Why is the 4th lane on the M50 become the new undertaking lane.

swingking

This is something that really pisses me off. I'm driving along at about 90 km/h on the slow lane on the m50. I do have cars driving past me on the outside and they are well within their right to overtake me; that's up to them.

But then there is an increase of twits who are too lazy to get into the outside lane and decide that they would like to undertake me on the exit only lane. I know that some of these drivers are exiting and they are allowed to do that AS long as they are exiting.

But there are a huge amount of drivers who seem to think that this is a new lane created for them to just undertake me and drive like a nutter. This is really dangerous and soon enough a serious accident is gonna happen.

Has anyone else experienced this happening

copacetic

standard

didn't know there was a 'slow' lane on the M50?

post.

L1011

As yet I've never seen someone using that lane who isn't merging or demerging to/from the motorway; although I have 'undertaken' people while in it with the sole intent (and final action) of using it to leave the motorway...

swingking

copacetic wrote: »

didn't know there was a 'slow' lane on the M50?

There is a slow lane on the m50. It's the lane that you drive in when NOT overtaking any other cars. There's no fast lane on the m50 in this country. Some people call this lane the "driving lane".

Guy:Incognito

swingking wrote: »

There is a slow lane on the m50. It's the lane that you drive in when NOT overtaking any other cars. There's no fast lane on the m50 in this country. Some people call this lane the "driving lane".

From the ROTR

"Using lanes properly
It is very important that you understand the purpose of each lane on a motorway. To help explain how and when to move from one lane to another, each lane is given a number. The picture below shows that lane 1 is the lane nearest the hard shoulder. This is also known as the inside lane. On a two-lane motorway, the lane nearest the central median is lane 2 (also called the outside lane). On a three-lane motorway, this lane is lane 3.
"

No mention of any "slow lane"


Plus, if you are able to do 90 you can do 100. It means less slow moving traffic, less switching lanes and much better movement of traffic in general.

mikemac

You've it all mixed up Swingking so we'll sort it now before you get lynched when the regulars get here :P

Slow lane = driving lane
Fast lane = overtaking lane (FOR OVERTAKING ONLY)

If you want to be correct about it, don't use slow lane or fast lane, some posters don't like it and you can see the confusion here only 4 posts in

bmcgrath

Correct. No slow lanes

bmcgrath

And what really bugs me is when people sit in the overtaking lane thinking it's the "fast lane"
This is why we have this problem of people using the inside lane for overtaking because they are getting p1ssed off and also just getting use to it because of idiots sitting in the overtaking lane!

/rant

swingking

for God's sake, talk about being pedantic. I've seen that happen so often in this forum, any mention of the word "slow lane" or "fast lane" and suddenly there is a massive backlash.

Can we move past those two words??

Guy:Incognito

swingking wrote: »

for God's sake, talk about being pedantic. I've seen that happen so often in this forum, any mention of the word "slow lane" or "fast lane" and suddenly there is a massive backlash.

It was you that made such a point that a slow lane exists, when it doesnt.

swingking wrote: »

Can we move past those two words??

Stop using them so.

mikemac

bmcgrath wrote: »

because of idiots sitting in the overtaking lane!

But these good citizens are doing their best to ensure nobody breaks the speed limit. Why the hostility?

swingking

Stekelly wrote: »

Plus, if you are able to do 90 you can do 100. It means less slow moving traffic, less switching lanes and much better movement of traffic in general.

The guys who are undertaking me are doing well over 100 kmh and if i''m in the inside lane I'm not gonna break the speed limit. I agree that people who hogg the overtaking lane are complete idiots and haven't a clue how to drive.

I'm not gonna drive on the nearest lane nearest the hard shoulder cause this is an exit only lane.

Guy:Incognito

swingking wrote: »

The guys who are undertaking me are doing well over 100 kmh and if i''m in the inside lane I'm not gonna break the speed limit. I agree that people who hogg the overtaking lane are complete idiots and haven't a clue how to drive.

I'm not gonna drive on the nearest lane nearest the hard shoulder cause this is an exit only lane.

I never said you should. If everyone (not the ones in HGV's obviously) drove at the speed limit, the whole road would move much easier. The less overtaking and lane switching that needs to be done, the freer it will move.

bmcgrath

micmclo wrote: »

But these good citizens are doing their best to ensure nobody breaks the speed limit. Why the hostility?

HAHA. Don't go there

swingking

People sometimes forget that the speed limit is not a target it's a limit.

I was always told that the speed limit is the safest speed at which to drive and it depends on the condition of the roads, visibility and weather.. 120 km/h is the maximum speed limit on motorways, but it does not mean that everyone should always drive at that speed.

bmcgrath

swingking wrote: »

People sometimes forget that the speed limit is not a target it's a limit.

I was always told that the speed limit is the safest speed at which to drive and it depends on the condition of the roads, visibility and weather.. 120 km/h is the maximum speed limit on motorways, but it does not mean that everyone should always drive at that speed.

I think if the speed limit is 120 then people should drive at 120
If not keep it at 100-120 at least. None of this 50-80 ****e I do see.

jester77

If somone is able to undertake you then you are in the wrong lane!

maherball

We need Min Speed Limits too I've been stuck behind people doing 80KmpH on the motorway, people sitting in the overtaking lane doing 100KmpH in good conditions is just silly too. Oh And people who don't accelerate in the filter lane................/rant


And people who sit on your rear bumper as you wait for the traffic ahead to clear a bit piss me off too

Berty

There is NO slow lane, never was and never will be. I was a civil engineer on the roads of this country and built two major motorways.....................all my myself.

There is the left lane and everything else is the overtaking lane. You may perceive it as being the lane you can drive as slow as you want but you are incorrect in your view of it.

Regarding the entry/exit lane. I actually did not know what that lane was as I have not seen this before. It is a new import to this country and not very common on the European roads. I had to ask on these forums.

And, If I, a trained civil structural infrastructure engineer, had to ask what a marking on the road meant then surely the regular folks may not know.

Also bear in mind. A lot of drivers dont give a sh*t anyway and wont give a crap what you think.

R.O.R

jester77 wrote: »

If somone is able to undertake you then you are in the wrong lane!

:rolleyes:

Unless it's the slip road on the M50 between junctions, which is only for driving in if you are entering the Motorway, or leaving the Motorway at the next exit.

Well, at least that's what I presume it is. As far as I'm aware (like Berty) there has been no official communication as to what this lane is for.

Don't even get me started on the 2 lanes Northbound being slip roads off to the N3, but only the inside lane having the Slip road markings! :mad:

Switcharoo

swingking wrote: »

People sometimes forget that the speed limit is not a target it's a limit.

People love rattling off that little quote, but it IS actually a target. In the driving test, your aim is to get to the speed limit & maintain reasonable forward progress, keeping up with the normal flow of traffic, provided it is safe to do so. FACT.

swingking wrote:

for God's sake, talk about being pedantic. I've seen that happen so often in this forum, any mention of the word "slow lane" or "fast lane" and suddenly there is a massive backlash.

It's not being pedantic - it's differentiating between right & wrong. And if you've seen it before 'so often', how do you still manage to get it wrong?

Learn the ROTR and stop just rattling off what you hear from other people.

BUT, with all of the above in mind, you still shouldn't be getting undertaken in the slip road.

Alun

Berty wrote: »

Regarding the entry/exit lane. I actually did not know what that lane was as I have not seen this before. It is a new import to this country and not very common on the European roads.

They have them all over the place in other countries ... they aren't an Irish invention, and similar layouts have already been in use for some time on the M50/M11 junction, although many people who use that stretch don't seem to have grasped the (obvious to me) purpose of these lanes either.

Basically it's just like an entry and exit slip road merged into one really .. it doesn't alter the way you use them if you're exiting or entering in the normal way except that you potentially have much more distance to do it in if required, it just means you can stay in that lane if you're entering one junction and exiting at the next one. If you're doing that, and you go faster than traffic in lane 1, then you're not undertaking because of the thicker dashed line separating the two.

Anan1

jester77 wrote: »

If somone is able to undertake you then you are in the wrong lane!

In general yes, not if they're using the exit only lane. Read first, then reply.;)

cjt156

Switcharoo wrote: »

...you still shouldn't be getting overtaken in the slip road.

But you may get passed in the slip road.

Switcharoo

cjt156 wrote: »

But you may get passed in the slip road.

Of course - but people can't move into the slip road, undertake, then pull back into the normal driving lane. The sliproad is for entry & exit - not undertaking.

Jip

I'll post my standard "people are muppets" line that I seem to be using alot lately just to get it out of the way.
Every weekend I travel from the Blanchardstown exit to the Ballymount one and 9 times out of 10 I can stay in the left most lane the whole way and still be travelling the fastest on the M50.
Why ? As I said, people are muppets. Take the Blanchardstown merge for example. You don't actually need to leave the left lane you're on from the slip until near the old toll booths but for some reason everyone dives straight into either the middle lane or outside lane leaving the lane they were in and the one along side it completely empty for a few miles. (I know it's actually a really long lane for the Lucan exit before anyone gets all pedantic on me)
I for one have given up on trying to keep to the the overtake on the right mantra as it's simple impossible until we have some Mad Max character patrolling the M50 taking these people out and happily sit on the inside lane passing everyone, no matter how against the rules of the road it is. To be honest if I ever get pulled I can argue that I'm simple doing so as my lane happens to be travelling faster than the rest.

And the Mad Max characater can start with the girl that merged onto the M1 early Sunday morning gone. Completely empty motorway bar me coming up to where she joined. I moved to the outside, she merged and went straight to the outside lane for some inexplicable reason while I moved to the inside. She was travelling a good but slower than me and I watched her remain in the outside lane until I could no longer see her. third times a charm, people are muppets.

alias no.9

I regularly join the M50 southbound at the N4 and come off at the N7. I stay in the left most lane for the entire trip. The road markings, i.e. white lines, marking the border beween this lane and the lane to its right are spaced closer together than those seperating the rest of the lanes, indicating this is a left turning lane, my intention is to leave at the next exit. I drive at 100km/h where possible.
Are you saying that if I encounter somebody dawdelling along at 60km/h or 80km/h in the left most of the three main driving lanes, that I must either stay behind them even though I have a clear run to my exit, or cross at least two lanes, most likely three given my observations of poor lane discipline with drivers scattered across the lanes without any efforts being made to overtake or move back to the left, and then cross all the way back to get back into the exit lane?

Alun

alias no.9 wrote: »

I regularly join the M50 southbound at the N4 and come off at the N7. I stay in the left most lane for the entire trip. The road markings, i.e. white lines, marking the border beween this lane and the lane to its right are spaced closer together than those seperating the rest of the lanes, indicating this is a left turning lane, my intention is to leave at the next exit. I drive at 100km/h where possible.
Are you saying that if I encounter somebody dawdelling along at 60km/h or 80km/h in the left most of the three main driving lanes, that I must either stay behind them even though I have a clear run to my exit, or cross at least two lanes, most likely three given my observations of poor lane discipline with drivers scattered across the lanes without any efforts being made to overtake or move back to the left, and then cross all the way back to get back into the exit lane?

Absolutely not. Whatever gave you that idea?

Switcharoo

alias no.9 wrote: »

I regularly join the M50 southbound at the N4 and come off at the N7. I stay in the left most lane for the entire trip. The road markings, i.e. white lines, marking the border beween this lane and the lane to its right are spaced closer together than those seperating the rest of the lanes, indicating this is a left turning lane, my intention is to leave at the next exit. I drive at 100km/h where possible.
Are you saying that if I encounter somebody dawdelling along at 60km/h or 80km/h in the left most of the three main driving lanes, that I must either stay behind them even though I have a clear run to my exit, or cross at least two lanes, most likely three given my observations of poor lane discipline with drivers scattered across the lanes without any efforts being made to overtake or move back to the left, and then cross all the way back to get back into the exit lane?

1) You didn't quote anybody, so I have no idea who that is directed at.
2) I don't even understand your question. Poor description. What's a "left turning lane" on a motorway? Is it the Exit slip-road?

milltown

I thought the slow lane on the M50 and N7 was the middle lane.
That's how it would appear to a casual observer. The only time the people using it display any haste is when getting into it. i.e. crossing the hatching at the on ramp and swinging accross two lanes to get to it.

OldmanMondeo

alias no.9 wrote: »

I regularly join the M50 southbound at the N4 and come off at the N7. I stay in the left most lane for the entire trip. The road markings, i.e. white lines, marking the border beween this lane and the lane to its right are spaced closer together than those seperating the rest of the lanes, indicating this is a left turning lane, my intention is to leave at the next exit. I drive at 100km/h where possible.
Are you saying that if I encounter somebody dawdelling along at 60km/h or 80km/h in the left most of the three main driving lanes, that I must either stay behind them even though I have a clear run to my exit, or cross at least two lanes, most likely three given my observations of poor lane discipline with drivers scattered across the lanes without any efforts being made to overtake or move back to the left, and then cross all the way back to get back into the exit lane?

What you are doing is perfectly fine. I travel that route myself every morning and usuall find myself passing a loit of traffic on my right and I stay within the speed limit..

To those given out about peoples terminology, i.e slow lane, fast lane turn left lane, cop on, you know what others mean, FFS. We're not holding a word perfect driving test here.

alias no.9

Switcharoo wrote: »

1) You didn't quote anybody, so I have no idea who that is directed at.
2) I don't even understand your question. Poor description. What's a "left turning lane" on a motorway? Is it the Exit slip-road?

1) If I didn't quote a subsequent post, surely you can presume it was addressed to the original post.
2) Start by reading this. The use of a descriptive term, left turning lane, as opposed to the slip lane, slip road, exit lane, or any other terminology was to tie in with the fact that in accordance with the rules of the road that you are allowed to pass on the left when turning left.

Holsten

Drive faster.

Simple.

Berty

Holsten wrote: »

Drive faster.

Simple.

Drive without your lights. Then you wont see you undertaking them. Remove your rear view mirror and fold in your side mirrors so you cannot see them.

Failing that, buy an SUV.

Cionád

Jip wrote: »

I'll post my standard "people are muppets" line that I seem to be using alot lately just to get it out of the way.
Every weekend I travel from the Blanchardstown exit to the Ballymount one and 9 times out of 10 I can stay in the left most lane the whole way and still be travelling the fastest on the M50.
Why ? As I said, people are muppets.

+1

I drive Ballymun -> Blanch daily and stick to the left lane the whole way, undertaking roughly 100 cars in the process on average and arriving about 5 minutes earlier. About 1 in ten times is the right lane actually moving faster.

I think it's because people don't like letting people merge, they all pile into the right lane when they get near to the finglas exit, and the left lane is left practically bare. It slows where the merging is happening and I let in one of two of the mergers before it picks up again. And most of the mergers go straight into the right lane, making the left lane flow faster again!