Four changes that would benefit Athlone's new one-way system

Athlone's new one-way system, in introduction over a week now, has worked reasonably well, although there have been teething problems in a number of areas.

Here we look at four areas where improvements could be carried out to streamline the new system.

1.

Traffic lights

The introduction of traffic lights at the entrance to St Vincent's Care Centre (pictured)  baffled many people ahead of the arrival of the one-way system.

The new traffic light outside St Vincent's Care Centre.

Now that the one-way system is in operation, the logic is, if anything, even more questionable.

Currently, all eastbound traffic coming from the westside over Athlone bridge is streamed down Northgate Street, before coming to a halt at the traffic lights at the hospital.

It has caused traffic to pile up on occasion back Northgate Street and up to the previous traffic lights on the bridge.

To many foreign motorists, Ireland was notable for years for its fixation with roundabouts. That was the engineering fad in this country for large parts of the noughties. Now, though, it appears as if the humble roundabout has fallen badly out of fashion and has been replaced by a desire for more and more traffic lights.

The series of traffic lights on the Ballymahon Road were already a significant delay before the one way system. Now the Ballymahon Road has become the main talking point for traffic jams since the one-way was introduced.

This writer can recall when the installation of the first set of traffic lights in a provincial town qualified as a major news story. Soon, it will be a case of media outlets scrambling to find the last main road without traffic lights.

2.

Yellow boxes

Yellow boxes for many motorists are purely cosmetic ornamentation for roads. For others, their existence only becomes obvious if other drivers are blocking them.

The new Orange Loop would benefit greatly from some clarity on the yellow boxes.

Currently, westbound traffic on Marydke Street attempting to merge onto Church Street is instructed to come to a stop by a stop sign painted on the road.

However, westbound traffic on Church Street itself meets a yellow box at this same location. See photo here.

The junction between Church Street and Mardyke Street.

On one hand, the Mardyke Street motorist is being told to stop and at all times give priority to the Church Street motorist. On the other hand, the Church Street motorist is told that he or she does not have priority if it is not clear to drive through the yellow box.

It's all a little confusing and uncertain.

Surely, a yield sign would work better with a yellow box, or alternatively, a stop sign with no yellow box?

And, currently, there may be a need for a yellow box on Northgate Street to allow traffic emerging from Montree and St Kieran's Terrace direction to exit successfully.

3.

The Crescent Junction

The Crescent junction is the pivotal element of the entire one-way system.

Over recent years, traffic travelling past the train station has been confronted with two lanes at the first traffic lights at The Crescent junction.

Both lanes were open to traffic swinging left and eventually, after the second set of traffic lights, either heading across the main Crescent road (Athlone to Ballymahon) or heading right into the centre of Athlone. The right hand line was also used by traffic heading to the St Francis Terrace entrance to the underground car park of Athlone Towncentre.

Now, however, as the picture shows, the extra traffic flowing into the Crescent junction has been limited to just one lane, with the other exclusively for the use of traffic heading to the St Francis Terrace entrance to the underground car park of Athlone Towncentre.

The new road configuration at The Crescent.

One wonders, given the extra traffic, whether this is a sensible use of this key junction?

4.

Gleeson Street/Mardyke Street

Marydke Street has previously been one-way from west to east but now works from east to west.

It can be accessed via Gleeson Street, through what has been pointed out to us as a 90 degree right hand turn from flowing traffic. See picture.

The new junction between Gleeson Street and Mardyke Street.

Surely, a more gradual right hand turn would have been more beneficial.