M4 toll, location?

SeanW

This has probably been asked a million times before, but where is the big M4 toll? Between which junctions?

grumpy old man

between loughrea and ballinasloe junctions.

That's the future M6 toll, the current M4 toll is between Kilcock & Enfield

icdg

The main toll plaza is approx 4km west of Junction 8. Watch out though, there are also toll plazas on the Junction 9 westbound on-slip and eastbound off slip, lest you try to avoid the the toll that way...

Kimbot

Only way to avoid the toll on the M4 is to go the old raods until the dual carriage way at Mullingar.

orbital83

Quite easy to miss the turn-off on the way back from Dublin, if you're not familiar with it - you have to branch off for Kilcock.

As someone who uses that route twice a day, I never use the motorway - €2.70 is just too much for a saving of 10-12 minutes.

Of course, the saving would be even less if they hadn't changed the speed limit on the back road from 100km/h to 80km/h when the motorway opened. Strange how that happened.

GerardKeating

jonny24ie wrote: »

Only way to avoid the toll on the M4 is to go the old raods until the dual carriage way at Mullingar.

Not quite, west bound traffic can join at Kinegead for free.

Sponge Bob

John J wrote: »

Of course, the saving would be even less if they hadn't changed the speed limit on the back road from 100km/h to 80km/h when the motorway opened. Strange how that happened.

Its no longer a national road ..simple really

GerardKeating

John J wrote: »

Of course, the saving would be even less if they hadn't changed the speed limit on the back road from 100km/h to 80km/h when the motorway opened. Strange how that happened.

Not exactly strange, the max speed on a R class road is 80, the old "N4" is no longer a national Primary route, no not entitled to the 100KPH limit.

SeanW

GerardKeating wrote: »

Not quite, west bound traffic can join at Kinegead for free.

Motorway regulations end at Kinnegad.

Its no longer a national road ..simple really

Still, it's funny how a road that is considered safe for 100kph one day, suddenly becomes unsafe for anything over 80kpm the folllowing morning?

SeanW

I was checking this out on Google maps and with the toll plaza between junctions 8&9, plus toll booths a J9, also J10 and J11 are not full interchanges, the only have westbound offramps and eastbound on ramps, so the only way to dodge the tolls is to stay off the motorway between J8 and J12.

Seems like an OK trade off, as towns like Enfield, Kinnegad already have older, or inner bypasses, while Maynooth, Leixlip and Kilcock rely soely on the Motorway for a bypass and it's toll free throught there.

GerardKeating

GerardKeating wrote: »

Not exactly strange, the max speed on a R class road is 80, the old "N4" is no longer a national Primary route, no not entitled to the 100KPH limit.

In most parts of the world, a common sense approach is used and road speeds are allocated according to the road type, i.e. single carriageway/ dual carriageway etc, not as to wheather it is an "N" (or "R") road.
Additional limits are then added where required, dangerous bends, bad junctions etc.
It's silly to reduce the limit just because the classification has changed, the road is still a wide single carriageway with good visibliity and surface.

D'Peoples Voice

Deleted User wrote: »

In most parts of the world, a common sense approach is used and road speeds are allocated according to the road type, i.e. single carriageway/ dual carriageway etc, not as to wheather it is an "N" (or "R") road.
Additional limits are then added where required, dangerous bends, bad junctions etc.
It's silly to reduce the limit just because the classification has changed, the road is still a wide single carriageway with good visibliity and surface.

Local government or your county council, have the power to put a speed limit of 120Km/h on a country boreen if they so wish.
Sometimes I think county councils don't carry annual audits at all on their road network to check if the correct speed limits are being applied.

Only the other day I was in county Kilkenny, heading North on the N8, coming out of either Johnstown or Urlingford, but there was a speed limit sign for 60 km/h, followed very quickly by a 100 km/h only to then by followed very quickly again by an orange 60km/h sign because of road works.
Now why Kilkenny County Coucil can't COVER the two earlier speed limits until the road works were complete, that would make so much sense!

icdg

D'Peoples Voice wrote: »

Local government or your county council, have the power to put a speed limit of 120Km/h on a country boreen if they so wish.

No they don't. The relevant law is Section 9 (2) (f) of the Road Traffic Act 2004, which allows a council to set a special speed limit of 120 kph only on a national road which is not part of a motorway but which is also a dual carraigeway. In reality the 120 kph special limit is only meant for HQDCs.

Also note that a 100kph limit can be put on an R-road (or indeed an L-road) under the preceeding subsection 9 (2) (e).

In reality there are a huge amount of inappropiate speed limits about. Permanent 80 kph speed limits on dual carriageways in Dublin are the ones that annoy me the most...

orbital83

Not exactly strange, the max speed on a R class road is 80, the old "N4" is no longer a national Primary route, no not entitled to the 100KPH limit.

There are some regional roads in Louth with a 100km/h speed limit, presumably as they're deemed to be of suitable quality for such a speed.

The section between Kinnegad and Enfield is wide single carraigeway with hard shoulders, turning lanes and no dangerous bends.
Not too many regional roads match that description!

In fact, anyone familiar with the "old N4" road would agree it is far superior to, say, sections of the N63 or N55, both of which are deemed fit for 100km/h.

IMO, reduction of the speed limit on the R148 Kinnegad-Enfield is either laziness or some sort of attempt to "encourage" use of the toll bridge. As the speed change required the erection of repeater signs every mile or so, and presumably some sort of bye-law, I know which one I believe!

John J

John J wrote: »

IMO, reduction of the speed limit on the R148 Kinnegad-Enfield is either laziness or some sort of attempt to "encourage" use of the toll bridge.

Definately an attempt to steer drivers on to the toll road, by downgrading it to an "R" road for starters, if this was in the UK it would have remained an "A" road (different number).