Cork Transport
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I’m not opposed to tolls on roads per se, but can someone answer this for me.
I’ve heard that the electronic pass on the Fermoy bypass won’t work on the WestLink and any other tolled roads in the country. Someone please tell me it’s not true.
Why are you paying car tax for the maintanance of the roads if you are then charged AGAIN to use them?
@Praxiteles wrote:
Why are you paying car tax for the maintanance of the roads if you are then charged AGAIN to use them?
There is an alternative for people who don’t want to pay.
The real reason I have no objection is that it allows the finance to be raised for faster completion of the projects, which to my mind is beneficial.
@Praxiteles wrote:
Why are you paying car tax for the maintanance of the roads if you are then charged AGAIN to use them?
I assume that it is because the money put up to build the M8 came from private sources and they need a return.
I have just travelled to Fermoy on the old N8 and back on the M8.
Without doubt, there were four times as many trucks on the old route than on the Motorway@lawyer wrote:
I assume that it is because the money put up to build the M8 came from private sources and they need a return.
I have just travelled to Fermoy on the old N8 and back on the M8.
Without doubt, there were four times as many trucks on the old route than on the MotorwayHas it been deemed a Motorway or high quality dual carriageway?
Continuing the Cork Airport saga, this letter appeared in to-day’s electronic version of the quondam Cork Examiner. This week, the excuse is that three planes landed at the same time. I cannot explain the date:ù
10 April 2006
Wet, walk and wait: airport a big letdown
CORK airport may be one of the newest in the world, but it must also rank as one of the worst.
On a recent flight from Madrid via Dublin, I landed in Cork in the rain. I had to walk about 200m, climb two flights of stairs (in crutches!) and wait over 40 minutes for baggage.
This was due to three planes landing at the same time, a floor staff member explained.
At the new airport in Madrid, there were no queues and there were landing bridges to all planes, regardless of how many arrived at the same time. There were escalators and even trains that ran from landing bridge to the exit terminal — all in five minutes — and our baggage was there before we arrived.
Was there no real planning for Cork airport, or did the Dublin Airport Authority win out on this issue?
Gerard Manley
13 Amberly Heights
Grange
Douglas
CorkI drove through Watergrasshill tonight and the traffic was very heavy. Prob more on the old road than on the new bypass.
Anyone know what Fermoy was like during the week ?
Also, bringing down the speed limit on the old rod to 80kph is a farce. Why were the by-laws for speed limits on local roads brought in if they aren’t going to be used.
Re Cork airport: Behold the Wikiality of the situation:
@Micko wrote:
I drove through Watergrasshill tonight and the traffic was very heavy. Prob more on the old road than on the new bypass.
Anyone know what Fermoy was like during the week ?
Also, bringing down the speed limit on the old rod to 80kph is a farce. Why were the by-laws for speed limits on local roads brought in if they aren’t going to be used.
Traffic congestion in Fermoy has eased considerably since the opening of the by-pass. It is now possible to cross from one side of the town to the other withouit taking up to 20-30 minutes to do so.
On the other hand, the number of lorries passing through the town is still relatively high. The speed restriction on the old section of the road is being read locally as an “official” tactic to discourage traffic from using the old road and as an “incentive” to use the tolled part of the new road. So, the guardians of the peace in Fermoy are currently opeating something akin to another toll system on the old road – just like the robber barons on the medieval Rhine. We await, however, to see if the Blackwater will not produce its equivalennt of the Rheinmaedchen to help us ford its treppant floss.
No, the lowering of the speed limit is because since the Primary Route, the N8, is now not passing through the town, that road has now been reclassed as an R road. So a lower speed limit. Simple as that.
@THE_Chris wrote:
No, the lowering of the speed limit is because since the Primary Route, the N8, is now not passing through the town, that road has now been reclassed as an R road. So a lower speed limit. Simple as that.
And no politico-locomotive consideration ?
@THE_Chris wrote:
No, the lowering of the speed limit is because since the Primary Route, the N8, is now not passing through the town, that road has now been reclassed as an R road. So a lower speed limit. Simple as that.
That’s true. But there are a number of by-laws which can be brought into action to bring the speed limit back up to 100kph. The whole point of these by-laws was so that R roads which are of a very good quality can have a 100kph limit. If this road isn’t good enough I don’t know what is.
The amount of fatal accidents there in recent years are evidence enough that its not suitable for a 100km/h speed limit.
I’d bet my very nice hat, that the overwhelming majority of accidents on the old section of road were caused by driver error/stupidity or excessive speed. Driving at 100km/h on that road is safe, especially now with a reduced level of traffic. Driving at 150km/h is what causes more accidents.
@goldiefish wrote:
The amount of fatal accidents there in recent years are evidence enough that its not suitable for a 100km/h speed limit.
If that road can’t handle 100k then every Secondary route in Ireland should be reduced to 80k too. Ridiculous stuff. No one driving at 100k should cause any crash on that road.
Once a bypass goes ‘active’, it seems common enough to lower the speedlimit on the old road to 80kph. The old N7 route through Nenagh has seen the same thing since the bypass was opened. The new N7 (bypass) has a 100kph limit while the old road has been reclassified and the limit has been lowered to 80kph. This has the advantange of applying a consistent approach to the road network which makes sense to me.
The most consistent approach, which would also have the support of most road users, would be to apply a speed limit that is sensible for that road. If that means a lower limit, good, if a higher limit, good. The speed limit should be what is appropriate for that road, not because it happens to have the same designation as another road.
e.g. Why should the old road outside Fermoy/Watergrasshill be 80km/h when the N71 all the way down West Cork, a vastly inferior road in places, is 100km/h?!
Guess what, the electronic pass doesn’t even work on the Fermoy bypass.
Here’s a mail I sent the toll people, direct route the NRA and some Cork media:
***************************************
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:32:23 +0000 (GMT)Yesterday after ordering my electronic tag for the M8 toll plaza last Monday, I received the tag.
This morning I took the M8 intending to use the tag to pass through the toll plaza. According to the direct route website on this page
http://www.directroute.ie/directroute/toll-rates/toll-lane.htmlit is possible to use the electronic tag on all lanes through the toll plaza and I quote:
“A mainline toll plaza near Watergrasshill … All lanes are capable of accepting electronic payment
– Pass Direct”Firstly, I note that the express lane, reserved for motorists with the electronic tag is not yet open in either direction. Secondly, I took an automatic lane, since the electronic toll symbol was lit, which I take to mean that this feature is functioning and I could use my electronic tag on this lane.
Unfortunately, despite the above information on the website, and assurances from staff when
I ordered my tag, it is _not_ possible to use the electronic tag through the automatic lane. This I found out to my cost after the barrier failed to rise and I unwittingly held up traffic southbound for around 10 minutes.It took about 4 minutes to get a reply when I called for help and then I had to run across a number of lanes of traffic to a cashier and get change for the coin machine. Only then was I told that the electronic pass
only works with a manual cashier. Meanwhile my car is sitting at the toll gate, blocking up morning traffic. The staff member who dealt with me was very good. This was a most embarassing and frustrating event,
which took place due to wrong information.As a tax payer and a toll road user, I am very disappointed and frustrated with these events.
It is simply not satisfactory to state that the electronic system is functioning when it clearly is not. Savings in time
gained by having the tag are wiped out by having to have it manually scanned. This system should have been ready to use as soon as the road opened. What happened this morning was not acceptable and this problem of no information or the wrong information being provided is not on. If a part of the toll scheme
is not ready, then this should be made known to users and this information should be constantly updated on the website or through advertising.In addition, no instructions were provided on how to attach my tag to the car.
Thank you for your attention
****************************It’s a disgrace – 43 euro and I can’t use the thing. And they are charging me an admin fee for having the pass
even though it does not work. I got the usual reply saying that they were looking at the problem.
yesterday afternoon, I went to the manual booth and was told that they cannot scan the electronic pass.
I then got a ticket for not paying my toll!!!!!!
Another letter sent to the toll people, but no reply yet.M
@jungle wrote:
I’m not opposed to tolls on roads per se, but can someone answer this for me.
I’ve heard that the electronic pass on the Fermoy bypass won’t work on the WestLink and any other tolled roads in the country. Someone please tell me it’s not true.
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