M6/4 Motorway Galway to Dublin (for discussing completed sections)

Lamacchi

Poster King wrote: »

I drove the entire route from Galway City Centre to Dublin City Centre late last night in record time. I may have been slightly over the 120km limit at times but not a lot. It is a very easy drive (despite the rain).
.

How Long did it take to you? I have to drive the same route on friday night!!

dubhthach

You should be able to easily do it in 2 and half hours. Depending on course on where in Dublin you are going to and what time you leave Galway on the Friday. As long as ye not clashing with rush hour it shouldn't take to long to get out of Galway.

murphaph

sonyair wrote: »

has this sign been put up on the on slips as some people use the road as a cycle lane and tractors

These signs are superfluous. The UK dispensed with erecting them over 25 years ago. I don't know any country in Europe that lists the rules for motorways at all entry points. The "chopsticks" symbol is sufficient everywhere else. Entering a motorway, signed with the sign below is an offence for learner drivers, pedestrians etc.

antoobrien

murphaph wrote: »

These signs are superfluous. The UK dispensed with erecting them over 25 years ago. I don't know any country in Europe that lists the rules for motorways at all entry points. The "chopsticks" symbol is sufficient everywhere else. Entering a motorway, signed with the sign below is an offence for learner drivers, pedestrians etc.

Respectfully i disagree - as has been discussed here and on other threads most road users do not seem to be aware of the rules of the roads (i.e tractors on motorways, use of overtaking lanes etc) - a reminder does no harm and may do some good

Poster King

Lamacchi wrote: »

How Long did it take to you? I have to drive the same route on friday night!!

I left the Bodkin Roundabout area at 10.40pm and was at home in Dublin 4 area by 12.30am, so no traffic, no delays, no hassle. But as a guide, M50 to Galway Clinic is an easy 2 hours, 1hr45 if you do 120kph the whole way (except on Athlone bypass) and don't get delayed at toll plazas and by slow idiots in overtaking lane.

It is a great road. I can see myself doing day returns or heading to Galway just for the night.
Dublin to Clifden/Roundstone used to take 4 and a half to 5 hours, now is is 3 and half max, and only 3 hours if you go at night or very early morning. If they ever bild the Galway Outer Bypass and Moycullen bypass it will knock another 20 mins at least off the journey.

KevR

The left-turning slip lane from the Dublin Road outbound to the R446 northbound (towards the M6 roundabout at Doughiska) still wasn't open when I drove by there a few days ago. Thank god Galway City Council aren't responsible for any major road projects.....


The Derrydonnell link road from J17 (Athenry Junction) seems to have progressed since the last time I was there. Some resurfacing work has been done on a couple of regional roads near Athenry which were badly damaged by M6 construction traffic.

Chris_5339762

Return trip is perfectly possible, I had to do it the other day. 414km round trip.

L1011

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Return trip is perfectly possible, I had to do it the other day. 414km round trip.

I've round-tripped to Roundstone from my house (Maynooth) for work since the M6 opened, the entire dynamic of my job has been changed by the MIUs - I don't spend 2/5ths of the entire year in hotels anymore!

KevR

MYOB wrote: »

I've round-tripped to Roundstone from my house (Maynooth) for work since the M6 opened, the entire dynamic of my job has been changed by the MIUs - I don't spend 2/5ths of the entire year in hotels anymore!

I think it's such a pity that petrol/diesel prices are about to reach record highs at the same time as the MIU routes have either reached completion or are very near completion.

Just when we start to have a decent road network, people will have to limit their driving because of fuel prices. It's going to stiffle any economic recovery also.

CerebralCortex

KevR wrote: »

I think it's such a pity that petrol/diesel prices are about to reach record highs at the same time as the MIU routes have either reached completion or are very near completion.

Just when we start to have a decent road network, people will have to limit their driving because of fuel prices. It's going to stiffle any economic recovery also.

For any wheel based transport regardless how it's powered needs a road network. It'll be interesting to see if alternatives to fossil fuel powered cars appear and if they do a good road net is essential.

L1011

KevR wrote: »

I think it's such a pity that petrol/diesel prices are about to reach record highs at the same time as the MIU routes have either reached completion or are very near completion.

Just when we start to have a decent road network, people will have to limit their driving because of fuel prices. It's going to stiffle any economic recovery also.

Company car

KevR

KevR wrote: »

I think it's such a pity that petrol/diesel prices are about to reach record highs at the same time as the MIU routes have either reached completion or are very near completion.

Just when we start to have a decent road network, people will have to limit their driving because of fuel prices. It's going to stiffle any economic recovery also.

I've recently dropped my cruising speed from 75mph down to 60mph, the journey seems to go on forever now!

Only upside, is that the fuel consumption had dropped quite significantly and I can almost get in another Dublin - Athlone run in.

Chris_5339762

My car does 44 miles per gallon at 120kmh, but 49 miles per gallon at 120kmh. Makes quite a difference but my own time comes into it too

Chris_5339762

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

My car does 44 miles per gallon at 120kmh, but 49 miles per gallon at 120kmh. Makes quite a difference but my own time comes into it too

Do you mean 100kmh? Fortunately for me, I'm commuting at silly times so there's no real gain in getting there faster.

KevR

CerebralCortex wrote: »

For any wheel based transport regardless how it's powered needs a road network. It'll be interesting to see if alternatives to fossil fuel powered cars appear and if they do a good road net is essential.

I firmly believe that as soon as alternatives to petrol/diesel powered cars start becoming common place that the government will introduce some sort of road pricing or car battery recharging tax. They take in something like €7 Billion every year now in motor related taxes; I can't see them not needing that €7 Billion if we all switch to electric or hydrogen powered cars.

MYOB wrote: »

Company car

Lucky!!

Deleted User wrote: »

I've recently dropped my cruising speed from 75mph down to 60mph, the journey seems to go on forever now!

Only upside, is that the fuel consumption had dropped quite significantly and I can almost get in another Dublin - Athlone run in.

If anyone asked me a few months ago where I would be willing to work when finished university this summer I would have said I'd remain living in Galway for any job I got within a 1.5 hour drive of here and move if I could only find work further away than that.

That's changed now. With the high fuel prices I couldn't justify a long commute on graduate wages.

Last summer I was on placement in Athlone and it worked out cheapest to commute from Galway (€55-60 per week on diesel). I reckon it would cost me €71 at least now in diesel if using the R446 (which I was using last summer). Obviously the M6 is a shorter more direct route where I'd be travelling at a constant speed so probably less fuel consumed but €19 in tolls..

Don't even know why I'm worrying about this yet. I haven't applied for any jobs so far, in Galway or elsewhere. Need to get cracking!!

With "peak oil" I think that the days of the long distance (individual in a car) commuter are numbered, still a great road for everything else.

veryangryman

Deleted User wrote: »

I've recently dropped my cruising speed from 75mph down to 60mph, the journey seems to go on forever now!

I hear that. You can get to the airport in an hour if you floor it on Motorway. Alternatively, a fuel efficient 90-100KMPH and toll dodging can take upto twice the length of time.

Personally i only do the former if time is a factor

merchant08

veryangryman wrote: »

I hear that. You can get to the airport in an hour if you floor it on Motorway. Alternatively, a fuel efficient 90-100KMPH and toll dodging can take upto twice the length of time.

Personally i only do the former if time is a factor

i really hope you dont do 90kmph on a motorway to save fuel, because if you do then you are very selfish.

Scenario(not saying that you do it but plenty of people do):
You cruise at 90, another guy doing same stupid selfish fuel saving exercise as you at 100 approaches you then pases you out at 100kmph, holds up 10 cars who want to do the 120 causing them to burn 10times more fuel than you save by having to slowing down/speeding up.

Ive see the above countless times everytime I drive from Galway to Dublin, for some odd reason other europeans dont do this(on a 2lane motorway), just like they dont hog the overtaking lane, park up and have their sandwiches on the emergency lane, drive tractors on motorways

veryangryman

merchant08 wrote: »

i really hope you dont do 90kmph on a motorway to save fuel, because if you do then you are very selfish.

Scenario(not saying that you do it but plenty of people do):
You cruise at 90, another guy doing same stupid selfish fuel saving exercise as you at 100 approaches you then pases you out at 100kmph, holds up 10 cars who want to do the 120 causing them to burn 10times more fuel than you save by having to slowing down/speeding up.

Ive see the above countless times everytime I drive from Galway to Dublin, for some odd reason other europeans dont do this(on a 2lane motorway), just like they dont hog the overtaking lane, park up and have their sandwiches on the emergency lane, drive tractors on motorways

Speed Limit = Maximum speed permitted
Speed Limit != Target that everyone must go for

End of argument. "Selfishness" aside, motorways werent just built to maximise speed of journey you know. Do you really need to get from city to city that 5 minutes faster than having to slow down ~20kmph for a few seconds. How did you survive in the days pre-Moate/Enfield/Kinnegad bypasses i ponder

Zubeneschamali

merchant08 wrote: »

i really hope you dont do 90kmph on a motorway to save fuel, because if you do then you are very selfish.

People are quite entitled to drive at 90 kph, it's not selfish. The bad drivers are those who choose to overtake them at 91 kph. If you move to overtake, please accellerate and make your maneuver within a reasonable time.

Amtmann

I drove the M6 yesterday from Athlone to the Tullamore exit. I was very surprised at the large volume of traffic along the route (it was about 5.20pm). Also saw the obligatory tractor in the hard shoulder and the usual overtaking lane hoggers.

KevR

I can't wait to see traffic counts for the M6 closer to Galway. I have yet to drive on Galway-Ballinasloe at rush hour so I'm not sure what it's like.

Anyone know roughly how long it takes the NRA to start releasing traffic counts for a new road?

Poster King

I've seen ads on the TV that aim to teach drivers the correct use of roundabout. Are there any similar ads that aim to teach people how to drive on motorways.
The worst offence in my opinion (the worst because it is so common) is drivers in the overtaking lane that take 2 minutes to pass the car in the left lane. Driving on motorways in Europe is a completely different experience. Everyone knows that the overtaking lane is for just that.

I can't remember any ads for teaching people motorway etiquette and safe driving skills. This is needed now more than ever.

merchant08

merchant08 wrote: »

i really hope you dont do 90kmph on a motorway to save fuel, because if you do then you are very selfish.

Scenario(not saying that you do it but plenty of people do):
You cruise at 90, another guy doing same stupid selfish fuel saving exercise as you at 100 approaches you then pases you out at 100kmph, holds up 10 cars who want to do the 120 causing them to burn 10times more fuel than you save by having to slowing down/speeding up.

When I have come up behind a car doing that, I just speed up and pass without delaying traffic, anyway at the times I drive along that road, "traffic" consists of me and the other car and nothing else so I just stay at the same speed - holding up nothing ar chor ar bith.

Lamacchi

merchant08 wrote: »

Ive see the above countless times everytime I drive from Galway to Dublin, for some odd reason other europeans dont do this(on a 2lane motorway), just like they dont hog the overtaking lane, park up and have their sandwiches on the emergency lane, drive tractors on motorways

Have you ever been to Italy? Here we have 3 lanes motorway... the first (the slow one) is always empty, everybody usually drives on the second and third lane, when the third lane is busy they overtake you on your right (in Italy we drive on the right so you must overtake on the left) and I don't tell how they use the emergency lane... I drove on friday night and on monday morning on the m6 and I thought to be in heaven...
Then in other European countries things go better but not in Italy...

L1011

Italy (and southern Portugal also from experience!) is a special case when comparing to "Europe", most people here will only have driven in the UK and France, fair amount in Germany too; where people use the proper lanes most of the time.

dubhthach

MYOB wrote: »

Italy (and southern Portugal also from experience!) is a special case when comparing to "Europe", most people here will only have driven in the UK and France, fair amount in Germany too; where people use the proper lanes most of the time.

I wonder if there is a "Germanic gene" for lane discpline, it would explain alot

Sponge Bob

dubhthach wrote: »

I wonder if there is a "Germanic gene" for lane discpline, it would explain alot

There is. The motto "Links Gehen Rechts Stehen" is drilled into them on every escalator from when they are 5

KevR

Finally got round to making a Facebook page for the M6/4 so we can all show our appreciation to the first inter-urban to have reached completion

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/M64-Ireland-Galway-Dublin-Motorway/130369370312315

Have uploaded pics of various stages of construction (December 2008 to December 2009). I have so many more pictures that I didn't upload - what a sad reflection on me

Amtmann

What's the website address for the toll operator on G-B? Can't seem to find it on google...