N59 - Moycullen Bypass [completed Dec 2023]

Something fairly amiss with this bypass.

Aside from traffic and school, there is a large coach company and large hauliers who have depots on the Church Road.

Added to this, there is a bottleneck hairpin at church itself.

As we know, the bypass runs under, without a slip road, so the trucks and buses have to manoeuvre all these.

4 slip roads may not have been necessary as the bypass City side exit/entry to Church Road may have been enough to cover traffic requirements.

You just need to watch the manoeuvring of the busses and HGVs at the tight village crossroads+ having to pass school + church (funeral removals etc) to see the safety risk alone, not to mention traffic build up.

Fairly daft, as one thing for sure, the as slip roads will be added at some stage.

Likely sold for votes at a later stage and paid for by the public.

At a cost and inconvenience multiples of what it would cost during construction of bypass.

Reads ok to me.

And the undermining??

Slip roads, roundabouts whatever. Pedestrian and cyclist risk? Feel free to watch the trucks and buses from 2 significantly large depots manoeuvre the school, church and extremely tight village crossroads.

We continue the baffling Irish practice of wasting almost half of a road, I see.

Nobody is asking for a dual carriageway but there is almost enough space to allow for two lanes in each direction.

Giving slower traffic a lane to travel in not just a half-arsed space for them to pull into if they can be bothered, but will remain completely unused almost all of the time.

How is it safer to NOT have an overtaking lane?

They're not the same thing. Why make the road that wide but only have one lane that can actually be driven in? It's not like there's a cycle lane or footpath, either, or any need for them on this route. Waste of tarmac.

This was originally due to be 2+2, or at least dual carriageway before the idea of "2+2" came into being. Probably would have been better for safety reasons, but its a case of build whatever we can at the moment I guess.

Because this configuration is safer. The thing you’re suggesting, a four lane road without a median divider, is proven to be lethal in every country it’s been tried.

On this type of road, the hard shoulder is there for the use of non-motor users including cyclists and pedestrians, and there is a need for them because this is a national road, and thus a public right of way.

If you provide an overtaking lane on the open, flat road, there's a significant share of drivers who will speed up to use them, even if they were already driving at the speed limit: we all know the type - needs to be ahead of everyone else. The problem with this is that when the lane ends, they can end up facing oncoming traffic, at high speed. This behaviour was seen on all of the 2+1 pilot roads with significant traffic, and that's why we don't do 2+1 roads anymore. (undivided 2+2 roads are lethal in a different way, because cars travelling fast in the passing lane can meet cross traffic or right-turners from the opposing lane).

Overtaking lanes are only used on hills, so that traffic doesn't get stuck behind heavy vehicles, but in this case the steep gradient also prevents excessive speed from overtaking cars.

I doubt there's more than one dual carriageway in Mullingar, but it was the main N4. Looking at a map the junctions are grade separated now.

Again yesterday morning watched an articulated trunk trundle from it's depot past a busy national school and with great difficulty manoeuvre the tight junction in village.

Anyone familiar with the bypass going under Church Road can see the available land which would have allowed an entrance/exit City side only between the bypass and Church Road.

The madness (Irish type) is, that it will be done. At a later date with inconvenience and cost. Just not now.

a real pity they didn't include a hard shoulder on the N59 Bunnakill to Maam Cross section. I believe the logic was it would make the carrigeway feel wider and drivers would be more likely to speed. Instead they have 50cm of tarmac and a wide grassy area on either side of the road with the result that it does feel wide to drivers but it's not particularly safe for cyclists (or pedestrians but not that many of those would use that section of road) .

Have to wait for the Greenway.........will be the northern side of this section that was done from Bunnakill to Maam Cross. Pretty simple job this stretch, nearly 100% on the old railway alignment and was used as a road to service the bog when Keoghs cut turf here until recently.

Agree.

Last time I was passing Recess about 3 weeks ago they looked to be clearing section of the Greenway from the Quarry to Joyces(lakeside) - any other area's getting work done West of that towards Clifden?

Thanks for that info tphase

Official opening date is 11th

https://connachttribune.ie/taoiseach-to-officially-open-moycullen-bypass-on-december-11th/

Will Road be officially opened first though for walking and cycling first weekend of the 9/10th of Dec I wonder?

Opening confirmed

I guess Moycullen can do a public realm improvement and traffic calming plan.

Loads of funding for that.

I think Galway probably needs a ring road as well as public transport improvements. I don't think it's either/or.

Double tracking the rail to Oranmore and encouraging population growth along that corridor with a few stations would be good also instead of the current sprawl in the West of the city. Most of the jobs are east of the city anyway.

Yeah I think they're doing similar in Macroom.

Maybe they have to collect traffic data before progressing to design stage.

Have they built a no of pedestrian crossings in the last two weeks in the village? I did not see any indication 2 weeks ago when I was in Moycullen that this was happening?

Less traffic - more speed.

I will regularly use it in the car - but I am focused on making everything better for everyone in Moycullen here. Raising joy for everyone. Ha ha