motorway rest areas

loyatemu

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/network-of-new-mway-rest-areas-unveiled-925625.html
doesn't tell you where they're going to be though, and theres nothing on the NRA's site either.

can't see why the NRA have been so opposed to these - they seem to work fine in other countries.

Maskhadov

i guess the idea of people stopping beside motorways for picnics was a bad one.

about time though..

Stark

Sounds good. Will be important when we have motorway/HQDC the whole way from Dublin to the likes of Cork/Limerick etc. The M7/M8 spur from Portlaoise would be a likely spot for one I'd imagine.

Zoney

NRA have a map of proposed motorway rest areas on their site here (PDF - 873 kB). There was a previous newspaper article which detailed these locations, and also where the service area on the M3 would be located... Blundelstown (uh huh... most interesting that...)

AlekSmart

I just have to suspend my incredulity when I read stuff like this.:mad:

It is refreshing though to have it confirmed,yet again,that we in Eire are blessed with a strain of Politician which is Totally impervious to embarrasment.

Why the Fluich have the Original cabal of Senior Administrators,Politicians and assorted other Construction Industry hangers on who were Responsible ( :eek: ) for this shambles not been named,shamed and drawn through the streets in a tumbril ?

What we are now looking at is a VERY expensive programme indeed to add what should have been an integral part of any major roads upgrade in the first place.

By the time the additional land resources are "Accquired at market value" and all the necessary services and infrastructure installed WE (The Punters) are looking at a very costly cuppa and a pee indeed.

Did Noel Dempsey and his Governmental Colleagues never use any of the UK`s Motorway network during their formative misspent youth ?
Did they never hear of Wimpey,Little Chef,Greasy Spoon or any of the other names that EVERYBODY bloody else did ?

Can Noel not simply tell the truth and issue a statement to the effect that the original clowns who presided over this muppetry were a bunch of tossers and have had their pensions cut by 50% as a reprimand.....?

As ever ...No one responsible,No one knows anything as to why or how such a basic error was allowed to remain from conception,design,construction to completion and NOBODY within the system bothered to raise an eyebrow.????

I think I`ll vote Mugabe next time around !!! :eek:

wwhyte

Zoney wrote:

NRA have a map of proposed motorway rest areas on their site here (PDF - 873 kB). There was a previous newspaper article which detailed these locations, and also where the service area on the M3 would be located... Blundelstown (uh huh... most interesting that...)

Thanks for the link. No service areas on the M1? Bizarre.

mike65

There's a long road to travel down yet. Planning permission will be required which means planning objections for the nearest petrol station/shop/ad-hoc truck stop.

Mike.

JupiterKid

Motorway services are badly needed in Ireland. As a decent motorway system finally emerges here, it's obvious that having place to stop and eat, refuel and buy newspapers etc. are not on the network.

Originally, the NRA, probably due to pressure form vested interests, said that they wouldn't be providing motorway services and told drivers to use bypassed towns instead. Now they've done an about face and say that yes, they will designate services. Expect some developer led lobbying Irish style. One thing for sure is that the new motorways have decimated business for filling stations and roadhouses on the old road network. Mother Hubbard's outside Moyvalley on the old N4 (now R148) is a good case in point.

We need motorway services ASAP and without political interference.

Zoney

I would say quite simply that the people who originally decided there was no need for service areas were probably from either of two groups:
1) Hadn't experienced serious motorway driving and didn't have personal experience to know that they are necessary (indeed I didn't understand the need myself until the main M7 and M1 stretches were done and I travelled them)
2) Knew full well the need, but knew that plenty of people in Ireland were in group 1), and avoiding building the service areas lowered the short-term costs and political magnitude (i.e. opposition) of the motorway programme. The calculation was probably that the politicians could be approached to provide service areas once most of the network was built and year-to-year spending had ramped up anyway.

Being cynical, I'm guessing they were all in group 2. Being kind one could perhaps say they were pragmatic if you consider the politicians were probably the limiting factor and may have baulked at a full blown motorway network with service areas etc. and no need for anyone to do business in bypassed towns (remember that issue?).

mike65

An earlier thread on this

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=123821&referrerid=59211

Mike.

Bluetonic

wwhyte wrote:

Thanks for the link. No service areas on the M1? Bizarre.

There are two listed on the map????

There will be a services center in the M1 Business Park off one of the Balbriggan exits.

http://www.m1.ie/zones/

A few attempts at planning have already been through the mill. In fact permission for part of it was granted two years ago to Statoil. F05A/0339

Date of Application: 18-Mar-2005
Date of Registration: 22-Aug-2005
Application Type: Permission
Case Officer: Neil Humphries
Applicant: Statoil Ireland Ltd
Location: Site C, M1 Business Park, Rowans Road, Courtlough, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin

Fingal Co Co Decision: GRANT PERMISSION
Date of FCC Decision: 15-Sep-2005
Final Grant Date: 02-Nov-2005
Current Status: Decision Made by Fingal County Council
This application was received by Fingal County Council on 18-Mar-2005 and registered on 22-Aug-2005.
On 15-Sep-2005, the decision GRANT PERMISSION was made by Fingal County Council


To construct a new petrol service station. Development to consist of the construction of a new single storey retail shop building, new forecourt and canopy, new truck refuelling facility and canopy, single storey lube oil store, single storey car wash recycling building, pressure wash facility, brush wash facility, trash compound, underground tank farm, over ground water storage tank, 2 no. service bays, new drainage system, interceptor traps and attenuation area, new illuminated signage and associated ancillary works.

Also:
http://www.joneslanglasalle.ie/en-ie/properties/RetailProperties/M1+Business+Park.htm

lostexpectation

do large-scale commercial, retail and housing developments get built in the vicinity of service areas in other countries?

mike65

Nope, its all down the planning permission, there's no earthly reason why anyone should allow anything beyond a full facility serive area. Nothing beyond that - tie-rack etc!

Mike.

murphaph

We need service areas now, not in a couple of years. You can already travel pretty long distances on motorway/DC between seeing anywhere to refuel/stretch legs.

wwhyte

Bluetonic wrote:

There are two listed on the map????

Two rest areas, no service areas.

Bluetonic

wwhyte wrote:

Two rest areas, no service areas.

Colour blind? Bizarre indeed.

Skyhater

wwhyte wrote:

Two rest areas, no service areas.

Look at it again..... you'll find that you're wrong!

wwhyte

Skyhater wrote:

Look at it again..... you'll find that you're wrong!

Doh! Apologies.

popebenny16

There is one (sort of) on the Cork exit of the M7 at Portlaoise called Midway - Hotel, O'Briens Sambo and other stuff I cant remember.

Funnily enough I acted for a client who was very interested in providing such a services area on the M7 between Monasterevin and Portlaoise. Got shot down. Silly.

D'Peoples Voice

Zoney wrote:

I would say quite simply that the people who originally decided there was no need for service areas were probably from either of two groups:
1) Hadn't experienced serious motorway driving and didn't have personal experience to know that they are necessary (indeed I didn't understand the need myself until the main M7 and M1 stretches were done and I travelled them)
........

Perhaps FF politicians being the visionairies that they are, were thinking 20-30 years ahead, and believed that fuel efficiency would be incomparable to today and that cars would not need to refuel until a distance of 500kms was covered.
I'm skeptical - can't think why!

MDTyKe

I know it's far from ideal, but you do see "Services" exits a lot on motorways - but they lead to local towns/villages - But I suppose if you were in an emergency, providing it isn't another 20mins to get to the town from the m/way, you would make it.


Matt

Stark

And assuming the local petrol station isn't closed when you get there.

Calina

It's not just services...There are laws for commercial drivers and how long they can drive without rest stops. We have precious little for them, even on the N-road network.

There is a lot of evidence of piecemeal thinking in this country. It's insane that the week the Port Tunnel opened, the NRA got a bit antsy about the extra volume of trucks that would be hitting the M50 and it is insane that it's only then that anyone got around to considering widening the M50 which should have been done about 5 years ago anyway.

The problem - as I see it - is we are collectively unable to do joined up thinking for the country as a whole and because of this, things get done bit by bit and every time a bit is done, it causes other problems down the line. There should be at least one services area on the M50 for example. There should be at least 2 on the M7 and probably 2 on the M1. All this should be considered at the planning stage though, not after the fact.

For me it seems blindingly obvious and yet for a long time, the NRA seemed to be of the opinion that it was better to route people off the motorway (thus negating the utility of the motorway to them - having to find services in Monasterevin pretty much adds back the 20 minutes taken off the journey).

As for signposting "services" off the motorways to the towns along the route - please...where are they? There aren't any in what the average motorway user in other countries understands as services.