Re: Re: Limerick Transport
I know this is a plannng forum but since the city council (with the connivance of adjacent councils) are determined to make a hames of the QBC’s I thought I would throw out some of my own ideas regarding light rail. A feasibility study for LRT in Limerick was promised in the programme for govt. but everyone in govt. (except the impotent Greens) has mysteriously forgotten about it. It wouldn’t cost the earth to carry one out.
I won’t go on about the route details, only to point out that all lines start at the train station, and this should be an absolute no brainer to anyone vaguely familiar with the principles of good urban planning and simililarly all terminate at suburban P&R’s.
Limerick has the population to support LRT but the population patterns around it are a mess. The question isn’t if but when in my view and no amount of farting around with bus corridors is going to enable Limerick to become the Gateway city the NSS says it must become if the west of the courntry is to develop properly. A plan should be drawn up and integrated with the city center strategic plan and the regeneration plans and favoured routes protected from future development. Certain locations can then be zoned for transit oriented developmet as for example the Hyde rd. area. The transit routes on my plan can for the most part be accomodated with exising surface rights of way, thus minimizing costs.
There are issues w/ the existing rail lines that limit their use in a suburban context. But again provided the stops are limited in number and passing loops are built in, these limitations can be overcome.
The Corbally side does not have a population density to support a light rail line or a stop on the existing line but I put one in anyway because peak period traffic in Corbally is horrendous. The waterbus idea has more going for it especially at peak times. Free parking as part of a package of incenitves & disincentives could make this work but other pickup points at the Irish estates and shannon banks would also help if they were feasible. The UL waterbus has already been mooted. A lock at the Park bridge though would slow traffic down considerably and I don’t have an answer to that one.
You can get back to your roads now fellas I’ve made my speech and spoke my mind …for the time being..
