M1 today

Xylophonic

Today i was on the M1 coming back from Newry at about 4.30 na dwe were approaching the Drogheda North exit, and the car travelling in front of us, a green Micra (I think...) Just pulls the breaks and cuts across 2 lanes of traffic into the hard shoulder, then she proceeds to reverse back up the hard shoulder and up the slip road! :eek:

How top people like this woman get a license?

Regardless to say, I'm lucky I 'm here because I was in the front of my Dad's van doing 110kmph and she just stops with no warning...

Alun

Drivers in this country seem to think that making a mistake in missing a turn-off entitles them to do all sorts of daft, illegal and dangerous moves to get back on course. Me, I just think to myself "Sh!t, I'll just have to go to the next exit and turn around", even if it means being late. I don't see why other road users should have to be inconvenienced or even put in danger because of one of my mistakes.

spacetweek

Xylophonic wrote:

Today i was on the M1 coming back from Newry at about 4.30 na dwe were approaching the Drogheda North exit, and the car travelling in front of us, a green Micra (I think...) Just pulls the breaks and cuts across 2 lanes of traffic into the hard shoulder, then she proceeds to reverse back up the hard shoulder and up the slip road! :eek:

How top people like this woman get a license?

Regardless to say, I'm lucky I 'm here because I was in the front of my Dad's van doing 110kmph and she just stops with no warning...

The feckin eejit! She should have been arrested. I would have been leaning on the horn for all I was worth. Do you mean 4:30 am? I hope there wasn't much other traffic?

Stark

Xylophonic wrote:

and the car travelling in front of us, a green Micra

I'm thinking "frog"

Micra drivers seem to be among the craziest on the road. Any time I've had problems, whether it be coming home to find my driveway taken, being blocked into work car park due to a car double parking or having someone drive into the back of me, it's been a Micra driver.

I'm getting a complex regarding them at this stage.

Alun wrote:

Drivers in this country seem to think that making a mistake in missing a turn-off entitles them to do all sorts of daft, illegal and dangerous moves to get back on course. Me, I just think to myself "Sh!t, I'll just have to go to the next exit and turn around", even if it means being late. I don't see why other road users should have to be inconvenienced or even put in danger because of one of my mistakes.

Yup same here.

daymobrew

Alun wrote:

Drivers in this country seem to think that making a mistake in missing a turn-off entitles them to do all sorts of daft, illegal and dangerous moves to get back on course. Me, I just think to myself "Sh!t, I'll just have to go to the next exit and turn around", even if it means being late. I don't see why other road users should have to be inconvenienced or even put in danger because of one of my mistakes.

I agree that "next exit" is the right thing to do (I did it twice in Belfast when I got lost - cost me a few mins but no biggie).
Having said that, you can never tell how far it is to the next exit. I've suggested to the NRA a few times that they erect signs listing the next 3 exits and the distance to them (I felt that this worked well when I lived in California). I also think that there are a few exits out there where you can't just get off and reenter the motorway, I just can't think of them ATM.

In the future I recommend reporting the drivers to the local Garda station.

Stark

It's rarely far to the next exit in Ireland. You generally lose 10 minutes at most.

nordydan

Like yourself, she may have been returning from HM empire and only had the queen's shilling on her. Has anyone ever got through the toll bridge with Brit money??

A Dub in Glasgo

How top people like this woman get a license?

Probably did not have a full one

Bluetonic

Obviously not condoning 'the frogs' behaviour, but it would really help if the 'town' signs for each turnoff were infact not on the actual off slip road, but maybe 100 meters before the off slip road begins.

egan007

Xylophonic wrote:

Today i was on the M1 coming back from Newry at about 4.30 na dwe were approaching the Drogheda North exit, and the car travelling in front of us, a green Micra (I think...) Just pulls the breaks and cuts across 2 lanes of traffic into the hard shoulder, then she proceeds to reverse back up the hard shoulder and up the slip road! :eek:

How top people like this woman get a license?

Regardless to say, I'm lucky I 'm here because I was in the front of my Dad's van doing 110kmph and she just stops with no warning...

Standard operating procedure for alot of drivers in Ireland

Stark

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

Probably did not have a full one

In which case she saw the "No Learner" signs, realised her mistake and quickly backed off the motorway

darkman2

nordydan wrote:

Like yourself, she may have been returning from HM empire and only had the queen's shilling on her. Has anyone ever got through the toll bridge with Brit money??

The signs say in no uncertain terms before the toll that sterling is not accepted and why should it be? Only stupid ppl driving south would not realise we use the Euro. If they dont they deserve to end up at the toll plaza with only sterling and given a bollocking:)

John R

darkman2 wrote:

The signs say in no uncertain terms before the toll that sterling is not accepted and why should it be? Only stupid ppl driving south would not realise we use the Euro. If they dont they deserve to end up at the toll plaza with only sterling and given a bollocking:)

They should just set an advantageous rate and accept GB£, it is afterall the main route from NI to Dublin.

Lots of people now don't bother changing money beforehand with the knowledge that they can use cash machines/credit cards, it's easy to forget that there is a toll road that requires € on the way.

Do the toll booths accept credit cards? TBH i'd much rather they accepted sterling than have to sit in a que of people wasting time paying a few € with credit cards.

Xylophonic

spacetweek wrote:

The feckin eejit! She should have been arrested. I would have been leaning on the horn for all I was worth. Do you mean 4:30 am? I hope there wasn't much other traffic?

Nope, It was 4.30pm and there was a 40ft truck travelling in the lane next to us although it was going a bit slower.

There area few spelling mistakes in the OP as I typed it very late last night!

John R

Bluetonic wrote:

Obviously not condoning 'the frogs' behaviour, but it would really help if the 'town' signs for each turnoff were infact not on the actual off slip road, but maybe 100 meters before the off slip road begins.

they do have advance signs but I agree the pointer signs at the start of the off ramps should be gotten rid of. By the time they are visible it is often too late for a safe course change, they just encourage the dangerous muppets to do this sort of stupid thing.

Of course the big problem is that the stupid drivers can do this and get away with it. Installing monitoring equipment to catch out this and other junction based life threatening manouveres is not on the agenda, much more likely to get done for the haenous crime of doing 10kph over the speed limit.

Did I ever mention the driver that I saw do a 360 degree turn on the M11? They had passed the turnoff so had stopped in the hard shoulder and turned around so was heading the wrong way in the outside lane then turned up the off ramp, indicating in the process as if that somehow made it legal. :mad:

Wishbone Ash

Xylophonic wrote:

Today i was on the M1 coming back from Newry at about 4.30

Posted at 3.44 am

Xylophonic wrote:

Nope, It was 4.30pm

You can predict the future???

Ham'nd'egger

I recall a gentleman pulling into the Median one evening on the M 9, how he though that was a good move will forever defeat me.

Back on topic, it doesn't suprise me one bit that a Micra pulled such a stunt. If it's not Micras, it's usually a Punto that you see pull such a manouver.

daymobrew

John R wrote:

they do have advance signs but I agree the pointer signs at the start of the off ramps should be gotten rid of. By the time they are visible it is often too late for a safe course change, they just encourage the dangerous muppets to do this sort of stupid thing.

In another thread someone described these pointer signs as 'confirmation signs'. They are intended for the person on the off ramp.

John R wrote:

Of course the big problem is that the stupid drivers can do this and get away with it.

I believe that we have a duty to report these incidents. I go to the Garda station frequently to report people pulling out in front of me as I cycle to work. I'd report cyclists who break the lights if they had reg plates (having plates wouldn't bother me).
Recently, after writing to the Assistant Garda Commissioner for Dublin, he sent an Inspector for north Dublin city to talk to me. He'd sent his guys out to the junctions I complained about to write up reports on what they saw. At one junction they gave out penalty points for illegal turns (across a ped crossing which was green for peds) and had words with cyclists who broke the lights. He welcomed my reports.

I once got a written apology from a driver who ran a red ped light as I was crossing. Hopefully that driver will be more aware of pedestrians, and traffic lights, in the future.

So, report these muppets. Tell the Garda that you are willing to go to court if the offending driver is unapologetic. It might be the scare that they need. Gardai cannot be everywhere, even when they aren't in stupid locations with their speed guns.

Bluetonic

daymobrew wrote:

In another thread someone described these pointer signs as 'confirmation signs'. They are intended for the person on the off ramp.

Why would one need to to confirm something to a drive on the off ramp. The dirver on the off ramp has no other option but to continue on the off ramp so the the sign servers no purpose for the person on the off ramp.

Stark

They do as if you make a mistake, you can usually get straight back onto the motorway once you get to the roundabout at the top of the off ramp.

Alun

Bluetonic wrote:

Why would one need to to confirm something to a drive on the off ramp. The dirver on the off ramp has no other option but to continue on the off ramp so the the sign servers no purpose for the person on the off ramp.

Exactly! You've already committed to taking the exit by that point so no point at all. What would be useful (anyone from the NRA taking notes here ??!!) is some advance warning of which lane to be in for the upcoming roundabout, i.e. not just 10m before the roundabout.

While we're on the subject of off ramps, there are a number of exits on the new section of M50 where there's a 60km/h speed limit sign literally only a few metres after you've left the motorway, and then only 20 or 30m further on, just before the roundabout a 50km/h sign! The one for Carrickmines heading north is a prime example. WTF is that all about? And don't get me started on the "no warning" 10m long "oh ****!" merging lanes when joining some of the new junctions on the M50.

spacetweek

Alun wrote:

Exactly! You've already committed to taking the exit by that point so no point at all. What would be useful (anyone from the NRA taking notes here ??!!) is some advance warning of which lane to be in for the upcoming roundabout, i.e. not just 10m before the roundabout.

I agree with Stark - if you realise that this is the wrong exit for you, you can just rejoin the motorway at the top of the offramp.

Alun wrote:

While we're on the subject of off ramps, there are a number of exits on the new section of M50 where there's a 60km/h speed limit sign literally only a few metres after you've left the motorway, and then only 20 or 30m further on, just before the roundabout a 50km/h sign! The one for Carrickmines heading north is a prime example. WTF is that all about?

That sounds about right. The offramp speed limit is 60 and the regular road network limit is 50. 60 seems low but it's in line with international norms - I've seen 40 elsewhere.

Saruman

Damn micra drivers... One learner girl ran into the back of me on the swords road years ago (before M1). Traffic came to halt i looked in my rearview mirror and saw her not looking at the road but facing her friend and talking.. she noticed too late and rear ended me.

I simply called my insurance company and told them what happened and gave them her details (with same company) and they directed me to one of their repair places.

Anyway back on topic...
Yes most places in Ireland if you miss an exit you can just go to the next one and turn around. Have been forced to do it myself.. would never reverse up a motorway let alone jam on the breaks to do it!!

One place it would suck though is if you miss the enfield turn off on the M4 you have to go all the way to westmeath (kinnegad) before you can turn back and then you have to pay the toll twice!! Or take old road.

Alun

spacetweek wrote:

That sounds about right. The offramp speed limit is 60 and the regular road network limit is 50. 60 seems low but it's in line with international norms - I've seen 40 elsewhere.

I wasn't complaining about the actual limits, it was more that this particular off ramp was only 20-30 metres long at the most, and sticking two speed limit signs on it only 15 metres or so apart seemed a bit, well, pointless, especially as there's a roundabout at the top of it with a nice bright shiny Yield sign. In any case, there's no way I'm going to stamp on the brakes to slow down to 60km/h only a metre or so after the ramp begins, I'll gradually reduce my speed, so that by the time I've got to the roundabout I'm at a speed that I can safely negotiate the roundabout at.

John R

Stark wrote:

They do as if you make a mistake, you can usually get straight back onto the motorway once you get to the roundabout at the top of the off ramp.

for that there should be (and usually are) signs further up the ramp giving directions to the local destinations.

The problem is people realising they have made a mistake and taking emergency action way too late.

KdjaCL

Seen the same thing yesterday on the way up to Drogs only it was a Passat turning off but realised he didnt want to turn off, so came accross the lines to come back onto the M1 failing to notice the 40 foot steaming past, the look on his face as he braked was worth it


kdjac

Wishbone Ash

spacetweek wrote:

if you realise that this is the wrong exit for you, you can just rejoin the motorway at the top of the offramp.

It's not always possible to rejoin in the same direction. The Drynam interchange on the M1 is an example. You can only access the slip road when northbound and can only return to the M1 southbound.

Victor

Wishbone Ash wrote:

It's not always possible to rejoin in the same direction. The Drynam interchange on the M1 is an example. You can only access the slip road when northbound and can only return to the M1 southbound.

So, shock horror, you go to the next interchange.

jd

I know it wasn't the M1, but today some muppet realised he had taken the wrong exit off the mad cow roundabout, and reversed back up the slip road on to it!