Is the M50 moving faster?

chewed

I know there have been huge problems with the M50 barriers recently (10,000 per day according to a radio report this morning), but have the introduction of the Barrier free tolls actually worked in clearing the traffic jams during rush hour?

Or if not, will it work when all the roadworks are complete?

steyr fan

Seesm to be that southbound things have improved a lot since the barriers were raised, but northbound all that has happened is that the tailback has been moved a few kms further up the road to where the works are still (and probably will be for a good while yet).

LEIN

Don't use it much anymore but I find it quicker since the barriers have been lifted especially going south.

GeturGun

Damo9090 wrote: »

especially going south.

................until you get to Ballymount where some genius thought it would be an excellent idea to merge the 3 lanes into two at the exact same spot as the Ballymount on ramp merges :mad::mad:
Gridlocked morning and evening

Tipsy Mac

I hope NTR kept the receipt from the consultants report they commissioned which 100% categorically denied that the toll bridge had anything to do with delaying traffic:D

GeturGun

GeturGun wrote: »

................until you get to Ballymount where some genius thought it would be an excellent idea to merge the 3 lanes into two at the exact same spot as the Ballymount on ramp merges :mad::mad:
Gridlocked morning and evening

It would have made more sense if phase one had ended/started AT the tallaght N81 junction rather than halfway between it & Ballymount, then it would have been 3 lanes to two at the Tallaght slip with the fourth (left) lane going up the slip.

Too logical. :rolleyes:

anotherlostie

They already said that the most benefit would only be seen when all the work was completed.

That there is a logjam at Blanch or Ballymount is no surprise given they are the two pinchpoints where three lanes return to two, and where the works start.

I have noticed that there is no northbound tailback to the Red Cow on a Friday evening anymore.

anotherlostie

anotherlostie wrote: »

They already said that the most benefit would only be seen when all the work was completed.

That there is a logjam at Blanch or Ballymount is no surprise given they are the two pinchpoints where three lanes return to two, and where the works start.

I have noticed that there is no northbound tailback to the Red Cow on a Friday evening anymore.

All very true and I have certainly noticed that it is now possible to get from Lucan to the Ballymount junction in 30 mins or less after 07:00 in the morning, that same journey before used to easily take 60mins+ before phase one was completed, on a bad day crawl all the way from the newcastle lights to ballymount!

Guy:Incognito

GeturGun wrote: »

................until you get to Ballymount where some genius thought it would be an excellent idea to merge the 3 lanes into two at the exact same spot as the Ballymount on ramp merges :mad::mad:
Gridlocked morning and evening

Doesnt really matter if 40 lanes merge into 1 or 2 lanes open out to 4, people are stupid and ignorant.

Everytime I drive southbound past Ballymount there are people pulling out into the 3rd lane AFTER the signs start to tell you the 3rd lane is diaapearing so that they can skip a few more cars. Then there are the other fools that bunch up in the left lane so people cant merge onto the motorway (god forbid someone should merge in front of you :rolleyes:) . Then there are the 3rd group who switch between the inside and middle lanes and back again to gain 5 or 10 yard son the road.

If everyone in the inside lane stayed in that lane and left gaps to accomodate the people merging onto the road (and those that merge on then stayed in the inside lane) and the people in the middle lane stayed there while leaving gaps for the peolpe in the outside lane to merge (BEFORE the lane tapers off, not at the very last second while braking down to 40kmh), there would be no issue.

But no, none of this works because of the ignorant and/or stupid fools that insist on trying to jump lanes as many times as possible to get 1 car length closer to the point where all the fools suddenly realise there is clear road ahead of them and they can speed up from 40kmh.


FFS the opposite side where the road widens from 2 lanes to 4 has a slowdown point where everyone takes 10 secs to tootle along at 30kmh while they decide which lane they might like to settle on.

HonalD

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

I hope NTR kept the receipt from the consultants report they commissioned which 100% categorically denied that the toll bridge had anything to do with delaying traffic:D

Did it take into account the free-flow interchanges at Red Cow and N4 I wonder?

BluntGuy

I have to wonder, do people actually know what each lane is for?

Guy:Incognito

BluntGuy wrote: »

I have to wonder, do people actually know what each lane is for?

No chance. The amount of people that wait till the last 100m before an exit to dive across two lanes and exit or sit in the left lane the whole way without moving into the lane that runs between the junctions even though they are exiting at the next junction is unreal.

Theres also a scramble to be the first to get out into the two outside lanes as soon as it opens to 3 lanes.

DublinWriter

Any idea when the Northside work will be finished? It looks pretty much complete to me ATM.

JayeL

I never used the M50 much at peak times but needed to get to the Naas Rd one morning two weeks ago so I hopped in the car and left Ashbourne at 8am to be there for 9.

Twenty minutes later, I'm at the lights where the Nangor Rd meets the Naas Rd, dumbfounded. The M50 did have traffic, don't get me wrong. It took a good while to get up from junction 5 onto the southbound lane. But once I got under the Blanch roundabout, there was no traffic. Everything just moved. Even at the chicane where the toll plaza was, traffic just proceeded at a reasonable speed. Like it was a....motorway.

Bizarre.

Tarakiwa

I use the M50 every day - heading southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening.

I have seena dramatic change resulting in a far shorter commute time.

I cant wait for the works to be completed so that my commute time will be shortened further.

I know that we all knew that the toll was causing all the problems but it is still great to see the NTR being proved wrong!

IIMII

Between Blanch and Ballymount, the M50 is a dream at the moment. Either side of Blanch and Ballymount is still a bit of a nightmare.

Getting onto the M50 from blanch is a pain still as the N3 junction hasn't been built yet, though when you get on it it is grand.

GeturGun

Stekelly wrote: »

.......... people are stupid and ignorant........

If everyone in the inside lane stayed in that lane and left gaps to accomodate the people merging onto the road (and those that merge on then stayed in the inside lane) and the people in the middle lane stayed there while leaving gaps for the peolpe in the outside lane to merge (BEFORE the lane tapers off, not at the very last second while braking down to 40kmh), there would be no issue.

But no, none of this works because of the ignorant and/or stupid fools that insist on trying to jump lanes as many times as possible to get 1 car length closer to the point where all the fools suddenly realise there is clear road ahead of them and they can speed up from 40kmh.

+1 to everything you said!

The other day I saw a first (for me anyway) at Ballymount. A guy leaves the left hand lane [pulls left], onto the on-ramp lane and skips along with the other cars and re-enters the left m-way land again, only about 3 cars ahead of where he had been.
WOW, how much time did that save him :rolleyes:

Although yes, it looks like it's going to be excellent when it's finished. I only go on at Ballymount and off at Tallaght every evening, I think there will be an exit/entry lane all the way between these 2 exits, so won't have to merge on to the motorway at all - happy days!

LEIN

DublinWriter wrote: »

Any idea when the Northside work will be finished? It looks pretty much complete to me ATM.

Prob another good while.

Don't forget that M1/M50 roundabout is getting a major over haul which will prob take a life time and cause motorists a major pain in the arse.

Think the work was scheduled to start a few weeks ago don't know if it did though.

Suicide Jockey

Heard a guy on the radio during the week saying that there is a marked increase of cars using the other roads now the fee has increased for the M50 toll. Good to see some people have copped on and just said no to the increase.

BluntGuy

Damo9090 wrote: »

Prob another good while.

Don't forget that M1/M50 roundabout is getting a major over haul which will prob take a life time and cause motorists a major pain in the back arse.

As opposed to what other arse?

D.L.R.

Damo9090 wrote: »

Prob another good while.

Don't forget that M1/M50 roundabout is getting a major over haul which will prob take a life time and cause motorists a major pain in the back arse.

Think the work was scheduled to start a few weeks ago don't know if it did though.

On the bright side, it won't be as bad as the N7 or N4 junctions, as its more an enhancement than a rebuild. The main issue with existing traffic will be the tie ins to the mainline - loads more lanes going in by the look of it. When its finished it'll be the only fully freeflow motorway-motorway junction in Ireland!

LEIN

BluntGuy wrote: »

As opposed to what other arse?

Lol thanks for pointing that out.

D.L.R. wrote: »

On the bright side, it won't be as bad as the N7 or N4 junctions, as its more an enhancement than a rebuild. The main issue with existing traffic will be the tie ins to the mainline - loads more lanes going in by the look of it. When its finished it'll be the only fully freeflow motorway-motorway junction in Ireland!

Yeah cant wait to see it when its complete and see the journey time plummet. (me hopes)

sk8board

4 months on, I wouldn't mind resurrecting this thread. I'm about to start the M50 daily commute, from the N2 -> Tallaght junctions.

How people are getting on without the toll bridge, and northbound in the evenings now that the Blanch on-ramp has its own lane all the way to the N2 exit.

It certainly seems to be an improvement yes?

Kenno90

Sound bound seems to be moving incredibly fast(compared to what it was a few years ago) maybe the new tolling system works

Southbound can get busy(slow) at Ballymount where it goes from four lanes to two. if you reach there before 07:30 you should be able to keep going at 80kmh after that it crawls until sometime after 09:00 the same in the evenings.

Northbound is good and clear but does slow a bit after the N2 turning.

Maldini2706

sk8board wrote: »

4 months on, I wouldn't mind resurrecting this thread. I'm about to start the M50 daily commute, from the N2 -> Tallaght junctions.

How people are getting on without the toll bridge, and northbound in the evenings now that the Blanch on-ramp has its own lane all the way to the N2 exit.

It certainly seems to be an improvement yes?

Excluding accidents you'll hit very little traffic on those routes. At the moment the only traffic on the M50 is around the areas where there are roadworks.

In the morning that's M1-Finglas southbound and then also from Dundrum back to Tallaght because of the off-ramps at Dundrum and Sandyford.

On your return journey it'll be rare for you to hit traffic, the only places that get heavy these days are the area from J14 to just beyond J13 and then from J5 (Finglas/N2) to the M1. Occasionally the traffic gets back to Blanchardstown, but it's nothing worth avoiding or even worrying about.

Truth be told, the changes to the M50 have made a huge difference, the only places there are consistent problems are where they are still working on the mainline, it bodes well for when it all opens up, whenever that may be.