N7 Naas Road Widening

mackerski

Chris_533976 wrote:

Nah I by one I meant going from 2 lanes to 3 on each side. So technically 2 extra lanes. But they should put 2 extra lanes on EACH side while they have it all dug up.

By the time it's all done, there'll be four lanes in each direction - the only caveat being that one of them will be dropped (and immediately regained) at each junction. Since the NRA seems determined to sign all junctions as lane drops, this is possibly no bad thing.

Dermot

murphaph

mackerski wrote:

By the time it's all done, there'll be four lanes in each direction - the only caveat being that one of them will be dropped (and immediately regained) at each junction. Since the NRA seems determined to sign all junctions as lane drops, this is possibly no bad thing.

Hmmm, interesting thought, designing your roads around your signage. Could this be a world first? Bloody NRA idiots.

BrianD

spacetweek wrote:

As for the signage, I only saw half-gantries up when I was on it heading for Bob Dylan a few weeks ago, and they looked great.

Great that they have overhead signage but what's with the daft signs that they fit to these gantries. You have information duplicated that makes it hard for a motorist to take in one one glance. Then they have these weird arrows that point 'south west' instead on 'north west' for the slip roads. None of it makes sense and seems to be in contravention of all legal and international norms.

Some self-appointed moron in the NRA started this dreadful signage with the opening of the last section of the M50 to the N11. We now have signage that encourages motorists to sit in the over taking lane (because this is what the sign says if you want to go to wexford). I wonder has this been a factor in the number of multi-vehicle RTA's on this section of road since it opened?

For the ultimate in daftness and "we really haven't a clue" check out the exit from the M11 to M50. Bizarrely this is labeled Exit 17 on the M11 (who knows why!!) and it has lane arrows on duplicated signs that defy all logic. Not only is it daft, it is dangerous and confusing (given the average standard of driving in Ireland).

Somebody in the signpost dept should take a trip up to Belfast and drive the M1, check out the signage and see how easy it is for the driver to take in the info and drive.

Victor

spacetweek wrote:

And why does Goffs get its own dedicated entrance?

They've had it for a long time. CRH also have one.

spacetweek

Victor wrote:

They've had it for a long time. CRH also have one.

Yea, I know, but I was referring to the new, reconfigured road. They still have a dedicated entrance. Not good, they could just use the nearby Johnstown interchange.

D'Peoples Voice

BrianD wrote:

Then they have these weird arrows that point 'south west' instead on 'north west' for the slip roads. None of it makes sense and seems to be in contravention of all legal and international norms.

Someone should tell the motorway companies in south west france then because they use the same downward sloping arrows.

BrianD wrote:

Some self-appointed moron in the NRA started this dreadful signage with the opening of the last section of the M50 to the N11. We now have signage that encourages motorists to sit in the over taking lane (because this is what the sign says if you want to go to wexford).

Same standard as on the autostrada in Italy - and by the way it is the local council who are in charge of signs not the NRA, although I agree with you that the NRA should specifiy a national standard for all local authorities to follow.

mackerski

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

Same standard as on the autostrada in Italy

Not on any I've ever driven on. On a two lane road with a standard exit, the Italians do not tell leaving traffic to get into lane 1 and all other traffic to use lane 2.

Dermot

D'Peoples Voice

mackerski wrote:

Not on any I've ever driven on. On a two lane road with a standard exit, the Italians do not tell leaving traffic to get into lane 1 and all other traffic to use lane 2.

Dermot

They definitely have them on the motorway between Brescia and Padova!
And yes, my initial instincts was to constantly go into the middle lane each time,
I say middle because for most of the route the road was three lane!

Another thing about Italian motorways, especially the one leading to the Mont Blanc tunnel, they sometimes reduce down to one lane each direction. Couldn't quite get my head around that.

mysterious

I cannot get my head around that fact that there is so many dedications to goffs, poitin still, Newcastle, and the other back lanes at Steelstown yet within a few hundred yards in every direction there is a major junction. In fact there are quite close to each other. I miean if you were to look at a map of this finished route you'd easliy spot how close there are and no other M or DC in Ireland would have that concentrated amount of slips and interchanges. Take M4 (I know there are different roads but they have simular traffic movements i.e trunk and commuter and local) they have three interchanges between Kilcock and Leixlip or I think four now? but the point is it's so stupid to have dedicated triangles off and on ramps when they could use the interchange..:rolleyes:

It's a good road, but we Irish still make mistakes for spending millions on such a big project....

mobpd

Now that the main works are complete and we have the 3 lanes each way from Rathcoole to Naas has anyone else noticed the increase in people tootling down the middle or outside lanes and refusing to move over to left when no longer OVERTAKING anything.....
There was a guy sat in middle lane yesterday going much slower than the other lanes and despite me flashing him to move over he hand signaled that i should UNDERTAKE him on the left.....ffs
It seems by opening the 3rd lane we expose loads more people who have no clue what the rules of the road are?

BrianD

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

Someone should tell the motorway companies in south west france then because they use the same downward sloping arrows.

Same standard as on the autostrada in Italy - and by the way it is the local council who are in charge of signs not the NRA, although I agree with you that the NRA should specifiy a national standard for all local authorities to follow.

AFAIK it is against our national standards. Out of curiosity do you find it odd when you are looking at them as you drive? This method is not as 'logical' as the other way around as used elsewhere.

regedit

mobpd wrote:

Now that the main works are complete and we have the 3 lanes each way from Rathcoole to Naas has anyone else noticed the increase in people tootling down the middle or outside lanes and refusing to move over to left when no longer OVERTAKING anything.....
There was a guy sat in middle lane yesterday going much slower than the other lanes and despite me flashing him to move over he hand signaled that i should UNDERTAKE him on the left.....ffs
It seems by opening the 3rd lane we expose loads more people who have no clue what the rules of the road are?

This is interesting when driving in Ireland. You will also see senior citizens driving on the fast lane (say M50) and doing 70 mph. If you try to overtake them they will just saty there and try tio signal that they are driving at the speed limit. M50 is not a road where one can drive madly because of the speed camera's (weell, UK drivers are excluded) but nevertheless, it is my right to drive if I wish 100 mph (which I never did/would) but these drivers do not care about it! I dread the notion that this is happening in the Naas road!
BTW, does anyone have an idea when is it going to open officialy (I presume Bertie will cut the ribbon)!

mysterious

regedit wrote:

This is interesting when driving in Ireland. You will also see senior citizens driving on the fast lane (say M50) and doing 70 mph. If you try to overtake them they will just saty there and try tio signal that they are driving at the speed limit. M50 is not a road where one can drive madly because of the speed camera's (weell, UK drivers are excluded) but nevertheless, it is my right to drive if I wish 100 mph (which I never did/would) but these drivers do not care about it! I dread the notion that this is happening in the Naas road!
BTW, does anyone have an idea when is it going to open officialy (I presume Bertie will cut the ribbon)!

I can already imagine the cauios on this road, one thing the M50 has over the Naas road, less bogmen. You will much more country people travelling up a road that is 6 lanes compared to a slow paced 4 laned M50.. I mean practically all of south leinster and Munster use this road daily, so plenty of bogger's...:D Sorry to make offence. I'm from the country also...

Boggmen will be doing 75.1 in the fast lane alright. and you'll get an idiot doing 50 in the middle lane telling everyone to pass on the inside including trucks "sure there would say - "there's y' is loadss of spasesh"

never mind illegal..

It will take a few years to get used to, alright. though we do have a reasonable amount of Motorways in this country now, that people would get the swing of things, but I still see the odd car when I'm on the Motorway, more often than not, racing in the inside lane and overtaking cars on the right etc and I see idiots doing 70 flat on the fast lane:rolleyes:

Andrew Duffy

I expect to see large numbers of collisions due to someone finishing an overtake in lane 3 returning to lane 2 colliding with someone starting an overtake from lane 1 moving into lane 2 as we get long stretches of three-lane motorway or dual carraigeway. Of course, our rules of the road is still ten years out of date and is rubbish compared to the highway code in the UK anyway. Any replacement should be based on that and Roadcraft, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

D'Peoples Voice

mobpd wrote:

There was a guy sat in middle lane yesterday going much slower than the other lanes and despite me flashing him to move over he hand signaled that i should UNDERTAKE him on the left.....ffs

I undertake regularly, and if I'm ever caught, I'll say "I was driving at the speed limit in my lane, it's not my fault the guy on the right of me was driving at a slower speed than the maximum allowed, and hence I passed him".
Case dismissed your honour, because you can't charge me for driving at the maximum speed limit in my lane REGARDLESS of what's to be right! Now if i had to break the speed limit to undertake, that's a different matter!

spacetweek

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

I undertake regularly, and if I'm ever caught, I'll say "I was driving at the speed limit in my lane, it's not my fault the guy on the right of me was driving at a slower speed than the maximum allowed, and hence I passed him".

The scenario you've described is legal. The ROTR say you can undertake if the traffic in the lane to the right is travelling more slowly than you, so long as you are not yourself breaking the speed limit.

spacetweek

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

Another thing about Italian motorways, especially the one leading to the Mont Blanc tunnel, they sometimes reduce down to one lane each direction. Couldn't quite get my head around that.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel isn't a motorway, it's not marked as one on any maps. That's why it's only 1 lane each way.

Although it is in fact possible for a motorway to have only 1 lane each way - it's called a 2-lane expressway. They are very unusual in Europe and North America, but common in places like Eastern Europe and Mexico. As traffic rises, you widen to 4 lanes.

spacetweek

mysterious wrote:

I cannot get my head around that fact that there is so many dedications to goffs, poitin still, <snip> Take M4 (I know there are different roads but they have simular traffic movements i.e trunk and commuter and local) they have three interchanges between Kilcock and Leixlip or I think four now?

I find the dedicated entrances annoying too, but the M4 and N7 are totally different. The M4 was a new build and existing properties didn't need to be accomodated, they could just use the old N4 or whatever. The N7 also serves as the local access road between the properties that line it. So it necessarily has to be of a lower standard or else you'll discommode too many businesses and landowners.

Of course, they could just have completed a good quality parallel service road alongside, but that's another story.

mackerski

spacetweek wrote:

The scenario you've described is legal. The ROTR say you can undertake if the traffic in the lane to the right is travelling more slowly than you, so long as you are not yourself breaking the speed limit.

No it isn't and no they don't. Look again.

Dermot

Chris_533976

You dont undertake unless theres a dirty big traffic jam and you have to, or if you're on a slip road.

So if theres a tractor in the middle lane (Motorway, I know, but anyway). DONT undertake it. OVERtake it.

Victor

D'Peoples Voice wrote:

I undertake regularly, and if I'm ever caught, I'll say "I was driving at the speed limit in my lane, it's not my fault the guy on the right of me was driving at a slower speed than the maximum allowed, and hence I passed him". Case dismissed your honour, because you can't charge me for driving at the maximum speed limit in my lane REGARDLESS of what's to be right! Now if i had to break the speed limit to undertake, that's a different matter!

No, this is only permissable in right / left turn situations or in slow traffic.

DerekP11

Indeed 3 lane dual carraigeways expose the inability of some drivers to understand the concept.

As a regular on the 7, I offer this tip. Use the inner most lane. Its usually empty, as most morons are stuck to the two other lanes as if the inner lane is some kind of HIIIGGGHHHWWWWAAAYYYY TO HELL. Que music, sit back, chill and don't let them enrage you.

Stick to the inner lane folks at 100kph and use the middle lane to overtake the few decent sorts who actually know what they're doing.(watch out for said morons crawling in the middle lane) Them and others doing the same thing in the outer lane, along with those getting pissed off by it, are just passing time until they cause carnage and inevitably die. Personally, I couldn't be bothered to get involved in this juxtaposing.

Out think them. Its safer and less stressful.

D'Peoples Voice

DerekP11 wrote:

Stick to the inner lane folks at 100kph and use the middle lane to overtake the few decent sorts who actually know what they're doing.(watch out for said morons crawling in the middle lane)

Yes but if the guy in the middle lane on the N7 is doing UNDER 100kph, then you have to swing over two lanes to the overtaking lane, to then overtake, then swing back over two lanes to get back into the inner lane.
you would have to do this EVERYtime you meet someone in the middle lane driving below 100kph.
Surely that is more dangerous than continuing straight in your own lane at or below the maximum speed limit.

Ap

spacetweek wrote:

The scenario you've described is legal. The ROTR say you can undertake if the traffic in the lane to the right is travelling more slowly than you, so long as you are not yourself breaking the speed limit.

Wow, scarily wrong. How many people are driving around Ireland with their own interpretations of the ROTR in their heads? Like the ones who believe "It is OK to stop on the hard shoulder if you want to chat on your mobile".

As pointed out, it is not allowed to overtake on the left unless traffic is congested and everyone is crawling along or if it is a seperate lane (with a permanent white line between you).

I have seen German police giving people a heafty fine on the spot for doing it, as it is dangerous.

Happy Bertie

Ap wrote:

Wow, scarily wrong. How many people are driving around Ireland with their own interpretations of the ROTR in their heads? Like the ones who believe "It is OK to stop on the hard shoulder if you want to chat on your mobile".

As pointed out, it is not allowed to overtake on the left unless traffic is congested and everyone is crawling along or if it is a seperate lane (with a permanent white line between you).

I have seen German police giving people a heafty fine on the spot for doing it, as it is dangerous.

The only ROTR that really work are the simple ones that will be understood by the intellectually challenged among us. Here in the States there are signs that state "Slower traffic keep right" (right lane is slow lane in the States), but this is a suggestion not a rule. People here generally find the lane with the fastest moving traffic and it seems to work just fine. It also helps to increase the throughput of the expressways as the urgency to move out of the fast lane decreses weaving manouvers. A quick flash of the lights or tailgating on the fast lane is usually enough to get someone to move from the fast lane. Plus Americans have been driving on expressways/freeways for decades and you encounter far less "slow" drivers. (slow in both the speed sense and intellectual sense) There is something about the farming community in Ireland and their slow driving habits, 3 of my farmer uncles never exceed 40mph. I'm sure the km switch has totally confused them.

PoolDude

Anyhow, When is it opening?

DerekP11

Most of its open.

N7/M7 tie ins are done. Final surfacing and road marking being done between end of M7 and Kill interchange (northbound). Same thing is happening from Johnstown interchange to Naas exit (southbound).

Northbound exit for Naas is getting the final surface dressing and should open very soon, thereby negating the (temporary)need to travel to the Johnstown interchange to enter Naas.

Along the entire route, parts of the hard shoulder are still closed to facilitate fencing works. Link/local roads are still being surfaced. Pedestrian bridges are nearing completion.

Oh yeah. Its only a matter of time before Maverick Cullen is on the honda to come down and open it.

regedit

Happy Bertie wrote:

The only ROTR that really work are the simple ones that will be understood by the intellectually challenged among us. Here in the States there are signs that state "Slower traffic keep right" (right lane is slow lane in the States), but this is a suggestion not a rule. People here generally find the lane with the fastest moving traffic and it seems to work just fine. It also helps to increase the throughput of the expressways as the urgency to move out of the fast lane decreses weaving manouvers. A quick flash of the lights or tailgating on the fast lane is usually enough to get someone to move from the fast lane. Plus Americans have been driving on expressways/freeways for decades and you encounter far less "slow" drivers. (slow in both the speed sense and intellectual sense) There is something about the farming community in Ireland and their slow driving habits, 3 of my farmer uncles never exceed 40mph. I'm sure the km switch has totally confused them.

Most people in Europe, especially the continent, would not consider the Yankees the brightest people on the planet BTW.
Secondly, tailgating is dangerous for at least 12 reasons. Therefore, I would never consider it.
What amazes me here is that people lack the basic courtesy when it comes to driving. There are very polite drivers but the rule should be (seen this in Germany, Austria and many other countries) that if one signals to move out/in, you should reduce the speed and let the vehicle in front of you carry out the maneuver (not endangering the traffic on the lane one is traveling). I do not know what the reason for this type of driving is but I reckon it is to be blamed on the large number of L drivers (once you have road tax and insurance, Gardai will not ask you for a license), the ones who were abolished decades ago and given full licences... and Finlay people from rural communities/farmers who drive seldom on major roads hence become confused with the traffic.

regedit

BTW, I was wondering how long does it take someone to get from Newbridge to Citywest or even the RCR now that the works are almost completed?

BrianD

It would be great if they put big signs up at 5km intervals stating "keep Left unless overtaking - Fine €X Points X"

Even if the penalties weren't enforced it would be educational. Though the dim wits in the NRA would probably put up signage to encourage people to drive in the fast lane as on the M50.