Limerick Transport
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@KeepAnEyeOnBob wrote:
Actually probably a roundabout, but in terms of the national road traffic, (i.e. not to/from Childers Road) it would probably only be the Galway to Cork traffic having to go through the roundabout (as well as most directions to/from city). Not too bad, but less freeflow for traffic from the city onto the M20/ring road than there is at present.
It’s the cheapest and therefore probably the most likely option but it would also mess up the flow of traffic through the interchange.
It really is highly unfortunate that parochial interests were allowed to have such an impact on the design of such an important piece of infrastructure. The opportunity existed to build a free flowing, full access junction here (it’s essentially a green field site after all). This would have taken the pressure off poorly designed interchanges such as the N24 & N69. Will we ever learn! 🙁
€660m Limerick Tunnel to be opened by Taoiseach next Tuesday (Limerick Leader)
By Nick Rabbitts
THE Limerick Tunnel will open to traffic next Tuesday, July 27, when Taoiseach Brian Cowen cuts the ribbon at the €660m facility.
It is understood the National Roads Authority (NRA) have still to provide a final safety certificate. But it is expected that this will be signed off by the end of this week.The opening of the 670-metre long Limerick Tunnel will see 100 new jobs created, as well as the removal of up to 20,000 cars daily from Limerick’s congested city centre streets.
Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Maria Byrne has welcomed the impending opening of the project – which will be operated on a public-private partnership by Direct Route (Limerick) for 30 years, after which it will be handed back to the NRA.
“The sooner it opens the better. People are looking forward to it, because it will ease pressure on the Rosbrien Road which has been inundated with traffic recently. It will remove an awful lot of unneccesary traffic from the city,” the Mayor told the Limerick Chronicle.
Opponents of the €4m scheme to construct bus lanes along O’Connell Avenue and out to the county boundary have pointed to the loss of traffic from the city because of the tunnel – suggesting this will nullify the need for the green bus routes.
Mayor Byrne – who lives in O’Connell Avenue – added: “This will hopefully show that bus lanes are not necessary here. Obviously it is quiet at the moment, but when the schools come back in September, we will have a true reflection of the impact the tunnel has.”
Hmmmmm, whats this Tom King of Direct Route said last week.
“We are not holding up the opening for the presence of government ministers.”
Irish Examiner July 17th
With Fianna Fail overseeing the almost total collapse of the Mid-West economy. Clowen just couldn’t resist gatecrashing this party. No doubt he’ll be telling all and sundry how his government have delivered so much for the region over the last number of years! 😡
Also, take note of Cllr.Maria Byrne’s comments on the proposed bus lane on O’Connell Avenue. :rolleyes:
I wonder how cllr Byrne would react if Bus Eireann did the sensible thing and simply removed all the bus stops along O’Connell Ave. and ran the service purely for those who want to get in and out of town. How many along O’Connell Ave would be complain about the lack of a bus then.
@CologneMike wrote:
I wonder would the South Circular Road be the better route here for cycle-lanes between the Crescent S.C. and the City Centre? Though residential street parking will remain a major contentious issue.
I attended the consultation process for this. The south circular option for cycling is definitely off the agenda, cyclists are expected to use bus lane going inbound and outbound the narrower traffic lane is a safer option for cyclists according to city council. Research shows this etc etc. :). In that regard, i’m surprised that local green rep James Nix has embraced the plan so much. I think the plans should have been tweaked to accomodate cycling more.
As I said before lost opportunity.
Dan’s suggestion regards removing bus stops has got coverage in Limerick Leader. Someone should be talking for the residents- probably in the region of 20-30 % who actually do want bus lane.@cheebah wrote:
I attended the consultation process for this. The south circular option for cycling is definitely off the agenda, cyclists are expected to use bus lane going inbound and outbound the narrower traffic lane is a safer option for cyclists according to city council. Research shows this etc etc. :). In that regard, i’m surprised that local green rep James Nix has embraced the plan so much. I think the plans should have been tweaked to accomodate cycling more.
As I said before lost opportunity.
Dan’s suggestion regards removing bus stops has got coverage in Limerick Leader. Someone should be talking for the residents- probably in the region of 20-30 % who actually do want bus lane.My suggestion got somewhat garbled in the Leader but it was basically correct, if the Green route is rejected and it is seriously suggested that the Green lanes come into the city via the Dock rd. then Bus Eireann should give immediate notice to change their route and to remove all bus stops after the Crescent, and go down the SC, and Ashbourne to the Dock rd. And plan to run the route purely to service the suburbs and the city centre. If people along the route don’t want the bus then let them do without it.
That sounds like the only viable alternative route as there is no other means to access the Dock rd from the main artery into the city that would be able to take the buses without major works being required, and also only by avoiding the Crescent (if you were to go down Father Russell to get to the Dock road. Note it would be the county that would have to make those road modifications. Do they realise that the county and city councils won’t exist in their current form in a few months time?)
The rather bonkers response from the Mayor is that it is Expressway buses that are causing on congestion on the O’Connell Ave., Ballinacurra stretch of road into the city. How many buses per hour would Bus Eireann run down that route? Given that buses going south (to Kerry and the like) out of the city go down Hyde road these days and the buses to Cork head to the bypass to get on the dual carriageway ASAP.
When was the last time the Mayor got an express-way bus, I wonder? So a dozen or so buses per hour are causing congestion, but many hundreds of cars aren’t a factor at all.
I also noted the argument made by a business person from the area about people going by his premises in buses at 50 mph! First up, it’s pretty damn hard to do 50 mph on that stretch of road at the best of times, 2ndly it would be illegal to do so, and 3dly how does making the buses go more slowly help his business?
I’m not saying these people are thick but they’ve giving us little evidence that they’re using their brains at all.
The meeting on the motion re: the Bus lanes is this afternoon at 4pm. Due to a change in plans I will be heading along. will update when I can.
@Dan Sullivan wrote:
The meeting on the motion re: the Bus lanes is this afternoon at 4pm. Due to a change in plans I will be heading along. will update when I can.
Looked like it was going to be taken off plans and then sudden adjournment for two weeks. Labour split- the Mcloughlins in favour along with John Gilligan ind and Maurice Quinlivan SF. Everyone else spoke against the bus lane/green route plan but adjournment before vote
At least the Mayor Cllr. Maria Byrne can devote the next two weeks figuring out why Limerick city ranks 49th in anti-litter league. :rolleyes:
The heritage body, An Taisce, who conduct the surveys said: “The really poor sites in Limerick city were not just heavily littered but many of them were neglected or derelict.”
Dan will you have a serious word with this woman about her phobia with big buses! 😉 Does she really want to put her own business interests on O’Connell Avenue before that of the whole city centre.
it seems that Kennedy has stirred up this whole issue with residents in Ballinacurra and O’Connell Avenue for his own political gain. Ditto Jim Long. And Maria Byrne has to go along with it to be seen to be standing by her constituents, even though I suspect that she has no quibble with the bus lane. Fine Gael appear to be in disarray, with such division in their ranks.
What will happen in two weeks time? A compromise solution?
@cheebah wrote:
Looked like it was going to be taken off plans and then sudden adjournment for two weeks. Labour split- the Mcloughlins in favour along with John Gilligan ind and Maurice Quinlivan SF. Everyone else spoke against the bus lane/green route plan but adjournment before vote
Micheal Hourigan (Fine Gael) and Kevin Kiely (Fine Gael) also spoke in favour of the proposed green route.
The adjournment suited most councillors, because they had got to air their views against the bus lane and were seen to be standing by the residents. In reality, most of them would be in favour of it, I reckon.
@CologneMike wrote:
Dan will you have a serious word with this woman about her phobia with big buses!
I got my councillors mixed up, 😮 it was Independent councillor Kathleen Leddin who protested about their size!
See previous post.
“These buses are huge and ponderous. People here should talk to Bus Eireann and make sure we get smaller buses. Whatever people say, there needs to be some input to give people a smaller bus model, which is convenient and sustainable for the area.”
http://getlimerickmoving.com/ good to see this kicking off.
@CologneMike wrote:
I got my councillors mixed up, 😮 it was Independent councillor Kathleen Leddin who protested about their size!
See previous post.
to be fair, there probably is some merit to that suggestion. A lot of european cities have smaller buses in situations that require them. I can think of a few places in Limerick where buses cause traffic gridlock because they can’t get around corners, without having to swing across to the far side of the street. And there would be hardly any passengers on the bus!! In that context, smaller buses could be looked at as part of an improvement to the bus servic
As someone who lives on the proposed southern green route :
I have nothing against a good bus service on this avenue.
And I accept that it is probably the best principal southern route in/out for buses.
Also I accept that as it’s the shortest route between the city centre and the Regional Hospital then it will also perforce be the route for ambulances, police, fire services, civil defence, etc.
Neither have I anything against taxis on this route — although they may (and do) often choose to return to the city centre via other parallel routes.My problem is simply with commuter traffic on this same route at peak times (0700-1000 and 1400-1900).
This could easily be re-routed to enter/exit the city centre via Hyde Rd or Roxboro Rd.By this, the objectives of having a good bus service, maintaining residents’ parking, preserving the marvellous architectural heritage and allowing bike lanes may be met at minimal cost.
Indeed a good share of the funding might be better spent on the Hyde Rd / Roxboro Rd / Parnell St areas anyway.Zulutango, I’m not arguing the case that these articulated-buses should replace all the standard length ones. I was merely rebuffing councillor Leddin’s opposition to their use on the Western Corridor. They are the ideal type of bus to serve these three designated corridors.
Their high load capacity especially at peak times are ideal to serve the large student populations attending UL, MI, LIT or those working directly along those routes like two industrial parks, three Shopping Centres, a Regional Hospital not to mention the City Centre itself.
By the way the Cologne satellite-town where I live (population just 10.000) uses them at peak times to get people to school or work. Amazingly we in Limerick down-sized our buses from double-deckers to single ones just to save labour costs (conductors) purely. Automated ticket systems would have been a better alternative to maintain productivity.
@CologneMike wrote:
Zulutango, I’m not arguing the case that these articulated-buses should replace all the standard length ones. I was merely rebuffing councillor Leddin’s opposition to their use on the Western Corridor. They are the ideal type of bus to serve these three designated corridors.
Their high load capacity especially at peak times are ideal to serve the large student populations attending UL, MI, LIT or those working directly along those routes like two industrial parks, three Shopping Centres, a Regional Hospital not to mention the City Centre itself.
By the way the Cologne satellite-town where I live (population just 10.000) uses them at peak times to get people to school or work. Amazingly we in Limerick down-sized our buses from double-deckers to single ones just to save labour costs (conductors) purely. Automated ticket systems would have been a better alternative to maintain productivity.
I would agree with you, Mike. But I think she was highlighting the fact that many of the buses in the city are too big for the routes that they are on, and they do cause problems. I’m a resident of Clancy Strand myself, and the existing buses (which are often nearly empty) frequently cause difficulty and traffic chaos at the junction of the strand and Sarsfield Bridge. Absolutely, on the main routes, where passenger volumes require it, there should be larger buses, if the roads can cope with them.
@teak wrote:
My problem is simply with commuter traffic on this same route at peak times (0700-1000 and 1400-1900).
This could easily be re-routed to enter/exit the city centre via Hyde Rd or Roxboro Rd.Good point. Since the opening of the tunnel, traffic coming from the M20 can no longer enter the city at Galvone, it practically rules the Hyde and Roxboro Roads option out. I’m curious to see the traffic patterns when the schools re-open.
City Council Map ~ Main Approach Roads (Condell Road should have been highlighted too.)
@zulutango wrote:
I’m a resident of Clancy Strand myself, and the existing buses (which are often nearly empty) frequently cause difficulty and traffic chaos at the junction of the strand and Sarsfield Bridge.
Definitely that bus in the image below was having difficulties leaving the Stand to get onto the Bridge.
But surely you are not blaming them for the tail-backs on the Ennis Road?
In the best scenario those four buses on the bridge when full could equate up to 100 car spaces.
At worst, when empty just equate to 8 car spaces.
Since the opening of the tunnel, traffic coming from the M20 can no longer enter the city at Galvone, it practically rules the Hyde and Roxboro Roads option out.
Please elaborate as to what you mean.
I see no reason why traffic coming in the dual carriageway from Adare, etc can’t slip onto the ring road and then either go left to Hyde Rd or right to Roxboro Rd.
@teak wrote:
Please elaborate as to what you mean.
I see no reason why traffic coming in the dual carriageway from Adare, etc can’t slip onto the ring road and then either go left to Hyde Rd or right to Roxboro Rd.
They have now closed the direct slip-road from the Rosbrien Interchange to the Childers Road for traffic coming from Adare over the M20.
That means no left turn to Hyde Rd or right turn to Roxboro Rd.
I take it very few M20 drivers will take the Dock Road or Tipperary Road option as it would add miles on to their in-bound journey.
Therefore I presume drivers will then exit before hand on the Dooradoyle interchange and would imagine the majority will take the route via the Crescent Shopping Centre into the city centre?
Or will peoples navigators direct them along the two un-appropriate country-lanes (Rossbrien Road or Ballyclough Road) into the city?
So like I said, I’m curious to see what traffic patterns will develop especially when the schools re-open.
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