The N1 in central Dublin

mackerski

Hi,

I've been doing some work on parts of Ireland on Open Streetmap (well worth a look for anyone interested in mapping, BTW). In any case, I was looking to correctly tag all the roads making up the N1 as it heads into the city centre. Since it would introduce aspects of tainting-by-copyright content, I can't just look at another map, and I probably couldn't trust it in any case for reasons I'm about to outline.

The NRA site probably has the information on there, but it's tricky to find. Wikipedia's N1 article is a little better, but it seems flawed, or at least incomplete. It considers the N1 to go north from O'Connell Bridge along O'Connell Street and up Parnell Sq. by way of Parnell Street. All fine so far, and matching my own understanding. Tha handles northbound traffic. Southbound traffic, though, can no longer come down the other side of Parnell Square onto O'Connell St.

So what's the approved southbound route for the N1? Given that it has to deviate quite a bit from Parnell Square, does this mean that the northbound route has changed too? The 30 zone on O'Connell Street suggests so, as I recall the NRA not being fond of those on national routes.

Anybody know?

murphaph

dermot,
email the nra. they are decent with the info even for obscure questions. i'd like to know this myself

wwhyte

I thought all the N routes stopped at the M50 now? Or is that just the N7?

enterprise

I would suggest the N1 southbound is turn left off Dorset St onto Frederick Street North leading onto Parnell Square East leading onto O'Connell St.

bazzer

enterprise wrote:

I would suggest the N1 southbound is turn left off Dorset St onto Frederick Street North leading onto Parnell Square East leading onto O'Connell St.

The only problem with that is the left turn from Dorset St to Fred St is for buses/taxis only, and that also goes for traffic proceeding to O'Connell Street directly from Parnell East.

Other traffic can gain access to O'Connell St by turning left onto Parnell Street, right to Marlboro St, right to Cathal Brugha St then left onto O'Connell St.

enterprise

Ahh quite right bazzer.

I completly forgot about that.

icdg

wwhyte wrote:

I thought all the N routes stopped at the M50 now? Or is that just the N7?

Only the N7, for the very specific reason that since both the M50 and Chapelizod Bypass were built, the NRA has wanted trucks to follow the M50 to Junction 7 and take the N4 in. The N4 is dual carrigeway right into Dublin city centre whereas the N7 goes through Inchicore first. To that end, the original N7 was detrunked inside the M50 and classified as the R110 instead. The N4's outbound carrigeway is signed as having the N7 multiplex with it (in fact certain signs have the rather mad "N4-N5-N6-N7-N8-N9" signed on them, with or without "THE WEST" and "THE SOUTH").

The M1 also stops at the M50, but re-emerges as the N1 about a mile down the road when the M50 heads through the Port Tunnel. It then goes through Whitehall and heads through town. And yes, O'Connell Street is part of the N1 (a source of constant consternation to Dublin City Council who are anxious to have it detrunked so they can have full control over it). This incidently also partily explains the Port Tunnel being M50 rather than M1.

The nearest you can get to the definitive list of N-roads is the Statutory Instrument that defines all the roads, this is here :http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/7616-0.pdf but is never accurate in "on the ground" terms for very long, as we keep building new roads!

Victor

Yes, the situation is slightly anomalous, but just because a route exists, doesn't mean every vehicle must be able to use it - look at bridge controls (height, weight) and even the HGV ban.

icdg wrote:

The nearest you can get to the definitive list of N-roads is the Statutory Instrument that defines all the roads, this is here :http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/7616-0.pdf but is never accurate in "on the ground" terms for very long, as we keep building new roads!

Thats the only document to work from, although I suspect there might be a minor order for the opening of the Port Tunnel.

My objective is to be all the N-routes delisted inside the inner orbital route (at least, maybe even the inner orbital route or the canal ring) and perhaps give it the name N0 or N100 (NCR is R101 and the Grand Canal Route is R111). As it is, trucks and cars face furhter restrictions around College Green. You can still sign it as "Nx thataway ->"

Zoney

Don't forget that until last year, most national roads in Ireland did not follow the routes in the statutes (i.e. mostly from 1994). Many bypassed sections of national roads got their R road signage and everything despite them remaining national roads in legislation.

So it would not be odd for the N1 route "on the ground" as it were not to match the statutes.

I'm not sure how important those route definitions are. Are speed limits etc. valid when the route definition is incorrect (although presumably if they aren't, they revert to 80km/h not 100km/h)?

Victor

Zoney wrote:

I'm not sure how important those route definitions are. Are speed limits etc. valid when the route definition is incorrect (although presumably if they aren't, they revert to 80km/h not 100km/h)?

Its not as bad as it could be on those grounds because outside of main towns the descriptions are quite vague.