Limerick Tunnel Toll Barrier this morning...

MarkR · 03-10-2011 8:23pm #1

I probably shouldn't have laughed, but I did...

I was driving into the city this morning around nine. A guy in a mercedes was way too close behind another driver attempting to use the toll tag lane. Because the merc was so close, the barrier didn't open, and driver in the front had to change lane for a coin booth / toll booth operator. Just as they changed lane, the barrier went up. Merc carried on. Barrier came down on the merc's bonnet.

The barrier broke, or bits of it came flying off anyway. Seemed to be fairly light, and the merc driver didn't stop, so I presume no damage.

Anyone see this before? Wish I had a dash cam. I could have made millions on youtube.

Record car getting damaged
Upload to youtube
??????
Profit!

Berty · 03-10-2011 8:32pm

I have seen it 3 times, would you believe it. Twice on the M6 and once on the M8. The ones on the M1 mind you is covered in foam so they must hit it quite frequently. They are designed to crumple mind you.

The Limerick Tunnel plaza is a joke. Other plazas react immediately when you pass under the tag reader, the light goes green tick and you know you are going to get through.

Multiple cars can get through one by one. In Limerick people are so thick they STOP, they ACTUALLY stop under the reader waiting for the car in front to clear the barrier. When I see this I just use the regular lanes and get through faster.

I call things like the Merc thing, the sheep factor, because people follow each other blindly in traffic, roundabouts, toll plazas etc.

The Toll Company will catch him. They have cameras on the Toll lanes. I know this because I was asked to test the Toll Plaza months back when the tags weren't working(contacted through boards.ie). I was on the phone(handsfree) approaching and he said "I can see you approaching, going through and leaving the Express lane".

Itsdacraic · 04-10-2011 10:02am

On a slightly related topic, what's with traffic in Limerick these days?
It's gone very heavy in the mornings. I have to go half way in the Dock Rd a couple of times a week and lately it's been as bad as it was 3 or 4 years ago.

Also the amount of people cheating the lanes on the double roundabout at the cement factory really grinds my gears.

langdang · 04-10-2011 10:32am

Itsdacraic wrote: »

On a slightly related topic, what's with traffic in Limerick these days?
It's gone very heavy in the mornings. I have to go half way in the Dock Rd a couple of times a week and lately it's been as bad as it was 3 or 4 years ago.

Also the amount of people cheating the lanes on the double roundabout at the cement factory really grinds my gears.

God help us if the economy ever improves, there will be traffic backed up from the roundabouts as far as the south court and clarina.

Not sure if people are cheating or just don't know how to use roundabouts. A little from column A, a little from column B I'd say! Some people are just born more entitled than the rest of us I suppose :mad:

Itsdacraic · 04-10-2011 10:42am

langdang wrote: »

God help us if the economy ever improves, there will be traffic backed up from the roundabouts as far as the south court and clarina.

Not sure if people are cheating or just don't know how to use roundabouts. A little from column A, a little from column B I'd say! Some people are just born more entitled than the rest of us I suppose :mad:

It's definitely cheating in a lot of cases. Cars in the queue behind me in the at the train tracks, pull out and off up the lane for turning right but go straight through both roundabouts before cutting in at the last minute at the top of the queue. People in the correct lane have been getting more and more aggressive in recent weeks in blocking them off!

Goofy · 04-10-2011 10:55am

Yesterday i was coming up to the toll booth and there was a Mercedes jeep slowing down in the fast lane getting ready to use the "express" lane. Slowing down so much that i went passed in the slow lane, went straight up to a free automated lane, dropped in the change that i had ready and took off. When i looked in my mirror after the toll booth the Mercedes was a good 100m behind me.

ZombieBride · 04-10-2011 11:30am

Itsdacraic wrote: »

It's definitely cheating in a lot of cases. Cars in the queue behind me in the at the train tracks, pull out and off up the lane for turning right but go straight through both roundabouts before cutting in at the last minute at the top of the queue. People in the correct lane have been getting more and more aggressive in recent weeks in blocking them off!

So they were doing this, I can't stand this:

296515_283556334993611_254896167859628_1366258_773275_n.jpg

As for the tolls, some people just don't know how to use them, and worry that they will get an enormous fine if it is not done exactly right, and then others are just impatient.

Itsdacraic · 04-10-2011 11:34am

ZombieBride wrote: »

So they were doing this, I can't stand this:

As for the tolls, some people just don't know how to use them, and worry that they will get an enormous fine if it is not done exactly right, and then others are just impatient.

Not exactly what you are describing above but very similar. You'd sort have to know the two roundabouts to appreciate whats happening.

golden8 · 04-10-2011 11:41am

Some people dont know how to drive. Two days ago heading on to the toll plaza at Junction 4, a car on the overtaking lane stopped and went onto the driving lane to get off towards Coonagh. I blasted him out of it as there was a squad car they just looked and went one. So if the laws are of the land are not going to be enforced what hope is there!! The car would of had penalty points as going on the chevrons and dangerous driving.

Roadend · 04-10-2011 2:46pm

Merced, as it were...

steveon · 04-10-2011 10:52pm

Itsdacraic wrote: »

On a slightly related topic, what's with traffic in Limerick these days?
It's gone very heavy in the mornings. I have to go half way in the Dock Rd a couple of times a week and lately it's been as bad as it was 3 or 4 years ago.

Also the amount of people cheating the lanes on the double roundabout at the cement factory really grinds my gears.

Its quite simple too many flippin new traffic lights all out of sequence and people taking their kids to school which is always the furthest one from where the live, too many roadworks going on at once I mean why couldnt the finish william street before attack johns square...

Berty · 04-10-2011 11:14pm

The Dock Traffic inbound might be attributed to the works on the Roches Feeds Roundabout.

I heard a traffic report today "Limerick City - Traffic backed up as far as the Maternity inbound". WHAT? I remember traffic tailing back to the Tennis Courts before the Tunnel.

The only major traffic in Limerick in the mornings is the Ballysimon Road, approach to the Dublin Road Roundabout, the Corbally road and the Dooradoyle-Raheen inbound. Yes, major arteries but once you pass the hot spots causing the delay the tailbacks vanish.

At least until you reach a school.

thesimpsons · 05-10-2011 10:01am

steveon wrote: »

Its quite simple too many flippin new traffic lights all out of sequence and people taking their kids to school which is always the furthest one from where the live, too many roadworks going on at once I mean why couldnt the finish william street before attack johns square...

you gotta blame (in part) the secondary school choice system for this as your only chance of a guaranteed place for your child is to go to school parents are past pupils of. loads of people I know are crossing the city back and forth to bring their kids to school where they themselves went while now living at other side of town.

judosean2005 · 05-10-2011 11:34am

In regards to above diagram. i feel same way when ur going from Parkway to childers road.
Left lane is into GAA pitch etc. right for straight ''indicate'' to left lane for Shopping Centre.
People just fly up left lane straight through lights.

Annoys me sometimes.

Sean

phog · 05-10-2011 12:49pm

judosean2005 wrote: »

In regards to above diagram. i feel same way when ur going from Parkway to childers road.
Left lane is into GAA pitch etc. right for straight ''indicate'' to left lane for Shopping Centre.
People just fly up left lane straight through lights.

Annoys me sometimes.

Sean

Yes, but they should mark the left lane to allow turning left at the lights and straight ahead just for the queue/lane into the Shopping Centre.

Berty · 05-10-2011 1:35pm

phog wrote: »

Yes, but they should mark the left lane to allow turning left at the lights and straight ahead just for the queue/lane into the Shopping Centre.

They should but people will just take liberties.

In Sligo this morning coming in the Bundoran road. Everybody stays in the left because the right lane is for right turn only over the bridge. Yet this morning the right lane was fairly quiet and people were flying down and indicating to get into the left lane. 99% of people were preventing them from merging but its the 1% of people who go "ah go on sur" that makes it ok for the person to continue doing it.

Making the left lane shopping centre lane wont stop a thing.

Look at the Parkway roundabout. People still fly along the shopping ONLY lane and creep right to go down to Clare Street.

THAT I truly hate.

thats not gone well · 05-10-2011 2:56pm

Beer Baron wrote: »

Look at the Parkway roundabout. People still fly along the shopping ONLY lane and creep right to go down to Clare Street.

THAT I truly hate.

the most persistent offenders seem to drive white ford focus's or new shape avensi with these funny blue things on the roof :rolleyes:

ZombieBride · 05-10-2011 4:17pm

Beer Baron wrote: »

Look at the Parkway roundabout. People still fly along the shopping ONLY lane and creep right to go down to Clare Street.

And block the roundabout up so you can't exit to Childers road from the city centre direction.

Once I saw a guy drive the wrong way around that roundabout in rush hour to get from the old Dublin Road exit, to the Childers Road exit.

LB6 · 05-10-2011 10:30pm

That bloody round-about needs traffic lights!

Berty · 05-10-2011 10:40pm

LB6 wrote: »

That bloody round-about needs traffic lights!

Dependant on your age you might not know but it used to be a T Junction with traffic lights.

LB6 · 05-10-2011 10:54pm

I remember - when times were simpler and there was less traffic

Berty · 06-10-2011 12:17pm

LB6 wrote: »

I remember - when times were simpler and there was less traffic

Yes when not everybody had 2 cars in the driveway and their 17yr old son/daughter wasn't driving a 3rd car to school.

The good aul 80's when people didn't have jobs so nowhere to go and IT WAS OK to be like that.

LB6 · 06-10-2011 1:38pm

LMAO!

Mr. TTime · 07-10-2011 5:13pm

My bugbear is the groody roundabout coming from UL. To go into town you take the right lane (usually backed up) but the "entitled" constantly use the left lane and swing the whole way around. Really pisses me off.

Today a Merc flew up the left lane as I was entering the roundabout on the right lane. She wasn't indicating and a car coming from town was turning right to go down the Groody which was by then blocked off by the douche in the Merc swinging around to go back into town.

End result? Squealing tyres from the car wanting to go down the groody, an oblivious b*tch in a Merc and a fuming Mr. TTime...

phill106 · 19-10-2011 9:28am

*bump*
How often do people drive the wrong way on this?
Met an old fella in a small red car in my outside lane approaching the toll from shannon.

Kess73 · 20-10-2011 2:36pm

phill106 wrote: »

*bump*
How often do people drive the wrong way on this?
Met an old fella in a small red car in my outside lane approaching the toll from shannon.

Have met cars coming against me a few times on the stretch between the tunnel entrance and the flyover near Carew park.

Best one I have seen in a while happened yesterday morning, but in the city. Was driving down Edward street, then reached the traffic lights at the end of the Yellow road. Lights went green so I headed towards the turn off onto Mallow street, but before I got there a large army 4X4 turned right from Mallow street, came towards me, swerved around me and headed half way up that one way section before doing a turnabout at speed and going the right way around the green.

AnCapaillMor · 20-10-2011 3:33pm

Kess73 wrote: »

Have met cars coming against me a few times on the stretch between the tunnel entrance and the flyover near Carew park.

Best one I have seen in a while happened yesterday morning, but in the city. Was driving down Edward street, then reached the traffic lights at the end of the Yellow road. Lights went green so I headed towards the turn off onto Mallow street, but before I got there a large army 4X4 turned right from Mallow street, came towards me, swerved around me and headed half way up that one way section before doing a turnabout at speed and going the right way around the green.

Saw 2 cars at different times drive down william street.

As for the tunnel, twice i've been faced by cars coming down the ramp by the cement factory roundabout(the road you use to get onto the tunnel).

thesimpsons · 09-11-2011 8:59pm

just found this nice little bit of news - tunnel toll charge increase. :mad:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/toll-charges-to-rise-in-new-year-2926031.html

Mc Love · 10-11-2011 2:46am

bloody disgrace

Kess73 · 10-11-2011 11:49am

thesimpsons wrote: »

just found this nice little bit of news - tunnel toll charge increase. :mad:

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/toll-charges-to-rise-in-new-year-2926031.html

Ahh the Irish solution to a problem. A service is falling way below target so the solution is to raise the price. Yep that will draw in new users and keep all the current users:D

I guess it does not matter when the tax payer has to make up the shortfall on target figures each year.:mad:

Berty · 10-11-2011 1:34pm

I guess its an odd decision to make but its the regulator who approves these increases. It is fair to say though that the Tunnel is much busier now than it has ever been, by my personal experience anyway, so this will only serve to put people off.

I could understand it if their costs have risen but I doubt they have, at least not by that margin.

Limerick Tunnel Toll Barrier this morning...

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