stop people turning right, or (better in my view) put traffic lights down there so that the traffic can flow out of that street in both directions onto the Quay. There could be a pedestrian crossing there too - sequenced with the one at the Clock Tower so as to cause minimum delay to traffic.

Anyone else want to submit their own little traffic solutions? Maybe we could eventually e-mail the link to the City Council and see if they agree with us?

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DanGlee

wellbutty wrote: »

Toll plaza construction is well underway

OMG... thats the just s**t... Oh well, looks like I'll be using the old road so into Waterford... And to be honest, I really don't see there being a reduction in the amount of traffic. People just simply traveling to work into Waterford from KK area (Mullinavat, Kilmcow, Bally Hale or New Ross, Wexford etc) will not want to pay to go to work... I for one certainly wont be... thats a F**KING JOKE! Whose ever idea it was should be taken out, hanged off the bridge and stoned! Council Pr**ks!

mike65

NRA and the dept of transport decide these things not the council. They'd love to have a toll free bridge.

Sully

fricatus wrote: »

Trouble with the traffic wardens is that as far as I know, their remit is to do with revenue, not traffic flow. I think the Garda are the people who are responsible for keeping the traffic moving - so in that case, why aren't they down moving people along down on the Quay?

Regarding this.. Afaik its the wardens job to ensure that car parks are being used correctly (valid tickets for example) and they have the power to place tickets on cars parking illegal (double yellow lines). They have a tendency to focus mainly on car parks around the city center. Not sure if they could ask a car parked on a lane on the quay to move on. Thats more of a guards job which I never see done.

Lately what I do see them doing is, the trafffic core that is, pulling up on the quay with lights & sirens and encouraging traffic to move on and not be driving so slow with large gaps between cars. They do this on the quay and credit union on Parnell St (right street name there?). Mind you I only saw it twice as I was there on peak times (I usually avoid the quay as I travelly almost several times daily to Ferrybank and other places in the city on work) over the last month.

fricatus wrote: »

Mods, my post from 14.23... apologies, but could you move it to the other thread?

Link to both the post in question and new topic please. Just to be on the safe side.

wellbutty

Whose ever idea it was should be taken out, hanged off the bridge and stoned! Council Pr**ks!

The project is what's known as a PPP scheme which means that it's funded by a private firm. Tolling is how they get their money back!

Jambo

fricatus wrote: »

Just to clarify: straight on inbound at the bridge, first left behind Days Hotel, first left again by the new Spa, and then left again onto the Quay.

On the subject of HGVs, they should be able to do this route, with the possible exception of the biggest artics, but I've seen artics pull some fairly mean feats. I mean they handle Thomastown, don't they?

Sorry fricatus I must have read that wrong , but I still argue that penrose lane gets blocked with traffic fair easy .

I still go with what mike has sketched , which I think is been provided for when grattan quay is widened

DanGlee

mike65 wrote: »

NRA and the dept of transport decide these things not the council. They'd love to have a toll free bridge.

NRA? National Rifle Association?

lol

Yeah, sorry, got that one arseways... still stupid though... I thought thats what "road tax" was for? I must be really silly thinking that the "road" tax would be spent on the roads for the road users...

I]laughing at self[/I

fricatus

Sully wrote: »

Link to both the post in question and new topic please. Just to be on the safe side.

Cheers Sully.

New thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055439035
My post from this one: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=58228695&postcount=19

Sully

fricatus wrote: »

Cheers Sully.

New thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055439035
My post from this one: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=58228695&postcount=19

Done but its not right. The orders a mess. One of the biggest paints I tell ya. What ya wanna do?

fricatus

DanGlee wrote: »

OMG... thats the just s**t... Oh well, looks like I'll be using the old road so into Waterford... And to be honest, I really don't see there being a reduction in the amount of traffic. People just simply traveling to work into Waterford from KK area (Mullinavat, Kilmcow, Bally Hale or New Ross, Wexford etc) will not want to pay to go to work... I for one certainly wont be... thats a F**KING JOKE! Whose ever idea it was should be taken out, hanged off the bridge and stoned! Council Pr**ks!

I'm laughing away here at all of DanGlee's foul language

But yeah... it's crap that they're putting a toll on it. The Jack Lynch tunnel in Cork is free, so why not the new bridge here?

My suggestion earlier was that they should toll Rice Bridge and make the new one free. Obviously Rice Bridge would be free for buses, taxis, etc.

If you think about it this way, the Greens etc., are all in favour of road pricing depending on time of day, congestion levels, etc. London has the congestion charge. Meanwhile we in Ireland are building a lovely new bridge for €600m or whatever it is, and then for the want of a few more pennies, we're slapping a stupid toll on it, which will cause people to travel through an older, more congested area, past historic buildings! Pennywise and pound foolish. The mind just boggles... :rolleyes:

Typewriter

fricatus wrote: »

Dunmore Road:

A lot of the tailbacks there in the morning are caused by the pedestrian lights at Powerscourt not being in sequence with the lights 50m away at the top of Island Lane.

Solution: link the two sets of lights so that they change together.

I totally agree! I ve been saying this to people since I moved hear.

Edit:

wellbutty wrote: »

The 3rd bridge near Maypark is badly needed as well.

The Wha???

This would be sweet!!!

Is that actually happening?

Sully

DanGlee wrote: »

OMG... thats the just s**t... Oh well, looks like I'll be using the old road so into Waterford... And to be honest, I really don't see there being a reduction in the amount of traffic. People just simply traveling to work into Waterford from KK area (Mullinavat, Kilmcow, Bally Hale or New Ross, Wexford etc) will not want to pay to go to work... I for one certainly wont be... thats a F**KING JOKE! Whose ever idea it was should be taken out, hanged off the bridge and stoned! Council Pr**ks!

Second warning..

Ease up on the language. Forum is viewed by people of all ages.

Thanks.

tonc76

fricatus wrote: »

My suggestion earlier was that they should toll Rice Bridge and make the new one free. Obviously Rice Bridge would be free for buses, taxis, etc. :rolleyes:

The bypass is being built as a PPP scheme where the PPP Co. foot the bill to construct the scheme. The contract stipulates that the PPP Co. must maintain and service the road for a set number of years and to recoup the monies spent by way of a toll. While the monies collected will be vastly greater tha the money spent the initial outlay (€600m?) could not be met by the Govt.

Its a fact that all over the country "locals" rarely use the tolled routes as they know the "old way" and don't want to pay for what they don't have to. The economy as a whole benefits from quicker travel times, reduced fuel consumption, improved road safety etc.

The toll is not designed to "catch" people. Some will never use it. If travelling from the Dunmore Road to say Dublin on a Friday at 5pm would you choose to head into town and then down the quay and over bridge or pay €2? and take the ORR and over the new bridge?

Traffic congestion in the city will begin to drop soon after the bypass is opened. Air quality and road safety in the city will improve as a result.

There would be no point in tolling Rice Bridge as the the majority of people would just use the free route and who would pay for the bypass?

mike65

The state obviously, tolling a city BP is the height of folly.

wellbutty

Quote:
Originally Posted by wellbutty
The 3rd bridge near Maypark is badly needed as well.

The Wha???

This would be sweet!!!

Is that actually happening?

See section 3.8 of the City development plan:
http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/developmentplan/DevelopmentPlanAsIssued.pdf

Typewriter

It's a great idea (especially as i drive from Ardkeen to Wexford town every day) but the way things are at the moment id say give it at lest til the year 2020.

OonaghHearne

I always wondered where drivers vented their anger with the driving habits of some people. Having visited/lived in other ancient cities not designed for cars, I have been happily surprised that road rage has still not hit Ireland and in particular Waterford to any great extent. Only once in the last 7 years have I heard someone blast a horn at another's inconsideration. Keeping the anger for the Boards is better than listening to blasting horns all day and makes Waterford a better place for us and visitors.

Sweeno

i dont have any solutions to add, but i cant fkin wait till they open up a bypass or w/e the **** their doin.. i get the bus down to waterford every mornin, it leaves the quay in New Ross at 8 am and most mornings doesnt get across the bridge in waterford until 9/9.10am.. its usually a 20/30min drive! traffic is backed all the way out from the bridge to aldi on that big new roundabout..

DanGlee

Firstly (sorry for language yesterday... was a long day and this stoked my fire... I hate those people that park on that key... but I said that already)

Out of curiosity... would there ever be an option for people that live within a certain proximity of the city, that travel to work everyday, that would avail of the new bridge, but obviously don't want to pay €2 (or more) to have the privlidge of coming into work. Say, if you lived and proved you lived within 10 miles of the bridge you can cross for free or something. It be like if you lived in a congestion zone in London maybe (I don't think they pay... do they?)

That would be good... then you would get the locals that work up and around the IDA to use the new bridge, cut the traffic on the old one and not have to pay €20 a week to go to work... and lets face it... most of us hate getting up and going to work and having to pay somebody €20 a week extra would not make people happy!

tonc76

mike65 wrote: »

The state obviously, tolling a city BP is the height of folly.

But the state didn't/don't have the resources to finance it. Thats why its a PPP scheme! The majority of locals won't pay the toll anyway as they'll prefer to use the "old route".

gscully

mike65 wrote: »

The state obviously, tolling a city BP is the height of folly.

There's gonna be a toll at the top of the Folly??? Nnnnooooooooooooooo!!!

alpha2zulu

The whole taxi situation at the area around the City Square/Michael street rank definetly needs another look at by the council.

At quiet times the area is a mess with taxis and particulalrly this afternoon around 3pm is was like being in New York again...about half a dozen of the drivers all honking at each other about something or other:D It just gives the place a messy feel.

Sully

Christ that area is a mess with Taxis. There angry fellows some of them, beeping at each other and anybody who dares move into the spot for a split second (example; Rank was empty outside Sherwoods so the driver of the car I was in pulled over so I could take control of the car. One of the taxi drivers drove up beside us and started going mental at us! Even though the rank was empty as was the one at the side of AIB! The next driver was patient and allowed the quick move over though). That area is an accident waiting to happen as is outside River Island which should have a pedestrian walkway.

The problem outside Dunnes is the amount of people ignoring the traffic lights (pedestrians) and walking out in front of the cars and also taxis who move out from the rank and find they dont have a space at the next one so wait!

gscully

From my travels to the U.S., I can think of two measures I'd like to see adopted in Ireland to improve traffic:

1. In most U.S. cities, a car is allowed turn right if the light is red as long as it is safe to do so (i.e. no oncoming traffic). I'd like to see left turns allowed on a red light at certain junctions where visibility is clear. For example, traffic always builds up on Claremont (beside the Kilbarry "Waterford" Crystal entrance/exit). If traffic was allowed turn left there as long as nothing was coming down the Cork Rd from WIT direction, that would help.

2. Parking against the flow of traffic should be banned.

edmund_f

gscully wrote: »

Parking against the flow of traffic should be banned.

give that person a medal!
(but maybe change 'banned' for 'clamped')

tonc76

gscully wrote: »

From my travels to the U.S., I can think of two measures I'd like to see adopted in Ireland to improve traffic:

1. In most U.S. cities, a car is allowed turn right if the light is red as long as it is safe to do so (i.e. no oncoming traffic). I'd like to see left turns allowed on a red light at certain junctions where visibility is clear. For example, traffic always builds up on Claremont (beside the Kilbarry "Waterford" Crystal entrance/exit). If traffic was allowed turn left there as long as nothing was coming down the Cork Rd from WIT direction, that would help.

While this is a good idea I can't see it happening as in order to turn left on a red light the sightline to the right would have to be unobstructed. If the signtline was obstructed I could see A.N. Other nudging forward in order to get a view to the right which will lead to more accidents. The approach speeds of vehicles is increased on the approach to that junction from WIT making it even more dangerous.

gscully

tonc76 wrote: »

While this is a good idea I can't see it happening as in order to turn left on a red light the sightline to the right would have to be unobstructed. If the signtline was obstructed I could see A.N. Other nudging forward in order to get a view to the right which will lead to more accidents. The approach speeds of vehicles is increased on the approach to that junction from WIT making it even more dangerous.

This is why I specified that it would have to be at a junction of good visibility. My intended point was for selected junctions only and they would have to be clearly marked. Most junctions have poor visibilty due to the narrow paths and proximity of the buildings. The approach speed from WIT area shouldn't be increased, according to the law that is :-)

It does work well in the U.S., but probably because drivers over there seem to have a bit more common sense.