— Cork Luas needs a higher level of priority, even if it’ll cost more and annoy some motorists
— Just because it is branded as Luas doesn’t mean it cannot fail.
Comment & Analysis: Cork is getting its tram route. So, we just need to get it built as fast as possible. Right? Not quite; light rail and tram routes are not all equal.
Just because it is branded as Luas doesn’t mean it cannot fail. The Cork Commuter Coalition have highlighted the issues with the project, but far too many people are not just uncritically welcoming the project but are batting away constructive criticism.
There are examples around the world where cities the size of Cork (or smaller) can support tram routes, but there are also examples where cities have built trams — or, in North America, “street car” — routes which have fallen far short of the success of Dublin’s Luas.
A salient point made by the Cork Commuter Coalition is that things like capacity upgrades are far harder to do after a project is built. They were talking mainly about the capacity allowed by tram and platform lengths. They also noted that the draft design of the project means that trams will be, in some cases, stuck in traffic jams where trams share space with through traffic and, in other cases, slowed down at junctions and even driveways when motorists are trying to turn from or across shared areas.
Luas translates to speed, so there’s an irony in that parallel bus routes in Dublin are sometimes faster, but the problems with slowness on the Cork Luas will be much worse.
The saving grace of Dublin’s Luas is a generally high level of separated tracks in the suburbs and a relatively small section in the city centre where trams interact with other traffic.
The shared section on the Luas line in Dublin is mostly along short sections and mostly only for local access traffic in the city centre, where there are narrow streets and little other choice but to allow a few cars to drive down short sections of tracks.
In Munster Technological University (MTU), there is unnecessary car park access across tram lines when other routes are available, but worse still, from MTU to Cork University Hospital, there is a huge amount of shared running on through roads.
There’s more shared running between CUH and the city centre, a high amount of shared sections in the city centre and then a very long section between Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium and Skehard Road. Some share sections are expected and normal, but the combined volume of them is too high.
And the one-way loop in Ballincollig, while it does not have that much shared running, it includes a lot of twists and turns and many conflicts and junctions where motorists are likely to slow down trams.
The draft drawings also have the outline of an at-grade crossing of the N22, with a note pretty much saying this is a bad idea. But the note looks like the idea was vetoed by those aiming to protect the national road’s priority rather than improve the tram’s priority.
Not all issues with these problematic projects are down to route selection, route design, and traffic light priority for trams. But these are more often than not the central issues in what makes or breaks tram routes.
All too often, people who want better, sustainable transport fight against those who cannot be done at all — fighting against those who say “it’ll cost too much” and those who don’t want any changing that affects motorists. We end up fighting the battles on the terms of the objectors.
But anybody who wants better public transport need to seek to make what’s proposed better — push harder for not just the basics of rails in the group but for a light rail route with a high level of priority and level of service, which can attract people out of cars in the short term and allow for the growth of the city in the longer term.
A recurring public comment about Cork Luas is that it should have a local name. If the tram isn’t given a higher level of priority, we could just call it Mall (Irish for slow).
Cork will remain small, insignificant and underdeveloped as long as the powers that be don’t prioritize public transport. Council’s will continue to appease individual self interest people. Cork is one of the most traffic congested places in the world. We should be building & planning transport infrastructure with a long term view in mind say the next 50/60years. Instead if we’re lucky we’ll get a middling Cork luas in 20years that won’t be fit for purpose when built.
Cork luas is badly needed and has potential to be fantastic.
Insane. At peak a Luas can hold up to 400 people. The majority of cars are single occupancy. Giving these both the same priority is crazy.
If you are going to sit in traffic anyway, you may aswell take the car.
It’s seems this project is doomed before it even starts.
Cork – where is your ambition?!
Why doesnt preferred route utilise the existing or defunct Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway alignment? It would surely ensure far greater seperation.