M50 thread

Amtmann · 18-10-2010 9:48pm #1

For all things M50-related.

Telchak · 18-10-2010 10:12pm

Is there any aerial (not satellite) photos of the upgraded junctions on the northern cross? (:

garancafan · 18-10-2010 10:21pm

It was a long time coming. But it has transformed the quality of life for Irish people.

slinky2000 · 19-10-2010 12:05am

I really can't remember what it was like or how people managed before it was built!

Even when it was finished it was a pain in the bum with the tolls but it must have been even worse without it!

ongarboy · 26-10-2010 9:08am

Hi, can someone clarify something for me on the N3 junction of the M50, please? If I am travelling M50 northbound and exiting at the N3 junction to get onto the Cavan Road, I notice that the left lane is marked for city centre or Castleknock bound motorists and the right lane for Navan/Cavan bound motorists. As I am Clonee bound, when I noticed this, I'd been on the left lane of the exit and failed to move over to the right lane in time and thought, crap, I'm going to end up in the city but the left lane also allows you to continue on the Navan road without issue (apart from traffic lights)

So my long winded question is, is the right lane a free flowing lane or a more seamless route for Cavan/Navan bound motorists? I can't see any drawback to using the left lane otherwise apart from the traffic lights.

Jayuu · 26-10-2010 10:55am

ongarboy wrote: »

Hi, can someone clarify something for me on the N3 junction of the M50, please? If I am travelling M50 northbound and exiting at the N3 junction to get onto the Cavan Road, I notice that the left lane is marked for city centre or Castleknock bound motorists and the right lane for Navan/Cavan bound motorists. As I am Clonee bound, when I noticed this, I'd been on the left lane of the exit and failed to move over to the right lane in time and thought, crap, I'm going to end up in the city but the left lane also allows you to continue on the Navan road without issue (apart from traffic lights)

So my long winded question is, is the right lane a free flowing lane or a more seamless route for Cavan/Navan bound motorists? I can't see any drawback to using the left lane otherwise apart from the traffic lights.

That's exactly it. See the link below for a map of the layout. The only potential issue with using the left lane might be a build-up of traffic at busy times. The signs are listed as such to give the best option to those approaching the junction. Clearly most people would prefer not to have to stop at traffic lights if they don't have to.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=53.3835&lon=-6.36746&zoom=16&layers=M

etchyed · 26-10-2010 10:55am

ongarboy wrote: »

Hi, can someone clarify something for me on the N3 junction of the M50, please? If I am travelling M50 northbound and exiting at the N3 junction to get onto the Cavan Road, I notice that the left lane is marked for city centre or Castleknock bound motorists and the right lane for Navan/Cavan bound motorists. As I am Clonee bound, when I noticed this, I'd been on the left lane of the exit and failed to move over to the right lane in time and thought, crap, I'm going to end up in the city but the left lane also allows you to continue on the Navan road without issue (apart from traffic lights)

So my long winded question is, is the right lane a free flowing lane or a more seamless route for Cavan/Navan bound motorists? I can't see any drawback to using the left lane otherwise apart from the traffic lights.

At busy times that's a pretty big drawback. The right lane is a free flowing lane that bypasses not only the lights at the M50 roundabout but also the lights at the Blanch village turnoff. Navan traffic is directed this way only in order to minimise the amount of traffic using the roundabout, as for some movements using the roundabout is still necessary.

ongarboy · 26-10-2010 11:00am

thanks guys for the handy advice- will remember to lane position in time in future!

darkman2 · 26-10-2010 4:20pm

Found this vid on Youtube. Shows alot of the M50 (and new services on the M1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpCEZf4sDkk

If you can count the number of bridges over and under the mainline at the N3 interchange on the first attempt you get an apple!

996tt · 26-10-2010 4:36pm

what an assho!e, sitting in the middle lane all the way around the m50

darkman2 · 26-10-2010 4:51pm

Also on the M50.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7wThNq7jIk

Seen that alot aswell.

johnthemull · 26-10-2010 4:58pm

Maybe someday a miracle will happen and your average paddy will pick
up a copy of the rules of the road and learn how to use motorways

mackerski · 26-10-2010 5:52pm

darkman2 wrote: »

Found this vid on Youtube. Shows alot of the M50 (and new services on the M1).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpCEZf4sDkk

If you can count the number of bridges over and under the mainline at the N3 interchange on the first attempt you get an apple!

Excellent footage of a middle-lane moron.

veryangryman · 26-10-2010 9:24pm

mackerski wrote: »

Excellent footage of a middle-lane moron.

I know i am going to get shot down for this but...

On the M50 there is a case for using the middle lane at busier times for merging traffic.

Yes its not the correct way of going but sometimes its unrealistic to merge safely if everyone is following the rules and not letting you through.

mackerski · 26-10-2010 9:38pm

veryangryman wrote: »

On the M50 there is a case for using the middle lane at busier times for merging traffic.

Yes its not the correct way of going but sometimes its unrealistic to merge safely if everyone is following the rules and not letting you through.

I disagree. Or at least, I think you've simplified too widely. Firstly, following the rules does not imply failure to allow merging. Indeed, orderly driving requires a generous enough distance between you and the vehicle in front that a driver entering the motorway would have no trouble merging "properly". Properly in this case is defined thus: "Match your speed to that of the cars on the mainline, find a gap, signal your intention and merge". On the M50, because of the presence of the auxiliary lane, drivers have the luxury to be able to take a long time to execute this merge.

At times of heavy traffic, of course, at certain cruising speeds it will be valid for you to stay in the middle lane - in that you may end up continuously passing slower traffic to your left. In this video clip we can see that this is not the case, as the driver is frequently passed on the left side by faster vehicles.

Carawaystick · 27-10-2010 12:15am

mackerski wrote: »

. On the M50, because of the presence of the auxiliary lane, drivers have the luxury to be able to take a long time to execute this merge.

Apart from all the very short( 50-100m) merges such as at Ballymun, Liffey Valley, RedCow etc, where traffic coming on at one junction to leave at the next has to merge and demerge, defeating the purpose of the auxilliary lane.

ongarboy · 27-10-2010 12:43pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

Apart from all the very short( 50-100m) merges such as at Ballymun, Liffey Valley, RedCow etc, where traffic coming on at one junction to leave at the next has to merge and demerge, defeating the purpose of the auxilliary lane.

In those scenarios, would it be correct to just remain in the auxiliary lane if you enter at one junction and leaving at the next if only a short distance away? On a seperate note, on the rare occasion nowadays that the 3 main lanes of the m50 are backed up, is it legal to use the auxiliary lane if that is free flowing even if you are not intending to exit the m50 for a while? Are there actual documented ROTRs pertaining to auxiliary road etiquette as this is a relatively new concept to Ireland since the M50 upgrade?

Roryhy · 27-10-2010 1:23pm

ongarboy wrote: »

Are there actual documented ROTRs pertaining to auxiliary road etiquette as this is a relatively new concept to Ireland since the M50 upgrade?

I have what i think to be the newest edition of the rules of the road(laws as of 1st March 2007) and there is zero mention of auxillary lanes anywhere!

Jayuu · 28-10-2010 2:06am

I don't know if there's anything official but the idea of an auxiliary lane is for traffic joining at one junction and leaving at the next to not have to merge with the mainline. Therefore you should only be in that lane if you do intend to leave at the next junction.

Personally I think if I were in a slow moving mainline and some idiot came up on the auxiliary lane and then tried to merge right just before the junction I'd be pretty p1$$ed off at him/her and might not be that accomodating. So while it may not be strictly illegal I would suggest that its quite bad mannered.

triple-M · 05-11-2010 10:13pm

Have the road markings been changed on the n3 inbound approaching the m50 junction?seems the entire left lane now heads towards the m50 north as opposed to a slip road diverging from the left lane with the left lane continuing citybound

mackerski · 05-11-2010 10:16pm

triple-M wrote: »

Have the road markings been changed on the n3 inbound approaching the m50 junction?seems the entire left lane now heads towards the m50 north as opposed to a slip road diverging from the left lane with the left lane continuing citybound

Yes. The new layout matches the gantry signs. Previously if you trusted the signs you could end up in the wrong lane, which was bad. One wonders how these kinds of mistakes can be made.

triple-M · 05-11-2010 11:41pm

mackerski wrote: »

Yes. The new layout matches the gantry signs. Previously if you trusted the signs you could end up in the wrong lane, which was bad. One wonders how these kinds of mistakes can be made.

ah i thought so normally when heading citybound i'd of stayed in the left lane even though the gantries told me to use the middle lane as it was the left lane that headed towards town but all of a sudden today i find myself heading towards m50N and had to make a quick maneuvre!

Carawaystick · 09-11-2010 1:17am

ongarboy wrote: »

In those scenarios, would it be correct to just remain in the auxiliary lane if you enter at one junction and leaving at the next if only a short distance away? On a seperate note, on the rare occasion nowadays that the 3 main lanes of the m50 are backed up, is it legal to use the auxiliary lane if that is free flowing even if you are not intending to exit the m50 for a while? Are there actual documented ROTRs pertaining to auxiliary road etiquette as this is a relatively new concept to Ireland since the M50 upgrade?

No!
there's no auxilliary lane to stay in.
You have to merge onto the mainline and then move back left into the auxilliary lane to do this. Which defeats the purpose of the auxiliary lane as was expounded by the nra when the schemes began......

For certain movements you can stay in the auxilliary lane, but for others you can't.

celticbest · 09-11-2010 4:01pm

ongarboy wrote: »

In those scenarios, would it be correct to just remain in the auxiliary lane if you enter at one junction and leaving at the next if only a short distance away? On a seperate note, on the rare occasion nowadays that the 3 main lanes of the m50 are backed up, is it legal to use the auxiliary lane if that is free flowing even if you are not intending to exit the m50 for a while? Are there actual documented ROTRs pertaining to auxiliary road etiquette as this is a relatively new concept to Ireland since the M50 upgrade?

Carawaystick wrote: »

No!
there's no auxilliary lane to stay in.
You have to merge onto the mainline and then move back left into the auxilliary lane to do this. Which defeats the purpose of the auxiliary lane as was expounded by the nra when the schemes began......

For certain movements you can stay in the auxilliary lane, but for others you can't.

Carawaystick, I think ongarboy meant are you allowed to stay in the auxiliary lane between two junctions if there is one available.

If this is what he meant then yes you are allowed to stay in the auxiliary lane, as an example if you come on the M50 at Junction 4 Ballymun & are exiting at Junction 5 Finglas going SB, then you may stay in the auxiliary lane for the length of your journey on the M50.

Carawaystick · 09-11-2010 4:29pm

celticbest wrote: »

Carawaystick, I think ongarboy meant are you allowed to stay in the auxiliary lane between two junctions if there is one available.

If this is what he meant then yes you are allowed to stay in the auxiliary lane, as an example if you come on the M50 at Junction 4 Ballymun & are exiting at Junction 5 Finglas going SB, then you may stay in the auxiliary lane for the length of your journey on the M50.

Only if you are coming onto the M50 at Ballymun from the city side; from the Naul side you have to merge and then move back left to the Aux lane.

I thought the whole idea of the upgrade works was to reduce weaving, but the junctions seem to increase it, as they now have short merges.

celticbest · 10-11-2010 10:34am

Carawaystick wrote: »

Only if you are coming onto the M50 at Ballymun from the city side; from the Naul side you have to merge and then move back left to the Aux lane.

I thought the whole idea of the upgrade works was to reduce weaving, but the junctions seem to increase it, as they now have short merges.

That's incorrect.

I purposely came from the Naul side at Junction 4 this morning and there is at least 200 meters on the slip road to move into the left hand lane and thus you can therefore stay in the Auxiliary lane from Junction 4 to Junction 5 NB.

Jimbob1977 · 11-11-2010 4:25pm

I noted two months ago that the lane signage on Exit 13 Southbound Ramp (Rathfarnham, Dundrum and Sandyford) was overgrown with branches and greenery. This is a steep downhill exit and lane discipline is important because speeds are still high. Overgrown signage makes weaving and last-minute decisions more likely.

I wrote to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and suggested some pruning and chopping. No action taken and no response to my e-mail.

Then I wrote to the National Roads Authority last month. No action taken and no response to my e-mail.

Can anyone tell me if the signs are still overgrown today? Surely employees of the County Council and the NRA must travel these roads to work and take a mental note for later....

csd · 15-11-2010 1:28am

Folks,

It was cold and mostly clear tonight, so I thought I'd take a few snaps in and around J6. This area has seen perhaps some of the most dramatic changes due to the upgrade works, so I hope these shots are of interest.

First, a key map. The numbers on the map below correspond roughly to where the shots were taken.
Key%20image.jpg

Location 1 first. This is a panorama of four shots stitched together looking west and north from the vantage point. The loop visible is the M50 southbound to N3 outbound freeflow slip, with the Royal Canal visible to the extreme left. Vantage point 2 is visible here, directly across the sliproad below, where the bridge ends in the middle of the frame.

Moving to vantage point 2, we're looking northwest at the N3 to M50 South, N3 to City, and M50 northbound to N3 outbound slips passing under original M50 SB offramp to the roundabout. Immediately beyond this overpass, the carriageways cross the M50 mainline.

Turning the camera around to face the opposite way, L to R we see the N3 inbound to City, N3 inbound to M50 southbound, and M50 northbound to N3 outbound carriageways.

Now we move to vantage point 3, the canal aqueduct across the M50 mainline. The first shot looks northeast at the M50 mainline. The high bridge in the foreground is the northern half of the original grade-separated roundabout junction, while visible in the distance is the new bridge seen from the first of the viewpoint 2 photos.

Here's a shot of the Royal Canal as it crosses the M50 mainline on the aqueduct. It's hard to believe that the motorway is immediately below the water here. The bridge in the distance is part of the western section of the original grade-separated roundabout.

Looking back to the east, we see one of the original canal bridges, which has somehow survived the both the original junction six and its subsequent upgrading.

We now move to vantage point 4, under the three flyovers than span the canal and the railway. Looking south from the north bank of the canal, we're right under the N3 inbound M50 southbound (L) and M50 northbound to N3 outbound (R) bridges. The Dublin to Sligo railway line is immediately behind the metal fence at the bottom of the shot.

Looking west from under the bridge, the M50 southbound to N3 outbound loop is seen merging with the M50 northbound to N3 outbound flyover.

Turning the camera back the other way, we see the same loop as it dives under the three bridges.

My final shot is a driver's eye view (almost!) of the M50 southbound to N3 outbound loop, just as it passes under the three bridges marked at (4) on the key map.

If the weather holds (and anyone's interested!) I'll try and get more shots of this and J7 during the week.

/csd

Jayuu · 16-11-2010 5:53pm

Stunning photographs. Very nicely done.

Chris_5339762 · 16-11-2010 6:21pm

Those pictures are fantastic. What camera have you got?

csd · 16-11-2010 11:23pm

Thanks for the kind words folks, I have a Canon EOS 450D.

Here's another batch, from yesterday.

First, the key map. These shots were taken from 5, 6, and 7.

Key map 2 by csd75, on Flickr

The first few are from vantage point 5, in the northwest corner of the interchange. These two are looking east towards the city.

N3 looking inbound by csd75, on Flickr

N3 looking inbound by csd75, on Flickr

Looking west.

N3 looking outbound by csd75, on Flickr

Moving closer to town, past the gantry sign looking east.

N3 looking inbound by csd75, on Flickr

Moving to vantage point 6, this is the River Tolka at the lowest point of the interchange, looking west. The bridge in the middle distance carries the M50 mainline southbound carriageway.

Bottom of junction six by csd75, on Flickr

This is the pedestrian underpass on the way to vantage point 7 from Castleknock. The tunnel has been lengthened as the result of the new freeflow N3 to M50 southbound sliproad.

Pedestrian underpass by csd75, on Flickr

The view from vantage point 7 looking north. The bridge in the foreground is the southern half of the old grade-separated roundabout. Anyone know what the bridge pier was supposed to be for?

Castleknock - Blanchardstown pedestrian bridge by csd75, on Flickr

Finally, the view south from the same location. In the foreground is the new M50 northbound to N3 outbound freeflow slip.

Castleknock - Blanchardstown pedestrian bridge by csd75, on Flickr

/csd

M50 thread

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