N4/M50 Interchange Upgrade

Stephen P

Don't think this has already been posted.

Here's the N4/M50 Interchange as it is now.
And here's the proposed new layout.

It seems very impressive imo, a tad confusing??

dmeehan

whats confusing about it?

Stephen P

dmeehan wrote:

whats confusing about it?

I myself don't find it confusing, I was asking if anyone found it confusing as it will be a whole new system. I should have left the out.

davyjose

And then you get to Lucan and there's a set of the most irritating traffic lights of all time basically separating two of the busiest roads in the country. Only in Ireland.

mackerski

stephen p wrote:

I myself don't find it confusing, I was asking if anyone found it confusing as it will be a whole new system.

The system won't have changed. You'll still get into the lane signposted for your intended destination.

spacetweek

stephen p wrote:

It seems very impressive imo, a tad confusing??

It might be confusing for some people, Irish people don't seem to be good at following signs, it's probably cause we're used to the idea that they will be misleading or missing or something.

But so long as you follow the signs carefully for your destination, you'll be fine.

Stephen P

There will be no lights so the system will have changed in that way.

mackerski

stephen p wrote:

There will be no lights so the system will have changed in that way.

How is no lights more confusing than lights?

Stephen P

mackerski wrote:

How is no lights more confusing than lights?

I didn't say a system with no lights is more confusing than a system with lights. All I said was it was a new system with no lights.

When I refered to it as being confusing, I was looking for opinions from people who might think it will be or won't be, I DON'T think it will be confusing. :rolleyes:

mackerski

stephen p wrote:

When I refered to it as being confusing, I was looking for opinions from people who might think it will be or won't be, I DON'T think it will be confusing. :rolleyes:

Right - then it looks like we have consensus. The OP doesn't think it will be confusing (wonder why pose the question?...) and neither does anybody else on the thread.

The confusion potential of an absence of traffic lights seems to have been dealt with adequately too - of course, the junction was built without lights, so it should be a piece of cake.

Stephen P

mackerski wrote:

Right - then it looks like we have consensus. The OP doesn't think it will be confusing (wonder why pose the question?...) and neither does anybody else on the thread.[/QUOTE}

stephen p wrote:

I myself don't find it confusing, I was asking if anyone found it confusing as it will be a whole new system. I should have left the out.

mackerski wrote:

The confusion potential of an absence of traffic lights seems to have been dealt with adequately too - of course, the junction was built without lights, so it should be a piece of cake.

I agree with you, it will be a piece of cake.

seamus

It'll be fine. During phases 3 & 4, the diversions for traffic will be massively signposted, so by the time it's done most people will have become used to the lanes they need to take.

Hopefully they'll put decent gantry signage on the N4, about half a kilometre from the junction, instead of 100m from it, like they prefer to do. Most interesting will be the "merge from the right" slip road from the M50 northbound onto the N4 inbound. Can't say I can ever recall merging from the right on an Irish road.

Tom Dunne

seamus wrote:

Can't say I can ever recall merging from the right on an Irish road.

The Port Tunnel springs to mind.

Also, in Shannon, there is a half-arsed shambles of a pseudo-dual carraigeway where you join from the right. I have always found it an incredibly dangerous junction (especially the way those Clare people drive )

Andrew Duffy

It's not really a merge; the sliproad becomes lane 3, then later on lane 1 merges with lane 2 - that will be messy. There is a similar arrangement for M0 South-N4 West, but the subsequent lane drop there is at Lucan (it will be at Leixlip in a few years).

Zoney

tom dunne wrote:

The Port Tunnel springs to mind.

Also, in Shannon, there is a half-arsed shambles of a pseudo-dual carraigeway where you join from the right. I have always found it an incredibly dangerous junction (especially the way those Clare people drive )

Are you thinking of the old N18/N19 junction when you still had to come through the town from the Airport?

Can't think where it would be on the current arrangement, which has slip roads only into town from Limerick/out of town to Ennis directions (old N18/N19 junction) and a GSJ roundabout interchange for the new N18/N19 junction. The new N19 dual carriageway meets two roundabouts on the way to the Airport, no merge from rights that I can think of.

There aren't median breaks either until that dodgy bit of dual carriageway in Limerick; Hurlers Cross was also given a GSJ (combines with a new link road into town, offering three possible slip roads along 3.5 km of N18 from Limerick for "Shannon").

saobh_ie

From the city center onto the M50 northbound, is that a decreasing radius curve? Eeeek! With a bunch of vegitation growing in its center so you can't look ahead! Eeeeek F**K! that could have been nice but now its awkward and dangerous.

Actually, went back and had a look in plan, not that mad a curve.

Everything else about it looks perfect though! If properly signposted and properly used it should be the business. No more traffic lights!

jmkennedyie

davyjose wrote:

And then you get to Lucan and there's a set of the most irritating traffic lights of all time basically separating two of the busiest roads in the country. Only in Ireland.

The N4 Widening scheme will replace those lights by essentially digging the N4 under a new bridge there. Construction due to start next Summer according to SDCC.

Ice_Box

If you come up the slip road from the M50 southbound the signs dont match whats painted on the lanes. Now thats confusing and dangerpous. Plus the guards up there are adding to the confusion.

The signs say the middle lane is used for turning right but when you get up there the road markings say it goes straight. The traffic lights say stop and the guards say go. Confusion reigns, huge queues result.

spacetweek

davyjose wrote:

And then you get to Lucan and there's a set of the most irritating traffic lights of all time basically separating two of the busiest roads in the country. Only in Ireland.

Agreed, it was built on the cheap in the 80s. They must have only had enough money for one GSJ - at woodies. Back then though, traffic on both the mainline and on the Newcastle Rd was quite minimal as there was no housing down it, so it was probably a reasonable solution. Of course now it's totally swamped.

johnnyrotten

Looks confusing from a helicoptor or Airplane. Won't look confusing from the drivers seat of your car!