Athlone bypass! should it be a motorway?

03-04-2009 12:27am #1

OK as the motorway redesignation thread has clearly Identified the Athlone bypass/relief road as a bone of contention, so here is a poll.

G_R · 03-04-2009 12:34am

this should be interesting

SeanW · 03-04-2009 1:25am

The road meets the requirements for motorway designation and would be safer with m regulations. 120kph might be a bit too fast for it though. The vast bulk of the traffic that uses it will be unaffected, the vast majority by a very wide margin. L drivers will - in practice - not be affected AT ALL, M restrictions will take away the cyclists, pedestrians and animals that have no place on road of the bypass's quality. The benefits also of protecting the dual carriageway from abusive developments, cannot (particularly in an Irish context) be overstated.

Redesignate, the sooner the better. There is no reason to turn Athlone into Ireland's very own M6

Cumberland Gap except to please the developers and the green dual carriageway fetishists and people who have no clue what a "motorway" is.

mysterious · 03-04-2009 1:32am

SeanW wrote: »

The road meets the requirements for motorway designation and would be safer with m regulations. 120kph might be a bit too fast for it though.

It's not a question of might, it is too fast for it.

The vast bulk of the traffic that uses it will be unaffected, the vast majority by a very wide margin. L drivers will - in practice - not be affected AT ALL, M restrictions will take away the cyclists, pedestrians and animals that have no place on road of the bypass's quality.

Oh yeah animals and cyclists, such a boon, for I want my motorway

God this is just low.

The benefits also of protecting the dual carriageway from abusive developments, cannot (particularly in an Irish context) be overstated

Abusive developments. Are we getting threathrical now:D.

Redesignate, the sooner the better. There is no reason to turn Athlone into Ireland's very own M6 Cumberland Gap except to please the developers and the green dual carriageway fetishists and people who have no clue what a "motorway" is.

Well you obviously don't know what a motorway is.

BluntGuy · 03-04-2009 1:39am

I vote that it should be redesignated with a 100 km/h speed limit.

SeanW summed it up pretty nicely so I have no need to repeat his points. Basically, the main reason is to stop any development on that road. The banning of slow vehicles is also essential to make sure the M6 MIU is safe throughout. It is simply illogical and unsafe for fast-moving motorway traffic to plough straight into a zone with potential slow tractors, cyclists and pedestrians.

mysterious · 03-04-2009 1:56am

BluntGuy wrote: »

I vote that it should be redesignated with a 100 km/h speed limit.

SeanW summed it up pretty nicely so I have no need to repeat his points. Basically, the main reason is to stop any development on that road. The banning of slow vehicles is also essential to make sure the M6 MIU is safe throughout. It is simply illogical and unsafe for fast-moving motorway traffic to plough straight into a zone with potential slow tractors, cyclists and pedestrians.

Doesn't mean it has to be a motorway.

I doubt people walk this bypass, like where are they going to walk to and from? run down a slipway and head for Galway on foot.

This is just getting comical:pac:

DAY WALKERS.

SeanW · 03-04-2009 3:57am

mysterious wrote:

There would be atleast a 1000 tractors if not more a day using the existing bypass bridge to get from one side of the Shannon to the other.

In the other thread mysterious, you specifically stated that at least 1000 tractors per day would be forced into the town centre! Do you care to now either substantiate, or withdraw this claim?

GerardKeating · 03-04-2009 7:51am

mysterious wrote: »

I doubt people walk this bypass, like where are they going to walk to and from? run down a slipway and head for Galway on foot.

Actualy it was not uncommon to see people walking on the hard shoulder. I only used the road 6 or 7 times a month and used to see people out for some evening excersise.

Actually not see one in a while, they seemed to disappear when the past year during the road works to tie in the new M6 from Killbeggan.

kaizersoze · 03-04-2009 9:58am

mysterious wrote: »

I doubt people walk this bypass, like where are they going to walk to and from? run down a slipway and head for Galway on foot.

This is just getting comical:pac:

DAY WALKERS.

They do indeed walk it and there has been at least 1 pedestrian fatality on it.
I drove it yesterday and spotted 2 women walking up the Ballymahon sliproad and a jogger inside the roadworks cones on the westbound carriageway.

It should be redesignated but with a 100 kph limit.

03-04-2009 10:35am

I often see the "powerwalkers" marching along the hard shoulder, surely a very risky hobby.
I've even seen them with buggues and dogs :eek:

veryangryman · 03-04-2009 10:55am

Deleted User wrote: »

I often see the "powerwalkers" marching along the hard shoulder, surely a very risky hobby.
I've even seen them with buggues and dogs :eek:

I have too, but still, someone who is moronic enough to walk the bypass will still be moronic enough to do it if redesignated an M

And if that happened, the people using the M would not be looking out for such hazards as affor-mentioned morons

Sponge Bob · 03-04-2009 11:03am

Yes with 90kph restriction Blyry > Ros road section only

IIMII · 03-04-2009 1:18pm

veryangryman wrote: »

I have too, but still, someone who is moronic enough to walk the bypass will still be moronic enough to do it if redesignated an M

And if that happened, the people using the M would not be looking out for such hazards as affor-mentioned morons

Would it not be illgal to walk it if it is an m-way?

veryangryman · 03-04-2009 1:21pm

IIMII wrote: »

Would it not be illgal to walk it if it is an m-way?

Yes, but again please refer to my point about them being morons.

The point is that the law will not be enforced to stop them, so they will continue to "moronate" their way through the bypass

mysterious · 03-04-2009 2:59pm

veryangryman wrote: »

I have too, but still, someone who is moronic enough to walk the bypass will still be moronic enough to do it if redesignated an M

And if that happened, the people using the M would not be looking out for such hazards as affor-mentioned morons

I have to agree, I find it unbelievable that people actually run down the slips of a DC and do their jogging on these roads.

Fair enough if it was an urban DC with a pavement provided.

But a bypass:eek: Running down the Ballymahon slips. If I was running this country. I would actually order them to be run over. That is moronic. You can't actually reason with these people. It's insane.

Only in Ireland, Only in Ireland..:pac:
I just can't get over that. This is sucicide.

mysterious · 03-04-2009 3:03pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Yes, but again please refer to my point about them being morons.

The point is that the law will not be enforced to stop them, so they will continue to "moronate" their way through the bypass

Moronate:D

God this is hilariious. Seriously guys I'm still in disbelief that people would run on this road regardless. Joking aside, their should never be pedestrians allowed on bypasses like these. If there are no pavements provided, they shouldn't be walking the roads. So anygryman does have a fair point.

If they are stupid enough to actually run down slips and powerwalk on HS, then they are stupid enough to dimiss it been a motorway.

murphaph · 03-04-2009 3:33pm

mysterious wrote: »

I have to agree, I find it unbelievable that people actually run down the slips of a DC and do their jogging on these roads.

So you accept it's dangerous and people walk on it now? But you don't want to make it a motorway? Illogical. As for your fantasy stories of 1000 tractors a day...ludicrous. You just make 'facts' up.

mysterious wrote: »

You can't actually reason with these people. It's insane.

I know the feeling

Stark · 03-04-2009 3:46pm

mysterious wrote: »

I have to agree, I find it unbelievable that people actually run down the slips of a DC and do their jogging on these roads.

Fair enough if it was an urban DC with a pavement provided.

But a bypass:eek: Running down the Ballymahon slips. If I was running this country. I would actually order them to be run over. That is moronic. You can't actually reason with these people. It's insane.

Only in Ireland, Only in Ireland..:pac:
I just can't get over that. This is sucicide.

Well people who come from non-urban areas would be used to walking and running on roads as there generally aren't footpaths provided for getting places. If anything, the DC probably looks safer to them than what they're used to, what with the wide hard shoulders and the like (probably unaware of deaths involving incompetent drivers driving in the hard shoulders and ploughing into pedestrians, cyclists and parked vehicles). One green signed road appearing the same as another and all that.

mysterious · 03-04-2009 3:53pm

murphaph wrote: »

So you accept it's dangerous and people walk on it now? But you don't want to make it a motorway? Illogical. As for your fantasy stories of 1000 tractors a day...ludicrous. You just make 'facts' up.

I accept facts.

They can stop people from using it as a walkway. Doesn't mean it has to be a motorway.

The same way they make a law don't let your dog **** on the pavement. Very simple.

BTW I said minimum of a 1000 tractors a day. You have to take into consideration it's the only bridging point on the Shannon for 30miles with the Athlone town bridge inclusive.

Though my stances would be fairly about right

You could just go count for a few hours and prove me wrong. I'm willing to be corrected even by you. I have been proven correct on many arguements with you in the past;)

Tech3 · 03-04-2009 4:01pm

It gets my vote for a motorway and judging by the results of the poll thus far most of the people on here reckon it should be motorway also. A small minority of the people disagree with it being redesignated! :rolleyes:

murphaph · 03-04-2009 4:23pm

tech2 wrote: »

It gets my vote for a motorway and judging by the results of the poll thus far most of the people on here reckon it should be motorway also. A small minority of the people disagree with it being redesignated! :rolleyes:

...but that minority thinks it's right. it'll be reclassified in any event.:)

SeanW · 03-04-2009 5:37pm

BTW I said minimum of a 1000 tractors a day. You have to take into consideration it's the only bridging point on the Shannon for 30miles with the Athlone town bridge inclusive ... You could just go count for a few hours and prove me wrong.

I really couldn't be arsed doing that. You made the claim about a minimum of 1000 tractors per day being forced into the town. Please show us where that 1000 tractors figure came from (i.e. provide evidence) - remembering that most of them are probably unaffected.

Or did you simply pull that figure out of thin air?

G_R · 03-04-2009 5:44pm

SeanW wrote: »

Or did you simply pull that figure out of thin air?

i'd say thats a fair assumption

Bards · 03-04-2009 6:04pm

mysterious wrote: »

I accept facts.
.

BTW I said minimum of a 1000 tractors a day. You have to take into consideration it's the only bridging point on the Shannon for 30miles with the Athlone town bridge inclusive.

Though my stances would be fairly about right

You could just go count for a few hours and prove me wrong. I'm willing to be corrected even by you. I have been proven correct on many arguements with you in the past;)

I'd say about 10. you go count for a few hours and prove me wrong:rolleyes:

L1011 · 03-04-2009 6:21pm

1000 tractors a day would require ONE IN THIRTY of all vehicles using the bypass to be tractors incapable of exceeding 50km/h. Let alone what 'thousands' would be. One in one thousand is likely a proper figure...

G_R · 03-04-2009 6:26pm

MYOB wrote: »

1000 tractors a day would require ONE IN THIRTY of all vehicles using the bypass to be tractors incapable of exceeding 50km/h.

now mysterious, i find that VERY hard to believe. Do you care to substantiate your claims with some real proof or would you like to admit your wrong. And please dont tell me to go and count the trafic because i have no intention of doing so.

Pisser Dignam · 03-04-2009 7:27pm

mysterious wrote: »

Only in Ireland, Only in Ireland..

people who use this shtick haven't travelled very much. Ireland is Japan compared to some countries.

L1011 · 03-04-2009 7:28pm

Pisser Dignam wrote: »

people who use this shtick haven't travelled very much. Ireland is Japan compared to some countries.

They haven't been to Italy or Spain for a start.

kaizersoze · 03-04-2009 8:01pm

Lol. There's hardly 1000 tractors in the whole of Co Westmeath.:D

SeanW · 03-04-2009 8:30pm

Ah yes, but apparently according to mysterious, that and more uses the N6 every day. And to top it off, apparantly they're all very old tractors that can't go over the 50kph threshold needed to use a motorway.

Ah, yes, I can see it now, the Invasion of the Massey Ferguson! A wall of 30 year old tractors from horizon to horizon. Haaalp! Run for your lives!

mysterious · 03-04-2009 10:42pm

SeanW wrote: »

Ah yes, but apparently according to mysterious, that and more uses the N6 every day. And to top it off, apparantly they're all very old tractors that can't go over the 50kph threshold needed to use a motorway.

Ah, yes, I can see it now, the Invasion of the Massey Ferguson! A wall of 30 year old tractors from horizon to horizon. Haaalp! Run for your lives!

Well since its the bridging point on the Shannon and is border between many counties. Since traffic is as high as 30,000

I'm willing for all of you to prove me wrong;)

Athlone bypass! should it be a motorway?

Should the Athlone bypass be redesignated a motorway 129 votes

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