Update on traffic flow on Griffith Avenue / Philipsburgh Avenue junction
All Hallows Area Association have recently been in contact with Dublin City Council Environment & Transportation Department with regard to regular problems with tailbacks on Griffith Avenue at the Philipsburgh Avenue junction as a result of very fast light sequence changes.
The response from Dublin City Council is below and we hope their acknowledgement of the issue, along with upcoming changes will improve the situation
I am aware of traffic movement issues at the junction in question. It is constantly being monitored and adjusted,
Two matters are at play that are leading to delays.
Firstly, as part the response to the current covid19 public health emergency restrictions, Dublin City Council have reduced traffic signal cycle times across the city from a maximum of 120 seconds to a maximum of 80 seconds which reduces the amount of vehicle green signal time available each cycle of the signals. These measures encourage more walking in the city and relieve pressure on public transport modes and avoid pedestrian congestion on footpaths, pinch points and narrow islands at crossings thereby better allowing for social distancing to occur. These measures whilst prioritising pedestrians activity do, however, reduce the number of vehicles that can move through a junction each cycle of the traffic signals.
You can view information on these measures at https://www.dublincity.ie/main-menu-services-roads-and-traffic-dublin-city-covid-mobility-programme/improving-pedestrian .
The ITS section are, however, reviewing areas with high levels of delays with a view to making targeted interventions to improve the efficiency of junctions for all road users.
Secondly, as you alluded to, is the junction layout at Philipsburgh Ave/Griffith Ave, with multiple approaches and pedestrian crossings. Public transport services also receive extra priority at the junction. These conflicting demands means that it is difficult to achieve a balance between different conflicting approaches and road users on different modes of transportation.
However, following a recent review, the traffic signal cycle time has been increased to assist traffic movement.
Also, and more importantly, a new junction operation is currently being programmed to run all pedestrian crossings concurrently which will both enhance pedestrian safety and release extra timings each traffic signal cycle to be utilised by road traffic. I would expect this new operation to be live in coming couple of weeks and would hope it will improve traffic movements at the junction considerably.