Driving in Cork AARGGHHHHHHHHHH [Archive]

Block G Raptor

31/10/2006, 11:42 AM

was in Cork from wednesday to friday last week and have to say I did not enjoy the experiance. Due to a lot of niggly problems in work muggins here had to criss cross the whole of east cork about 10 times.Whilst driving in the county itself wasn't too bad I've got to say the City is a mess. I mean guy's what have you people got against road sign's, the whole N25/jack Lynch tunnell roundabout in the city center is a total joke when Driving from Newmarket to Western road Wilton I ended up on the N25 heading for Roslare for god sake I followed the signs for the Jack Lynch tunnell but ended up heading the wrong direction on the N25 and couldn't get turned around until Middleton. at which stage I was getting really nervous (Outta Juice and Outta Cash) thank christ I barely made it back to western road on fumes and got paid the next day.other than the driving aspect I enjoyed Cork in general. had a good nite in the Cube on Wednesday. All in all clocked up 715 miles over the three days@ 73 cent a mile plus my wages and €25 a day substinance not a bad few bob for very little work so guess I shouldnt moan too much about all that driving

drinkfeckarse

31/10/2006, 1:36 PM

Have to agree. Whenever I'm home I'm always amazed at the volume AND the standard of driving when I have to pass through the city centre. I was home there 2 weeks ago and it took us about 30 minutes to get through the city on a Tuesday at about 3 o'clock!
We passed the new Jury's getting built and it was nose to tail moving a few feet every so often. God only knows what it would be like at rush hour on a Friday!

pete

31/10/2006, 1:49 PM

Sign posting in this country is sh!te in every county. The same could be said of visitor driving in dublin city. I pity tourists driving in this country.

I think the lesson driving in unfamiliar places is to not rely on signposts & always have a map. Droving 45mins on right road wrong direction for Inter Toto game in Nantes a few years ago thought me that lesson. :p

Block G Raptor

31/10/2006, 2:05 PM

Ive been in 17 of the 32 counties(most of them for the first time as a driver) in the last month and a half and have never come across anything like Cork's lack of directional aids

Peadar

31/10/2006, 3:21 PM

Aren't people on their first provisional license supposed to be accompanied by a fully licensed driver everytime they get behind the wheel?
I suppose you drove down the motorway too?
I guess we should be grateful that you didn't hit anyone/anything.
We certainly should be grateful that you managed to find your way out. Perish the thought of Cork having to put up with you any longer than was necessary.

Block G Raptor

31/10/2006, 3:29 PM

BohsPartisan

31/10/2006, 3:38 PM

Block G Raptor

31/10/2006, 3:47 PM

West Cork signposting is certainly awful, the worst in the country IMO but as was pointed out Signposting is generally awful in this country, we just don't notice it when we are in familiar territory.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH Ballacks I'm down there week after next
*Note to self buy a GPS sat nav thingy**

Peadar

31/10/2006, 3:49 PM

West Cork signposting is certainly awful, the worst in the country IMO...

We do that on purpose to keep the Dubs out but unfortunately, too many of them still manage to clog up the place.
Actually, if you had a map and any clue where you were going, the signage in West Cork is good. It's not too often that I meet lost tourists down there but I suspect it's their ability to read which sets them apart from the Dubs.

Partizan

31/10/2006, 3:52 PM

Driving in Cork is always an adventure, let me assure you.

Its all down the locals.

Closed Account 2

31/10/2006, 3:57 PM

Are some of the road signs in West Cork still in kms and others in miles ?

DmanDmythDledge

31/10/2006, 3:57 PM

I mean guy's what have you people got against road sign's, the whole N25/jack Lynch tunnell roundabout in the city center is a total joke when Driving from Newmarket to Western road Wilton I ended up on the N25 heading for Roslare for god sake I followed the signs for the Jack Lynch tunnell but ended up heading the wrong direction on the N25 and couldn't get turned around until Middleton.
I don't think you could make the signposts at the tunnel any simpler. I think it's retty clear that Rosslare is to the left and the tunnel straight on.

Block G Raptor

31/10/2006, 4:00 PM

I don't think you could make the signposts at the tunnel any simpler. I think it's retty clear that Rosslare is to the left and the tunnel straight on.

Thats a bit further on I'm talking about the first two roundabouts coming into the city from the mallow side

Peadar

31/10/2006, 4:02 PM

Are some of the road signs in West Cork still in kms and others in miles ?

Only on the walls of the tourist pubs.

I don't think you could make the signposts at the tunnel any simpler.

Ah go easy on him. He probably assumed that every tunnel in Ireland is leaking, too small and unopened, with no revised completion date and therefore he wouldn't have been able to use it.

crc

31/10/2006, 4:48 PM

...the whole N25/jack Lynch tunnell roundabout in the city center is a total joke when Driving from Newmarket to Western road Wilton I ended up on the N25 heading for Roslare for god sake I followed the signs for the Jack Lynch tunnell but ended up heading the wrong direction on the N25 and couldn't get turned around until Middleton.
Do you mean Newmarket Co.Cork, or some other Newmarket? If you mean the one in Cork then why were you following signs to the Tunnel? Newmarket is NW of the city and the Western Road and Wilton are on the west side (obviously), whereas the Tunnel is on the east side.

I agree that the city centre is a mess (especially if you don't know the rat-runs) and the road lay-out could be drastically improved (particularly the lanes heading east at the new Kinsale Rd flyover, but thats a different story), but I've never had too much trouble with the direction signs. I'll keep an extra lookout over the next few days.

Dodge

31/10/2006, 4:54 PM

It's not too often that I meet lost tourists down there but I suspect it's their ability to read which sets them apart from the Dubs.
I suspect its because there's not too many tuorists there in the first place. That and you're probably not there all the time either.

Find the road signs coming into Cork City (and the tunnel) fine.

pete

31/10/2006, 5:18 PM

*Note to self buy a GPS sat nav thingy**

Just get yourself a compass & at least you'll be driving in the general direction. :p

dahamsta

31/10/2006, 6:20 PM

Umm, BGR, aren't you from Dublin? The city with the signage you need to familiarise yourself with over a period of years?

Dr.Nightdub

31/10/2006, 11:25 PM

Has ANYONE ever figured out those purple road signs they put up in Dublin a few years back? They seem to be clustered around the Liffey but nowhere else really.

Peadar

01/11/2006, 8:08 AM

I suspect its because there's not too many tuorists there in the first place.

I take it you've never been to West Cork then. :rolleyes:

BohsPartisan

01/11/2006, 8:15 AM

We do that on purpose to keep the Dubs out but unfortunately, too many of them still manage to clog up the place.
Actually, if you had a map and any clue where you were going, the signage in West Cork is good. It's not too often that I meet lost tourists down there but I suspect it's their ability to read which sets them apart from the Dubs.

Well I'm usually pretty good at navigating. I've only ever had problems in West Cork, Kerry and a certain part of the West of France (but I think that that was a new road and they hadn't got the signage in order yet.)

Peadar

01/11/2006, 8:19 AM

I've only ever had problems in West Cork, Kerry...

What decade are we talking about here?
West Cork/Kerry have a very sophisticated tourist board and they've done great work on improving signage, etc.

Unless you're talking about driving up some boreen, in which case, your complaint is petty.

BohsPartisan

01/11/2006, 8:27 AM

This decade. The N22 and the N71 are fine but all the roads in between, you'd be going around in circles looking for places.

Peadar

01/11/2006, 8:37 AM

...you'd be going around in circles looking for places.

Have you ever thought that there are some places that we just don't want you to find? I don't agree with you anyway.
Cork is the largest county in Ireland and West Cork is the largest region of the county. The Dubs can't even manage decent signage in their few square Kms and then they have the cheek to criticise others.

The Ordnance Survey (http://www.osi.ie/) are there for a reason. Buy a map! (http://www.irishmaps.ie/)

BohsPartisan

01/11/2006, 8:49 AM

1. I am not a Dub, I'm a Meath man.
2. I have already said that signage in general is bad in this country and that you don't tend to notice it as much as when you are in familiar surroundings.
3. I have no problems anywhere else.

Peadar

01/11/2006, 9:59 AM

1. I am not a Dub, I'm a Meath man.

You all look the same to me!

3. I have no problems anywhere else.

Well that explains it then. The West Cork signs have an accent that you can't understand.

rebs23

01/11/2006, 10:40 AM

In fairness Cork City can be really confusing to tourists to drive around. You have got a one way system that is not signposted that well and then you have got the river which splits in two. I don't know how many times I've been stopped by tourists asking for directions and trying to explain to them that yes I know you have crossed the river once but you need to coss it again!
As for the South Ring Road and the signs for the tunnel, at certain junctions it is confusing to follow.
Having said that try following the signs to get out of Dublin and those purple junction signs!

dfx-

01/11/2006, 11:06 AM

Well that explains it then. The West Cork signs have an accent that you can't understand.

Why anyone would have to be in West Cork long enough to notice the signage is the sad part of the story for me...

Peadar

01/11/2006, 11:07 AM

In fairness Cork City can be really confusing to tourists to drive around.

They shouldn't be driving around the city in the first place.
That's what the ring road and the Park 'n' Ride is for.

Block G Raptor

01/11/2006, 11:25 AM

Umm, BGR, aren't you from Dublin? The city with the signage you need to familiarise yourself with over a period of years?

Ok Fair Point. Perhaps the point I should have been making was as adam points out the signage in dublin is very different to that in cork. why in the hell is this when they'e both in the same country.(cue all the peoples republic jibes)

Peadar

01/11/2006, 11:36 AM

Block G Raptor

01/11/2006, 1:01 PM

Dublin City Council had a brainwave about these fancy new signs and went ahead erecting them. There was a dispute between them and the Transport Minister midway through the rollout because he hadn't approved the signs and work stopped. Not sure how the fiasco was resolved, if indeed it ever was.

OK. But its the signs in Dublin that seem pretty much standard in the other counties I've visited over the last while except Cork and in particular Cork City

dahamsta

01/11/2006, 1:34 PM

Sorry BGR, I can't agree with you on that. Even the Dubs were up in arms over those dumbass signs when they came out first; in fact I'm pretty sure some of them were taken down and/or replaced. I'm also pretty sure they're not to a standard; I've been in a good few countries and I don't think I've ever seen anything like them. Before those of course the signage was even worse, in that it wasn't there.

In all honesty, and I'm not just being patriotic, I've always thought Cork signage wasn't too bad. The roads in the city centre can definitely be a bit convoluted though, the south ring road in particular. But that's the City Manager's fault; we've had a string of incompetents in that department. And at least it's not the M50. ;)

It should be noted that if you were down for De Jazz, some of the signs would have been taken down just to frustrate you. Because De Jazz is for foreigners, and we like to p*ss off the foreigners.

adam

Peadar

01/11/2006, 1:48 PM

But that's the City Manager's fault; we've had a string of incompetents in that department.

As a Cork City FC fan, I cannot allow you to say a bad word against Joe Gavin! :mad:

dahamsta

01/11/2006, 2:01 PM

Here's (http://verbo.se/cccwm/) my thoughts on Joe Gavin.

Peadar

01/11/2006, 2:03 PM

Here's (http://verbo.se/cccwm/) my thoughts on Joe Gavin.

Your thoughts on him aren't going to provide a training facility for Cork City FC.

Block G Raptor

01/11/2006, 2:22 PM

It should be noted that if you were down for De Jazz, some of the signs would have been taken down just to frustrate you. Because De Jazz is for foreigners, and we like to p*ss off the foreigners.

adam

Wasn't down 4 dee jazz unfotunately was working. :(
take your point about the M50 in defence to Corks Infrastructure I cant Have been stuck in traffic for more than ten miniutes. just aswell Or Id still be driving around the place now. on the up side though got to listen to REDFM 20k in a day which was pretty cool but jaysus the three of them were pretty thick answering the questions

dahamsta

01/11/2006, 3:13 PM

You were probably lucky with the traffic then, because if there's one thing I would have to concede, it's that the traffic is getting worse and worse. I have to go right across the city to Hollyhill at least once a week now, and the journey has to be planned meticulously!

My gf agrees with you on signage btw, so perhaps it's just that I'm used to it, know the routes -- I did used to drive a van around the city, which is always a help. But I reckon ye're both wrong, and I'm right. As ever. :)

adam

rebs23

01/11/2006, 6:09 PM

Here's (http://verbo.se/cccwm/) my thoughts on Joe Gavin.

Joe Gavin is the best thing to happen to this city in years. He is without doubt the man who drove large regeneration projects where others dithered. Could go on and on but look at the city 10 years ago compared to now.

There is a story that when he took office he took all the city planners and showed them pictures of all the tower cranes in the other cities and took them to the top floor of city hall and said he wanted to see the sky covered with them within 2 years and he did it!!

Paddyfield

01/11/2006, 8:59 PM

Joe Gavin is the best thing to happen to this city in years. He is without doubt the man who drove large regeneration projects where others dithered. Could go on and on but look at the city 10 years ago compared to now.

Ye signed Joe Gavin from Galway City Council FC a few years ago on a free transfer. He tried to transform the mentality of Galway from big town in to a big city and failed. Galway is a really big village with 17,000 students and 330 bars.

Galwegians are comfortable with our image of being laid back. Clamping? Are sure clamp it yourself or park it up on the feckin footpath. Pay the fine within 21 days. If not, we will send you out 17 reminders. If you can't pay for it then, sure we will give you an 'auld grant.

Joe G. He's havin' a larf. :D
___________________________________________

PS What's it like for an outsider to drive in Galway?

Raheny Red

04/11/2006, 9:27 AM

Fly down :cool:

pete

06/11/2006, 2:03 PM

Fly down :cool:

25 euro last weekend. :cool:

If I could have avoided public transport would have good deal. :(

John83

06/11/2006, 5:48 PM

AHHHHHHHHHHHH Ballacks I'm down there week after next
*Note to self buy a GPS sat nav thingy**
Careful now (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/16052006/323/sat-nav-directs-british-ambulance-course.html).

I don't drive myself, but the impression I have from walking about here is that Cork would be pretty easy to get lost in (though you should find your way soon enough). Thought the traffic has been pretty good so far though.

drinkfeckarse

07/11/2006, 7:55 AM

Really John? I know I am a native but I always thought you couldn't go wrong. Sure you can always smell where the river is :D

John83

07/11/2006, 11:12 AM

Really John? I know I am a native but I always thought you couldn't go wrong. Sure you can always smell where the river is :D
But which branch? ;)

Raheny Red

08/11/2006, 12:28 PM

How far is the airport from the CC. Will there be buses outside or would we be better off getting a taxi. Sould be there for 09:45 :cool: :D :eek:

DmanDmythDledge

08/11/2006, 12:30 PM

How far is the airport from the CC. Will there be buses outside or would we be better off getting a taxi. Sould be there for 09:45 :cool: :D :eek:
About 15 minutes driving, maybe 20 max. I don't think there are any buses.

ollie

08/11/2006, 12:33 PM

there are buses all right.check here (http://www.buseireann.ie/site/your_journey/printed_timetable_pdfs/local/226.pdf) for the timetable

Raheny Red

08/11/2006, 12:53 PM

Cheers lads but what's this all about :confused: School Children NOT carried on this service on School days. :eek: :p

Peadar

08/11/2006, 1:02 PM

Cheers lads but what's this all about :confused: School Children NOT carried on this service on School days. :eek: :p

It's a busy service, so kids with bus passes aren't allowed to use it, unless they pay the fare of course.