Junction upgrade M50/N81

tom1ie

Does anybody know what the plans are for the upgrade of the n81/m50 junction and for that matter the m50/firhouse junction? Will at least one of them become a completley free flow junction? Going on the traffic in the tallaght area the upgrade is definatley needed. A website with plans/pictures would help aswell.:D

Victor

AFAIK, Tallaght isn't getting any work and I think Firhouse bridge is to be doubled.

darkman2

All interchanges are getting freeflow slips. Tallaght will get the same but the current layout will remain also.

spacetweek

Victor wrote: »

AFAIK, Tallaght isn't getting any work and I think Firhouse bridge is to be doubled.

Tallaght is only getting left turn slips, a very basic job. No changes to the big roundabout. Sandyford will be the same.

Firhouse will get duplicated like Ballymount. Ballymun is getting this too.

AlekSmart

I have to confess to being seriously Underwhelmed by the Ballymount/Cookstown arrangement.

The initial hopes for a free(ish) flowing junction are well and truly dashed now as the final touches are being applied to what is essentially just another complex Traffic Signal arrangement.
Just to confirm this we have the appearance of that old stalwart of Irish Roads and Traffic Planners,the yellow line...In this case most obvious at the point where Cookstown bound traffic attempts to merge with the (newly Signed) R838..

Not alone is the Traffic Signalling present on a massive scale,its also poorly installed particularly on the Eastern side of the M50 Overbridge,where sloppily installed louvres ensure that drivers cannot see the Green Arrow allowing them to proceed straight towards Ballymount.:mad:

Traffic leaving the M50 to take the R838 to Belgard Rd now has a fine wide slightly curved slip road which is rendered largely useless by a serious set of Pedestrian Lights at the merge point which currently operate on a fixed sequence,with flashing amber as the default,but sequencing to Red at set intervals,thereby ensuring the preservation of the STOP first ethos.:mad:

From my vantage point the only explanation I can see for the present overly complicated setup is to slow down the throughput of vehicles thereby giving the erronrous impression that the 2-lane R838 is actually capable of dealing with its imposed load....It`s NOT ! :mad:

I feel confident enough to predict a new banker location for AA Roadwatch broadcasters as they advise their listeners to avoid the Cookstown/Ballymount Junction due to a major accident......Lets see how long it will take. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

tom1ie

seriously though- what a half backed plan this m50 upgrade is!:mad:
Tallaght is one of the biggest suburbs of dublin and they reckon its enough to put in poxy left turn slip roads and leave the rest as is?! Ok they're upgrading firhouse to the same set up as ballymount, but the n81 junction is a fairly major junction! Tallaght is being held back by traffic and not upgrading the n81 to a grade seperated dual carrigeway and not upgrading the m50 junction is just gonna make it worse. Now........theirs my little rant for the festive season:o

Victor

You do realise that the greater Tallaght area has 4 junctions on the M50?

Clondalkin / Lucan has 2.

tom1ie

Victor wrote: »

You do realise that the greater Tallaght area has 4 junctions on the M50?

Clondalkin / Lucan has 2.

what are the 4? n81/m50,firhouse, ballymount serves walkinstown/crumlin and the red cow serves clondalkin crumlin. I fail to see the four. Depends on what you call the greater tallaght area though.

WiDGe->

tom1ie wrote: »

what are the 4? n81/m50,firhouse, ballymount serves walkinstown/crumlin and the red cow serves clondalkin crumlin. I fail to see the four. Depends on what you call the greater tallaght area though.

firhouse, n81, ballymount (for kingswood) and n7 (for belgard road) all serve tallaght.

tom1ie

WiDGe-> wrote: »

firhouse, n81, ballymount (for kingswood) and n7 (for belgard road) all serve tallaght.

Ok i'm willing to accept that ballymount serves tallaght, but the red cow serving the belgard road? you have to go via the naas road to get to the belgard road and then through newlands cross.

Prof_V

You could argue (though it's stretching it a bit) that Citywest is part of the greater Tallaght area, and the N7 is the most logical junction for Citywest.

tom1ie

Prof_V wrote: »

You could argue (though it's stretching it a bit) that Citywest is part of the greater Tallaght area, and the N7 is the most logical junction for Citywest.

Agreed that the most logical junction for citywest is the n7 but the argument was about junctions on the m50 that serve tallaght. Fair enough to get to citywest your probably gonna go through the n7 via the red cow but this shows that the red cow doesn't directly serve tallaght as you have to drive a good distance on the n7 before getting to citywest.

Victor

tom1ie wrote: »

Agreed that the most logical junction for citywest is the n7 but the argument was about junctions on the m50 that serve tallaght.

Actually, if heading to Bray, from Citywest, it might make more sense to use the N81.

Nuttzz

Victor wrote: »

Actually, if heading to Bray, from Citywest, it might make more sense to use the N81.

it depends on the time of day there are 10 sets for lights on the n81 from the m50 junction to the n81 citywest

there are 2 sets from citywest to the red cow

at 11am I know which way i'd go

tom1ie

Tallaght By-Pass Extension

Click to see location map. - Section within the adminstrative area of South Dublin County Council shown diagramatically in red and marked a - b.

Present Position: January 08 - NRA have decided that this scheme be transferred to the Kildare National Roads Design Office. The scheme has been extended to Hollywood Cross, Co Wicklow. The EIS is being prepared for that section within the administrative area of South Dublin County Council. The balance of the scheme requires a route selection process to be commenced in Kildare and Wicklow.
Construction is unlikely to commence prior to 2010.



I honestly do not believe this bull****!! How much longer are they going to make us wait in these poxy traffic ques. We need to do something about this crap. Does any one have any ideas on what could be done.
For a start i am passing on this sdcc message to all tallaght councillors and reprasentatives- for all thats worth! Any one else know other avenues we could persue?!

AlekSmart

Time to BUMP this thread again.

Now that the R838/M50 interchange is operational there really needs to be a fundamental reappraisal of its design and construction.

Perhaps I`m being unfair but it appears to me that the designers singularly failed to appreciate just how lacking in intelligence a LARGE proportion of our driving pool really are.

The numbers of M50 Northbound drivers who are now positioning to the left lane as they approach the Cookstown/Ballymount junction is extremely worrying.

It`s worrying because so many of these drivers have failed to notice not one,not two but THREE seperate sets of directional signs,brand new and VERY LARGE :mad:.

What then occurs is verging on lunacy as the drivers who are at the last minute somehow made aware that they have left a Motorway then suddenly veer across the R838`s solid-borderd hatched island in order to lurch back onto the M50 Northbound slip road.

This last manouvere is usually performed at speed,with little obvious mirror work or forward observation and often involves cutting across R838 Eastbound traffic heading for Ballymount.

Twice this week I have been far too close to an imbicile pulling across in front of a Motorcyclist..even though the Bike`s were displaying more lights than an ambulance and the Riders were all hi-vizz`d to kingdom come.

There is no point in any more signage here as it will do naught except perhaps confuse the terminally confused even more.

The only solution to a situation which will eventually contribute to a fatality is to erect a solid lane divider along the R838 to make this manouvere Impossible unless in a Tank !

I could not care less whether these people are from Outer Mongolia,the signage is Blindingly clear and if they ignore its directions then they must be directed to the Belgard Rd/Naas Rd/Red Cow route back to their desired M50 North routing.... :eek:

In the meantime peeps...be careful around this Junction as I would hate it to be somebody of this Board who becomes the First Stat