Luas and Red Cow Junction
 

I may be asking a nonsense question here but is the speed of the Luas through the Red Cow junction slower than expected given that it does not need to interact with traffic anymore?

I have seen the trams crawling along this section, is this because it is quite new or will it always be this way?

Answers on a postcard please :)

I have to use the stop on a daily basis.

From the hotel to the depot, the track is on a continous curve, so like with all rail travel, a curve has to be driven at low speed.

For cars it's acceptable, for pedestrians, the stop is one of the most remote, inconvenient, windswept, and obscure transport stops in Europe. :mad:

Stop watch time, if it takes less than 2 minutes to complete the run its better than before

Just can't understand why a stop isn't built at the Red Cow hotel, instead of forcing people to go all the way to the car park on the tram and making them walk all the way back. :mad:

Pedestrians who wish to access the general area rather than simply the hotel complex, now have no choice but to walk along a 5-minute long narrow footpath right beside the track linking the traffic lights at the hotel with the stop. The alternative route may be safer, but takes twice as long and is basically inaccessible. A new bridge has yet to be opened and is of little help anyway.

To make life easier and safer for pedestrians and visitors, a stop is urgently required to be built at the hotel side of the area. All that's required is a small platform, a ticket machine, and a shelter. How long would it take to build it?

Not as ideal for the hotel, but I understand there is an option for an extra stop at Lonmile Road / New Nagor Road.

A future stop was indeed catered for in the original EIS at the Nangor Road / Longmile Road. The stop was to be cited in the median like the Kylemore stop and to the west of the junction.

I think the Redcow stop was always built to cater for park and ride first and local second. Havent been on the tram through that area since it changed but while the speeds might be slow there are no prospects of collisions or delays due to traffic anymore.

I've always found the speed of the Luas to be slow in general. Living in Amsterdam it can be very belt and braces as they speed through the city, nearly all of which is on street, non segregated.

Is the Luas driven more conservatively than other tram systems?

Yes, its driven way slower than elsewhere, combined with the less than great traffic priority and numerous incidents of red light jumpers you can't really blame the drivers for taking it slow

I'm wondering is there is a deliberate policy of having a low speed limit on that section until all the construction works are done?

An aside:

http://www.luas.ie/news.phphttp://www.luas.ie/page.php?name=Lua...e_at_Red_Co w