Irish Motorways with sharp turn offs

johnam · 20-02-2012 9:20pm

Junction 13 on the Limerick to Galway motorway, (i.e. the Tulla Exit on the Ennis Bypass) is crazy, there is no advance warning of the bad corner, or of the speed limit etc. But that is not the bad part, the dangerous part is that the slip lane before the turn is at most 20 meters long, given that it takes 80+ meters to slow from 120kmph to 50kmph at maximum breaking force, this means that you have to slow down on the motorway. This leads to cars behind you either coming right up your tail, or jumping out into the fast lane without looking properly. There is a huge area of land that was used for the site offices for this section of motorway just at the junction, there is no reason for such a short slip lane.
Joining the motor way at this junction is just as bad, there is a 30 meter slip lane to join, so you come around a bad corner at max 40/50kmph, and have 30 meters to get up to motorway speed. Very bad planning

mcwhirter · 20-02-2012 9:22pm

Its very bad considering a lot of these roads were built only a few years ago. Could they not have learnt from other more 'advanced' countries mistakes.

L1011 · 20-02-2012 9:26pm

mcwhirter wrote: »

Its very bad considering a lot of these roads were built only a few years ago. Could they not have learnt from other more 'advanced' countries mistakes.

Roads were planned as 100km/h dual carriageways; and exits of that type are quite normal on those - and on German autobahns for that matter.

Mycroft H · 20-02-2012 9:29pm

Just try driving on a Autobahn in germany, most exits were designed 40-50 years ago when most cars were pottering around at less then 100km/h. A lot of them have fairly sharp off ramps

mcwhirter · 20-02-2012 10:12pm

But Ireland's motorways were built not long ago, when a 'slow' car can do 100mph.

L1011 · 20-02-2012 10:38pm

mcwhirter wrote: »

But Ireland's motorways were built not long ago, when a 'slow' car can do 100mph.

They weren't "meant" to be motorways.

Guy:Incognito · 20-02-2012 10:46pm

mcwhirter wrote: »

But Ireland's motorways were built not long ago, when a 'slow' car can do 100mph.

A slow car (or any) car shouldnt be doing 100mph though. They build roads and put 100 -120km speed limits on them. If someone decides to exit the motorway at 100mph + and crashes, thats not the fault of anyone but the driver.

mcwhirter · 20-02-2012 10:55pm

never said to do 100mph on a corner, max speed is 100 mph, the new roads should reflect the higher speeds in a modern society compared to old autobahn built for cars at pottering about speeds.

Plenty of trucks tipped over on the exits of m50 for instance due to too tight bends.

2012:fast

1962 : slow

L1011 · 20-02-2012 11:19pm

mcwhirter wrote: »

Plenty of trucks tipped over on the exits of m50 for instance due to too tight bends.

For "plenty", read "one".

Well hung · 20-02-2012 11:20pm

Have to agree that some of the slip roads on and off the motorway in this country have been designed terribly.

Another slip road were it can be quite difficult to merge on in heavy traffic is the n3 to m50 heading northbound. If you were to only cross were the broken lines are all you have is about 2 and half car lengths, it also narrows very quickly.

dgt · 20-02-2012 11:21pm

How about this exit?

mcwhirter · 20-02-2012 11:28pm

The facts are very easily sought, get in your car and drive, tight bends galore in modern ireland.

Ronnie Beck · 20-02-2012 11:28pm

no last minute decisions here. It's lucky there's a second turn off the far side of ennis. Must have been a issues with the budget on this one.

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L1011 · 20-02-2012 11:41pm

dgt wrote: »

How about this exit?

That one is still on a dualer - JUST.

randy hickey · 20-02-2012 11:45pm

Simple solution to this problem;

1) Leave all "sharp" motorway exits as they are.

2) Introduce drifting to the driving test.

Chimaera · 21-02-2012 12:45am

As others have said, the problem with these junctions isn't the bend at the end, it's the ridiculously short decelerating lane you get on the main carriageway.

To arrive at the bend at a safe speed, you either leave the traffic lane at 80 km/h or less, or use the hard shoulder to decelerate. Slowing down that much in traffic is not terribly safe or courteous to other drivers, and you're not really meant to use the hard shoulder to drive in.

Tallon · 21-02-2012 12:54am

deandean wrote: »

That Roscrea one an the M7 is I reckon, the worst / most dangerous one in the country.

The Moneygal one is way worse.. Every time I go down there, I'm tempted to stay going to Nenagh it's that bad!

Guy:Incognito · 21-02-2012 12:55am

mcwhirter wrote: »

Plenty of trucks tipped over on the exits of m50 for instance due to too tight bends.

Was the truck that tipped over doing more than the (iirc) 30km limit posted on those bends?

Well hung wrote: »

Another slip road were it can be quite difficult to merge on in heavy traffic is the n3 to m50 heading northbound. If you were to only cross were the broken lines are all you have is about 2 and half car lengths, it also narrows very quickly.

Your not meant to fly up to that bit then look to your right and hope for a gap. When your merging you have all the space before that part to line yourself up in a gap.

It never ceaeses to amaze me how 90% of the cars fight their way in to the right slip lane on all the M50 ramps then try merge in the few meteres as a big block instead of usesing the huge long lane to the right that goes all the way to the next junction when they can take their time to merge.

challengemaster · 21-02-2012 12:58am

Ronnie Beck wrote: »

no last minute decisions here. It's lucky there's a second turn off the far side of ennis. Must have been a issues with the budget on this one.

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Have to say any time I've driven that road, I've found that was the most fun part of it

L1011 · 21-02-2012 1:16am

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Was the truck that tipped over doing more than the (iirc) 30km limit posted on those bends?

The 30 limit is from after the truck-tipping. But I'd imagine they were doing more than the 50 that was posted before.

antodeco · 21-02-2012 1:18am

The fassaroe junction at Bray isn't the best turn off either.

Marlow · 21-02-2012 3:40am

Well, one that's serious bad, is the junction of the M18 at Crusheen. http://osm.org/go/eseYzLLRp-

The short offrun and the bend are one problem, but honestly, the planner that designed this needs to be shot.

Who lets one sliproad end at another sliproad in a T-junction ? Instead of bringing it into the roundabout where the other sliproad is ending ?

/M

Well hung · 21-02-2012 11:03am

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

mcwhirter wrote: »

Plenty of trucks tipped over on the exits of m50 for instance due to too tight bends.

Was the truck that tipped over doing more than the (iirc) 30km limit posted on those bends?

Well hung wrote: »

Another slip road were it can be quite difficult to merge on in heavy traffic is the n3 to m50 heading northbound. If you were to only cross were the broken lines are all you have is about 2 and half car lengths, it also narrows very quickly.

Your not meant to fly up to that bit then look to your right and hope for a gap. When your merging you have all the space before that part to line yourself up in a gap.

It never ceaeses to amaze me how 90% of the cars fight their way in to the right slip lane on all the M50 ramps then try merge in the few meteres as a big block instead of usesing the huge long lane to the right that goes all the way to the next junction when they can take their time to merge.

I'm fully aware of lining yourself up, but even still with cars merging in ahead of you causing cars to slow down this can be hard to get 100% right, this is why I feel its a bit of a short merge on lane.

And in the junction I'm talking about, the direction I come from only allows you to merge on at this lane, not the other to the left.

keithclancy · 21-02-2012 11:14am

dgt wrote: »

How about this exit?

If you move back a bit you'll see that you have a good 200 meters to slow down before the exit:

Link

If your taking the exit its a given that you slow down to 50km/h.

In my experience its the people that tailgate the people joining the motorway at 80km/h. If they are driving slowly down the slip road i'll slow down to give myself a good 150 meter Gap, then I have plenty of space to pick up speed and join at the pace of traffic.

IMO Belgium is the worst, they have some crazy parts where you can turn around on the Dual Carriage way and pull in from Overtaking lane and join on the overtaking lane, Poland is the same I believe.

Germany is ok, if someone is flaking down the right hand lane then they should pull out to leave you join the Motorway. The exits within exits are more confusing, especially when using a sat nav.

Irelands grand, driving when I'm back I haven't experienced any bad slip roads, if you can't see the road ahead slow to 50km/h.

Same rule as over here really, take your time, leave enough space between you and the car in front.

johnam · 21-02-2012 12:32pm

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&ll=52.858161,-8.937179&spn=0.001772,0.005284&t=m&layer=c&cbll=52.857911,-8.937154&panoid=mbq5zOzyqPh2EW3ESfQ7UQ&cbp=12,327.23,,0,24.4&z=18

There is not big slowing down lane here, 30 meters or so.... this is junction 13, junction 14 has already been pictured in this thread....planners should be shot. as I said earlier, the lane for joining the motorway is short too, leaving no chance to have gotten up to proper speeds before pulling onto the motorway

johnam · 21-02-2012 12:38pm

This is junction 13 in the opposite direction....again, I dont understand why 1) they made it such a tight turn off when they have so much land left to the side, which could have been used to create a easier turn, meaning you don't have to slow on the motorway. and 2) if they wanted to make the turn that tight, who didn't they use a bit more than 30 odd meters for a slowing (exit) lane....

http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&ll=52.861004,-8.937413&spn=0.000886,0.002642&t=m&layer=c&cbll=52.861136,-8.937452&panoid=6oiK8vINiDEpJLxbcXHVdw&cbp=12,4.85,,0,-2.47&z=19

johnam · 21-02-2012 12:44pm

keithclancy wrote: »

IMO Belgium is the worst, they have some crazy parts where you can turn around on the Dual Carriage way and pull in from Overtaking lane and join on the overtaking lane, Poland is the same I believe.

You don't have to go to Poland or Belguim to find that....there used to be two or three of those junctions along the dual carriage way from Limerick to Ennis, most are gone now I think, but for example....http://maps.google.ie/maps?hl=en&ll=52.678503,-8.692353&spn=0.003558,0.010568&t=m&layer=c&cbll=52.678586,-8.692969&panoid=4Wj4JCE1fVitGtP0M1ZHgw&cbp=12,334.21,,0,11.71&z=17

mcwhirter · 21-02-2012 11:08pm

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Was the truck that tipped over doing more than the (iirc) 30km limit posted on those bends?

Your not meant to fly up to that bit then look to your right and hope for a gap. When your merging you have all the space before that part to line yourself up in a gap.

It never ceaeses to amaze me how 90% of the cars fight their way in to the right slip lane on all the M50 ramps then try merge in the few meteres as a big block instead of usesing the huge long lane to the right that goes all the way to the next junction when they can take their time to merge.

I am sure it wasn't 30kmh at the time and was changed due to the multiple pile-ups

Frank Black · 21-02-2012 11:55pm

mcwhirter wrote: »

I am sure it wasn't 30kmh at the time and was changed due to the multiple pile-ups

The horizontal radii used in this type of junction design is for a 30km/h design speed.

I'd be more than suprised if the posted speed limit ever exceed this.

Dartz · 22-02-2012 12:00am

My favourite one is one of the spaghetti ends coming off the M50 Southbound at the Blanchardstown roundabout yoke.

It weaves and ducks and holds a radius and you can see in the barrier where more than a few have gone in.

And it's great fun to nail it around and push the car for a few brief moments. When there's no-one on it with you, natch.

Irish Motorways with sharp turn offs

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