Limerick Transport

Ennis Rd bus and cycle lanes kick in mid-July (Limerick Post)

THE INSTALLATION of new bus and cycle lanes on the Ennis Road have led to traffic gridlock and utter confusion.

So says Cllr Cormac Hurley, adding he has been inundated with calls from local residents and business people who are in the dark over operating hours on the new lanes.

However, a spokesman for Limerick County Council has called for patience, pointing out that the lanes, when operational from mid July, will see improvement. The lanes will operate at off-peak hours, from 10am until 3pm.

“The bus and cycle lanes are a continuation of a plan to link them up to St Nessan’s Road in Dooradoyle and the Dublin Road, from the Kilmurry to Groody Roundabout. However, the road works aren’t finished yet. Further works are currently underway at Caherdavin Cross. We will also be installing signage in the area to let people know the hours it will be in operation.

“The Ennis Road will work far better when the Southern Ring Road is completed and the tunnel is built. Bus Eireann will also be putting on extra routes and increased services. Buses run every 10 minutes along St Nessan’s Road and the bus lane is also used for taxis, hackneys and the emergency services – so it works very well. But we will have to wait until additional services are in place on the Ennis Road before the bus lanes are in operation full time”.

Cllr Hurley said that the lanes were all laid out, but there were no notices saying that they were operational or the times etc.

“People accessing estates in Caherdavin Lawn or businesses along the Ennis Road, especially car dealerships, were unsure about whether they were allowed to drive on the lanes. And they were getting caught up in huge traffic jams. Others are using it as a shortcut through traffic. There’s just confusion,” claimed Cllr Hurley.

Although many residents praised the ethos behind the bus and cycle lanes, they had reservations about space constraints on the Ennis Road for the lanes.

The Road’s Department spokesperson told the Post there will be increased access to businesses, because of more gaps in traffic, when the lanes are fully operational. Yellow boxes will also guarantee access into housing estates and dwellings.

“Businesses seem to be objecting more to cycle lanes as car dealers often park their transporters outside the dealership and roll on and off the cars from there. This is illegal anyway as it is a public road,” he stressed.

A spokesman for Limerick County Council has called for patience, pointing out that the lanes, when operational from mid July, will see improvement. The lanes will operate at off-peak hours, from 10am until 3pm.

What a farce Limerick County Council!:o Bus lanes were concepted for peak times! i.e. (07:00 to 10:00) and (15:00 to 19:00). Either install bus lanes properly or not at all! The whole point is to reward those who opt to use public transport where they leave their cars at home or outside the city centre, thus help reduce traffic congestion!

“The Ennis Road will work far better when the Southern Ring Road is completed and the tunnel is built.

Tunnel to be finished by the 17 Sept. 2010 i.e. three years time! 😮 The Spokesman’s melody must be don’t worry be happy ………

“People accessing estates in Caherdavin Lawn or businesses along the Ennis Road, especially car dealerships, were unsure about whether they were allowed to drive on the lanes. And they were getting caught up in huge traffic jams. Others are using it as a shortcut through traffic. There’s just confusion,” claimed Cllr Hurley.

It smacks like our provisional driving licence system scam! 😮

@Tuborg wrote:

Yeah it was the last element to be secured beneath the river, the (actual) final segment is a much more straight forward affair connecting to the “cut and cover” section at the north portal.

Although it seems that the project is at an advanced stage, traffic tunnels are extremely complex beasts and the next stage, which is the fit-out is an extremely tedious process. The tunnel will also have to go through a rigourous programme of tests before being deemed safe. The Dublin Port Tunnel has been plagued by problems since its opening so they dont want to see a repeat here! Also the local emergency services will have to be specially trained to deal with any incidents that occur in the new tunnel, so theres a lot to consider!

The section from the new Rossbrien interchange to the Dock Road could conceivably open by next summer however there would be little point in doing so as all the traffic would have to exit at the chaotic Dock Road interchange. The sub-standard, lazy design of this interchange means its going to be a real nightmare and will definitely have to be re-visited in the near fuure! Why oh why do we have to be so short-sighted?:mad:

I agree – although it isnt quite as bad as the atrocious decision to not make a proper intersection on the Tipperary road junction with the main bypass dual carriageway.. the traffic lights cause serious tail backs at rush hour. Back in the mid 80s when the Shannon bridge was in planning the opportunity was there to make it a 4 lane bridge for – if I remember correctly an extra million pounds…

On another matter , Apparently Limerick City Council are granting Planning for the re-designed boat club development by Sarsfield Bridge:confused:

Has the Opera Centre permission by the City Council been appealed to Bord Pleanala

@vkid wrote:

Has anyone seen detailed plans? The station really needs work imo..

New Limerick bus station to get green light?(

I said I’d reply to this in the new thread. Below is an article from last Thursdays Limerick Leader on the oral hearing at City Hall.

Bus station relocation mooted in €5.5M plan

By Anne Sheridan

A contemporary two-storey bus station could be built to the left of Colbert Station within the next two years, if the €5.5 million development is given the green light by An Bord Pleanala.

Following the oral hearing by the board this week in City Hall, the national planning authority expect they will come to a decision on the development within a maximum of two months.

The application by Bus Eireann to rejuvenate the train station was partly in response to the Department of Transports sectoral plan 2006. However it is understood that Bus Eireann may also be reliant on the Department of Transport for a portion of the cost of the development which could determine when construction would begin.

Under the plans, the bus station would move from the right to the left hand side of Colbert Station (as viewed from Parnell Street) and the existing bus station would be converted into a car park.

A landscaped garden is planned for the front of the station, where a car park is currently situated. An internal walkway would also connect the rail and bus station.

However Philip Jones, deputy planning officer with An Bord Pleanala questioned the necessity to have a Bus Eireann logo on the walkway, as he said the redesigned bus station was intended to be “sub-servient to Colbert Station and this was outlined to Bus Eireann as one of the main concerns regarding the development.

Michael Brady, Pascall & Watson Architects told the board: “We have set the building back as far as we can do while maintaining the link. He said the current station “is pretty much deficient” in relation to catering to the needs of those with visual and mobility impairments, but the new station should improve this situation.

He said studies had shown that it would not be possible to have a bus station where the loading bus bays are currently situated, and therefore, the location to the left of the station was identified as the best possible location.

However, under the plans, public car parking would be reduced from 330 spaces to 250 spaces.

Kieran Reeves, planning officer with Limerick City Council, said he regretted that Bus Eireann did not contact Iarnrod Eireann’s heritage officer in relation to Colbert Station whose heritage, Mr Reeves said, must be protected.

Mr. Jones also noted that the railings in front of Colbert Station were not factored into the model presented to the board, even though these must also be protected.

He said the board would also prefer that proposed bus shelters at the front of the station would not be used for advertising.

So it seems that the effect of the new development on the Protected Structure was a major concern for City Hall in addition to the possibility of the new layout impacting on the proposed orbital route. If this is approved I wonder will the finance be available to fund the project? Next Tuesdays Budget will give us an insight into the Governments commitment to continued infrastructural investment in these lean times!

History of Colbert Station (NIAH)

Colbert Station was constructed as the terminus of the Waterford and Limerick railway line for the Great Southern and Western Railway Company. Aristocratic and middle class interests prevented it from being constructed in the more fashionable parts of the City and it was thus built at the edge of the Victorian part of the Limerick City. It was designed by Sancton Wood (1815-1886), architect of Heuston Station, Dublin.

Designed in a restrained classical idiom, the building was designed to achieve a maximum presence on the street from which it is set back quite dramatically. Befitting its public use, the structure is faced with fine carved limestone detailing which is testimony to the craftsmanship and skill involved in its execution. The architectural qualities of the structure are somewhat marred by the front site car park and replacement metal railings which encloses the site from Parnell Street. The station is named after Con Colbert, the County Limerick man executed in 1916 following the Easter Rising.

Definitely. I’d recommend building a huge wall to one side so we don’t have to look at the poor people; and bulldozing Parnell Street so that those filthy foreigners with their insufficiently plasticky signage realize that they shouldn’t be selling goods at bargain prices so close to the city centre.

The N7 Southern ring road and N20 are to be redesignated motorways under the latest list of reclassifications published by the NRA. Transport.ie for more

@shanekeane wrote:

Well if my use of the term “filthy foreigners” wasn’t so obviously ironic then I might have something to worry about CologneMike.

No, more like ridicule and sarcasm to be exact!

@shanekeane wrote:

Now if we could only purge the forum of stupidity then we’d be making progress.

Irony pure!

Limerick may get first park-and-ride area at Annacotty

By Nick Rabbitts

DEVELOPERS are planning to construct a multi-million euro park-and-ride facility in Annacotty that would give parking space for more than 130 vehicles.

Work on the Dublin road site near Finnegan’s pub could commence as early as next year after Finbar Murphy and David Smiddy announced their intention to seek planning permission for the site from Limerick County Council.

The work would provide for the demolition of an existing single storey house – Montrose on the Dublin road – to be replaced by a two-storey park and ride facility, with 136 car parking spaces, as well as various facilities for customers including a restaurant, a garden centre, a tourist information centre, and a play area.

The plans, which would transform part of Annacotty, also include provision for a bank and a chemist and a games area.

Cllr Mary Jackman welcomed the development, but called on Bus Eireann to provide a more regular bus service from the area to the city.

“People are questioning the need for bus lanes (in Castletroy), because the bus services are not regular enough. There is no point in a park-and-ride facility if it is not constructively used. The bus services need to be more regular,” she told the Limerick Leader.

As the Limerick Leader went to press, neither Mr Murphy nor Mr Smiddy was available for comment.

As Cllr Jackman says, Bus Eireann will need to seriously improve their service if this proposed park and ride is to be viable!

This application also provides for what is essentially a mini motorway services station. As part of an overall national programme, the NRA are proposing a motorway services station at a yet to be identified location on the new M7 corridor between Limerick and Nenagh. Im not sure what they will make of this proposal!

One thing is certain though, a development like this (if approved) will not help traffic flow on the disastrous Annacotty interchange!:rolleyes:

08/1912

Demolition of an existing single storey house namely Montrose & the construction of 1). A 2 stroey Park & Ride facility providing 136 car parking spaces 2). A motorist services facility with a 2 storey amenity building consisting of ground floor containing a general entrance & circulation area, 24 hour toilet facility, a convenience retail unit, restaurant, cafe, financial services unit, a pharmacy & a plant room. The first floor contains a circulation/seating area, a games area, indoor play area, outdoor play area, business centre, tourist information, toilet area & staff facilities with site facilities to include petrol filling station with 6 pumps for light vehicles & 2 pumps for HGVs & associated in line fuelling, parking for 117 cars & 10 motorbikes, 1 automatic car wash, 2 landscaped picnic areas, 2 waste/recycling areas & a segregated parking area providing parking for 7 coaches & 17 HGVs. 3) A 2 storey garden centre b uilding with 25 parking spaces, service yard & external plant & hard landscaping displayarea. 4). ESB substation & switchroom. 5). Quick service/valet facility with 5 parking spaces. 6). Temporary advertising signage. 7). All ancillary site development works, landscaping & external lighting. 8). Amendments to existing site entrance to Finnegan’s on the R445, Dublin Road

“Montrose”, Carrowkeel, Annacotty.