Blanchardstown Road and Auburn Avenue mini roundabout

dodgyme

Does anyone know an answer to the following. Why for months now has there been a collection of traffic cones red/white barriers and such just dumped, like as if left there after roadworks beside the waterville slip way going into Dublin city centre. They block the bus lane also. Also on another matter, I notice that the mini roundabout beside the auburn roundabout, the one heading towards castleknock or the park is removed and there are no road marking. It is causing chaos and is like a free for all. It was mega-dangerous anyhow but now is unreal. Can anything be done right in this country. Opinions please?

Nevyn

Ring fingals co council and report them.
The Coolmine Depot is located at Coolmine Industrial Estate. #
Telephone 8214446, Fax 8212568
http://www.fingalcoco.ie/LivingInFingal/Transportation/RoadMaintenanceDepotsinyourArea/

daymobrew

dodgyme wrote:

Also on another matter, I notice that the mini roundabout beside the auburn roundabout, the one heading towards castleknock or the park is removed and there are no road marking. It is causing chaos and is like a free for all. It was mega-dangerous anyhow but now is unreal. Can anything be done right in this country. Opinions please?

Opinion - people are idiots.
Can't they see that the Auburn Ave mini-roundabout area has just been resurfaced (it certainly needed it) and the area will be painted soon? There is a yellow line marking out the location of the roundabout.

In California when traffic lights break down people treat it like a Stop sign and take turns going through the junction. Here, where people often don't stop at Stop signs, they treat it like a right-of-way. Ah, the lack of education...

It's a bit ironic that they resurfaced just a few weeks after (finally) repainting the (never adhered to) yellow box. I got beeped for not entering it.

/me makes note to thank FCC for resurfacing the mini-roundabout. I'd written to them last year asking for it and they said that the budget wouldn't allow for it until 2008. Cycling through the junction was quite bumpy.

dodgyme

daymobrew wrote:

There is a yellow line marking out the location of the roundabout.

I didnt see any yellow line. I did the usual put on the right indicator coming from blanch in the correct lane and then the usual erratic swing (like casting a fishing line) with the car to get into the left lane as you turn right to hit the perpendicular traffic lights on the roundabout (another great irish solution - lights on roundabouts). Getting into this lane is very difficult as there is no room for cars and hence two lanes go forward when the lights change and the jockeying for postion usually occurs because traffic from essentially a motorway type roundabout hit a four exit mini-roundabout 3 secs later. If you cant get left lane you are usually in the jockeying lane. Then went the lights change you have to spend your time watchin drivers not being able to deal with this mental roundabout. Yesterday the people in the jockey lane were sorted and those in the left lane were screwed and no temp traffic lights or warnings and the magic yellow line marking the roundabout wasnt there either or else no one saw it. I certainly didnt.

markpb

dodgyme wrote:

another great irish solution - lights on roundabouts

If you saw the way most drivers behaved on large roundabouts with no lights, you'd understand.

I live beside a two-lane, four exit roundabout with no markings and no lights and people are either too afraid to enter while someone is already on it (anywhere on it), or everyone piles in and blocks the other exits.

Maybe if the average driver used some courtesy for other road-users, we wouldn't need lights to beat it into them?

daymobrew

markpb wrote:

Maybe if the average driver used some courtesy for other road-users, we wouldn't need lights to beat it into them?

courtesy - BINGO! This is the solution to so many problems. Patience is also useful.

DublinDilbert

dodgyme wrote:

Does anyone know an answer to the following. Why for months now has there been a collection of traffic cones red/white barriers and such just dumped, like as if left there after roadworks beside the waterville slip way going into Dublin city centre. They block the bus lane also.

The reason why the barriers are there at the waterville slip is that it is not a bus lane, it's the an on ramp. The bus lane stops about 50 yards before the on ramp.

The problem was that people were not observing the on-ramp. When driving down the on ramp you would regularly get Taxi's running up the N3 bus lane at 100Kmph, then cutting across the bottom of the on-ramp at that speed! I'm surprised there wasn't more accidents. The barriers make them obey the end of the bus lane.

dodgyme

ok interesting about the slip. However, the road marking there from memory never indicate the end of the bus lane and dumping a few barriers and traffic cones is fairly unprofessional way of dealing with it without signage or a tapered traffic flow. What I mean is that if I took a picture of it and pasted it here people would just think they were dumped on the bus lane and would realise what they were there for. I mean in any other country it would be done in a way that would make sense to motorist and not just look like something fell off the back of a lorry.

DublinDilbert

From memory there's a yield line painted at an angle signaling the end of the bus lane, a bit before the barriers... Your right it isn't that obvious, you'd drive over it without noticing... they need to put up some of them flexible posts that flip down when something hits them...

The temporary barriers have helped things on the on-ramp, i've almost been hit by more taxi drivers than i care to mention there... in the mornings most of them seemed to be dropping their kids to school...



Oh yea on auburn ave, it looks like they might be putting lights there... just drove down there the other day... If they do put lights there, i hope they don't sequence them in with the main round about on the N3 as i'd say that would completely mess things up... Although if they are putting lights that close to another set, i'd say they will probably have to be synchronized together.

Stark

daymobrew wrote:

In California when traffic lights break down people treat it like a Stop sign and take turns going through the junction. Here, where people often don't stop at Stop signs, they treat it like a right-of-way. Ah, the lack of education...

According to the Irish rules of the road, you should treat a crossroads with two roads of equal priority as a mini-roundabout if there are no other markings, ie: give right of way to traffic on your right. Oddly enough, it actually works in some places. Obviously not at Auburn avenue though

Stark

DublinDilbert wrote:

Oh yea on auburn ave, it looks like they might be putting lights there...

Hooray. I can see a tailback blocking the main roundabout already.

Jip

dodgyme wrote:

Does anyone know an answer to the following. Why for months now has there been a collection of traffic cones red/white barriers and such just dumped, like as if left there after roadworks beside the waterville slip way going into Dublin city centre. They block the bus lane also.

As Dilbert said, the bus lane ends before the slip. The reason the barrier is there it to prevent ignorant fu(kers driving the length of the N3 in the bus lane, cutting through the hardshoulder which then prevents people joining the N3 from the Waterville slip road.
It was done on purpose by the council and it's the best thing they ever done that end of the N3. Previously you'd just have a constant stream of idiots cutting into the slip road which caused big tails backs in the morning for people trying to join the N3 at that spot.

daymobrew

DublinDilbert wrote:

Oh yea on auburn ave, it looks like they might be putting lights there...

They aren't. I rang the Coolmine depot (using the numbers kindly provided earlier).
They told me that they did some work last night and doing more tonight. The junction is too busy to work on during the day.

daymobrew

dodgyme wrote:

I didnt see any yellow line.

The roundabout has been finished - see attached photo.
Note that the roundabout signs are still in place (obviously overlooked by people earlier in the week).
Another thing that hasn't changed - vehicles blocking the junction!! :rolleyes:

Pineapple stu

Regarding the slip road, I agree with the barriers in place but all the buses and taxis do is drive round them and using the slip road as a bus lane.

Chris_533976

daymobrew wrote:

The roundabout has been finished - see attached photo.
Note that the roundabout signs are still in place (obviously overlooked by people earlier in the week).
Another thing that hasn't changed - vehicles blocking the junction!! :rolleyes:

"Strictly no parking on grass verge"

I love it

Edit: And theres a garda car there, doing a great job of ticketing them.

daymobrew

Chris_533976 wrote:

"Strictly no parking on grass verge"

I love it

That instruction is directed at those involved with the building of the apartment complex on the left of where I was standing.

Jip

cymro wrote:

Regarding the slip road, I agree with the barriers in place but all the buses and taxis do is drive round them and using the slip road as a bus lane.

But it slows them down and gives time for people on the slip road to merge safely without being wiped out by a speeding bus or taxi. In the mornings it also stops many ignorant motorists coming the full length of the bus lane and then blocking the slip road altogther.

dodgyme

In relation to the barriers on the N3. I think if they are serving a decent purpose fine but that fact that they are dumped like they fell off a knackers lorry is ridiculous. In 2007 would it not be too much to ask for signage, tapered traffic flow etc. They may as well have put a burnt out car there since it would do the same thing and not look much worse.! What a shower of sloppy jaloppies.

On the auburn mini-roundabout, great picture. where is the yellow box gone though

Stark

dodgyme wrote:

In 2007 would it not be too much to ask for signage, tapered traffic flow etc.

"Attention nice ignorant motorists. You've gotten this far while jumping the queue of traffic by illegally using the bus lane. Now kindly find a granny to cut in front of as the bus lane is soon to end. Here we've drawn you a pretty picture of lanes merging."

"PS: If you've read this far while tearing down the hard shoulder at 120kph as you do, you have just crashed into the new reinforced barriers we have erected. At this point we'd like to remind you that you're a gob****e".

daymobrew

dodgyme wrote:

On the auburn mini-roundabout, great picture. where is the yellow box gone though

You mean you don't see it - no one ever does.
Hopefully it'll be back in a few days. It shouldn't be needed as one should never block a junction.

Random

daymobrew wrote:

The roundabout has been finished - see attached photo.
Note that the roundabout signs are still in place (obviously overlooked by people earlier in the week).
Another thing that hasn't changed - vehicles blocking the junction!! :rolleyes:

Garda traffic corps in the back of the photo and assholes still blocking the roundabout.

It's a disaster coming onto Auburn from M50 .. people just cut you off and any more than 2 people waiting at the roundabout means the whole traffic backs up - with potential for some awful accidents.

The new roundabout is certainly better than the old one - it seems more like a roundabout so people might respect it. I wish they'd get those yellow boxes in there again though. Every try cross from the side the photos taken from toward Brigids GAA? You almost get plowed down by cars coming from the Navan Road who just don't care!

Dam Irish roadbuilders.

RANT RANT RANT RANT

Pineapple stu

Jip wrote:

But it slows them down and gives time for people on the slip road to merge safely without being wiped out by a speeding bus or taxi. In the mornings it also stops many ignorant motorists coming the full length of the bus lane and then blocking the slip road altogther.

I wasnt giving out about it i agree with it.

meanmachine3

judging by the size of the roundabout i'd say it's alot worse. most drivers in this country dont know how to use roundabouts.that is they go staight on this type rather than following the road around. i've lost count of the amount of times that i've had to drive on the old one coming from the N3 going up by brady's because some idiot on my left is literally going straight and i'm trying to follow the roundabout without mounting it rather than going around in a semi circle/arc as they should do