N7. Naas Road. Why don't drivers use the first lane.

DHFrame

This has been bugging me for a while now. Driving up the three lane section of the N7 towards Dublin and Away. I noticed that no-one ever uses the first lane? Today there was an endless queue of people driving down the middle lane. I have used this road many many times and it's always the same. It makes driving this part of the N7 really frustrating not to mention dangerous. It's even people on their own with no one else around...driving down the middle lane? Why? Do you feel safer there? Can't you bother your hole changing lanes?

Have you ever wondered why people undertake so much? It's because you're all driving in the middle of the road! Please use the first lane. It won't bite. : )

Why?

Saruman

This is not making sense, what fast lane? There is no such thing. There is an overtaking lane and no one should be driving in it unless overtaking slower vehicles. It sounds like you are complaining that Irish drivers are obeying the law? I find it hard to believe they are to be honest so I am not sure I believe your post.

Johnboy Mac

If they used the first lane it would involve having to carry out an application of actually driving - correctly.

DHFrame

Saruman wrote: »

This is not making sense

Read my post again.. I think you are missing the point. They are obeying the law?. It's nothing to do with the law. Ok, imagine a three lane motorway. Lane 1 is the one next to the bushes. Lane 2 is in the middle, and lane 3, you guessed it., It's on the outside, the fast lane.

My question is, again. Why do so many people fail to use lane 1? Making sence?? lane 1 is always empty. No cars. People dont use it. Why?

yellow012

Saruman wrote: »

This is not making sense, what fast lane? There is no such thing. There is an overtaking lane and no one should be driving in it unless overtaking slower vehicles. It sounds like you are complaining that Irish drivers are obeying the law? I find it hard to believe they are to be honest so I am not sure I believe your post.

I think you got onto your high horse here a bit too fast. Read the guy's post again, no mention of fast lane.

Saruman

yellow012 wrote: »

testicle

Saruman wrote: »

This is not making sense, what fast lane? There is no such thing. There is an overtaking lane and no one should be driving in it unless overtaking slower vehicles. It sounds like you are complaining that Irish drivers are obeying the law? I find it hard to believe they are to be honest so I am not sure I believe your post.

first != fast.

Saruman

yellow012 wrote: »

I think you got onto your high horse here a bit too fast. Read the guy's post again, no mention of fast lane.

You are correct, sorry about that. Been travelling all day and am pretty tired and mistook first for fast.

I completely agree with the original poster it seems

NewApproach

Saruman wrote: »

yellow012 wrote: »

He is talking about why no one is in what you would call the slow lane.

jaybee747

I use it daily, to be honest i find it the best lane to drive in and yes no-one ever uses it.I drove to work last week at 6.30am, traffic fairly heavy and i drove from Naas to Rathcoole and didn't have to slow down/break once and had to only over take 1 truck,its a great lane,i'd highly recommend using it.
Only issue i actually have driving the "1st lane" is the moron who tries to undertake everyone and flies up the arse of you. It cheers me up no end when he gets stuck behind me and can't merge back in to overtake me.

rugbyman

Hello DH

Jeremy Clarkson christened the people to whom you refer as the "middle lane residents association"

this phenomenon is not only in Ireland, it is to be seen all over europe. If you go along side them you may observe that there is no aggression visible, they are just mopes.

When there is a lane closure ahead, in Europe, signposted at 1500 m,1000m,750m,500,250,m they continue on oblivious. then pushing in and slowing everybody down. Included here are the sales rep y types in mondeos and vectras, young turks in BMWs,

The only help here is the truck driver who pulls out and moves forward at the speed of the inner lane.


EXCEPTION, Germany , As soon as HANS sees the first sign of a lane closure he will get into the correct lane and all the traffic streams through at 80 km/hr.

Regards Rugbyman

Berty

* Sigh at entire thread

Muckie

I prefer to call these road users "Slugs".

Lazy, thick people who just sit in that lane like idiots.

McSpud

I always use the inside lane there, can easily cruise along at just under 70mph rarely having to overtake any one. Seems to be hard to find someone driving at 60mph on the road but each to their own.

If we had a 4 lane road in Ireland where would these middle lane people drive? 2nd or 3rd lane?

daveharnett

jaybee747 wrote: »

It cheers me up no end when he gets stuck behind me and can't merge back in to overtake me.

That's pretty much why I think. Because everyone ELSE is in lane 2, getting from lanes 1 to 2 to overtake a truck/bus/micra can take 5 minutes, and will mean merging into a dangerously small space.

Saruman

Saruman wrote: »

You are correct, sorry about that. Been travelling all day and am pretty tired and mistook first for fast.

I completely agree with the original poster it seems

Who cares if people call it the fast lane. To say the fast lane doesn't exist is pedantry in the extreme.

mickdw

The empty lane is reserved for drivers who know the rules of the road. for that reason, its generally empty

Novella

OMG, totally agree! I drive on the N7 a lot and the first lane always has very few cars in it. People seem to love that middle lane. This has bothered me for so long and I thought I was the only one who noticed!!

flazio

I think the main reason is that drivers are afraid that if they come up behind a truck or some other slow moving vehicle in the inner most lane they will never be able to get out into the middle lane.

Johnboy Mac

flazio wrote: »

I think the main reason is that drivers are afraid that if they come up behind a truck or some other slow moving vehicle in the inner most lane they will never be able to get out into the middle lane.

Sorry, but if that's the case their problem is they can't drive. Please don't make excuses for them.

skyhighflyer

I blame the NRA as well: the gantry signage on that road is completely arseways. The signage seems to imply at various points on the road that the left lane is heading towards Castlewarden / Kill / Johnstown only instead of forming part of the three lane N7. Someone not familiar with the road could probably be forgiven for stayin in the middle lane thanks to this misleading gantry layout.

666bxg

Completely agree with OP. Everytime I drive through this stretch of road I encounter countless motorists in the middle and outside lane, ignoring the inside lane. Makes my blood boil as none of them know basic rules of the road.

IMO it highlights a few issues. RSA is not doing enough to educate drivers in the current syllabus. The driving test is about 'acting' in front of a tester and recognizing a few road signs. Rules like this are not emphasised enough in the current syllabus/test.

It also proves that motorways and dual carriageways are new phenomena to the Irish motorist and lane discipline is non existent.

AugustusMaximus

666bxg wrote: »

Completely agree with OP. Everytime I drive through this stretch of road I encounter countless motorists in the middle and outside lane, ignoring the inside lane. Makes my blood boil as none of them know basic rules of the road.

IMO it highlights a few issues. RSA is not doing enough to educate drivers in the current syllabus. The driving test is about 'acting' in front of a tester and recognizing a few road signs. Rules like this are not emphasised enough in the current syllabus/test.

It also proves that motorways and dual carriageways are new phenomena to the Irish motorist and lane discipline is non existent.

The worst of this is that it essentially reduces the 3 lane road to the capacity of that of a 2 lane road. What a waste.

I generally stick to the inside lane and undertake all the idiots who are in the middle lane plodding along.

Richie15

All this talk of "overtaking lanes" and "fast lanes" is irrelivent, neither exists unless you're talking about a motorway (with an M in its name). On a national road, there's just lanes. Personally if I'm on what they call "a national road with motorway-like qualities" I'll keep to the left, but there's no legal requirement to do so. It's perfectly fine to overtake on the inside ("undertake?" - unless you're driving a hearse, you're not undertaking anyone!) if you're in a different lane and your lane's traffic happens to be moving faster.

Annuv

skyhighflyer wrote: »

I blame the NRA as well: the gantry signage on that road is completely arseways. The signage seems to imply at various points on the road that the left lane is heading towards Castlewarden / Kill / Johnstown only instead of forming part of the three lane N7. Someone not familiar with the road could probably be forgiven for stayin in the middle lane thanks to this misleading gantry layout.

I drive this road twice a day and these middle lane morons drive me cracked and I have to agree with this point about the signage. I think it contributes to the problem, people who don't know the rules of the road or are just too lazy to apply them, see the signs and think that the inner lane is just for vehicles taking the exit for Kill for example.

The signs should be marked in the way they are on motorways in Germany for example, where the sign would clearly show that the inner lane if for both continuing on the N7 and exiting for Kill etc

DHFrame

Richie15 wrote: »

All this talk of "overtaking lanes" and "fast lanes" is irrelivent, neither exists unless you're talking about a motorway (with an M in its name). On a national road, there's just lanes. Personally if I'm on what they call "a national road with motorway-like qualities" I'll keep to the left, but there's no legal requirement to do so. It's perfectly fine to overtake on the inside ("undertake?" - unless you're driving a hearse, you're not undertaking anyone!) if you're in a different lane and your lane's traffic happens to be moving faster.

I think you may be spouting off for the sake of it. At the end of the day it has three lanes regardless of wether it has an 'M' in the in it's name or it has a blue sign and not a green one. Of course the same rules apply. It is illegal to undertake in any situation and if someone moves in as you are undertaking them an you collide it is you're fault. The reason people are undertaking on this stretch of road is because 'goons', 'zombies' what ever they are referred to are driving right down the centre of the motorway with no regard to the danger they are causing and the amount of work they are causing for other drivers and this is causing frustration and revenge. When I am travelling down the first lane and there is a 'zombie' in the middle lane I have to change lanes 4 times just to overtake him/her safely. It's annoying. Especially when I want you to realise what I have just had to do!!

I think the reasons could be bad design of the signage system. It does look like it is telling people to stay in that lane. It does feel to me that people are avoiding that lane because they think its for trucks and buses and leaving the motorway. I think there should be a sign saying 'USE ANY LANE' or something to that effect. It looks like the sign still need to be finished in some areas.

I might strap a big sign to the back of my car. 'N7! USE ANY LANE'

Johnboy Mac

skyhighflyer wrote: »

I blame the NRA as well: the gantry signage on that road is completely arseways. The signage seems to imply at various points on the road that the left lane is heading towards Castlewarden / Kill / Johnstown only instead of forming part of the three lane N7. Someone not familiar with the road could probably be forgiven for stayin in the middle lane thanks to this misleading gantry layout.

Even if your point is valid which it is to a degree, the vast majority of users on the N7 are regulars.

DHFrame

Johnboy Mac wrote: »

Even if your point is valid which it is to a degree, the vast majority of users on the N7 are regulars.

If this is the case, it's even more worrying.

Gregor Samsa

Richie15 wrote: »

All this talk of "overtaking lanes" and "fast lanes" is irrelivent, neither exists unless you're talking about a motorway (with an M in its name). On a national road, there's just lanes. Personally if I'm on what they call "a national road with motorway-like qualities" I'll keep to the left, but there's no legal requirement to do so. It's perfectly fine to overtake on the inside ("undertake?" - unless you're driving a hearse, you're not undertaking anyone!) if you're in a different lane and your lane's traffic happens to be moving faster.

Where are you getting this misinformation from?

Here's what it says in the Rules of the Road:

Multiple Lanes:

http://www.drivingschoolireland.com/dual-carriageway.html

Dual carriageways are roads with two or more lanes of traffic travelling in each direction. The outer or right-hand lane in each direction is the lane nearest to the centre of the dual carriageway.

You must normally drive in the left-hand lane of a dual carriageway. You may use the outer lane of a two-lane or three-lane dual carriageway only:

• for overtaking, and
• when intending to turn right a short distance ahead.

There's no distinction between the lanes on a motorway and any other type of road. N roads can and do have overtaking lanes. In all cases, you normally dive in the left lane, and overtake in the righ lane(s). You are legally required to do this.

Overtaking:

http://www.drivingschoolireland.com/good-driving.html#4

You must normally overtake on the right. However, you are allowed to overtake on the left in the situations listed below.

You may overtake on the left when:

• You want to go straight ahead when the driver in front of you has moved out and signalled that they intend to turn right.
• You have signalled that you intend to turn left.
• Traffic in both lanes is moving slowly and traffic in the left-hand lane is moving more quickly than the traffic in the right-hand lane

It's not perfectly fine to overtake on the inside if you're in a different lane and your lane's traffic happens to be moving faster. In the last point, the "overtake on the left" provision only applies when both lanes are moving slowly. Not just any time you come across someone on your right going slower than you.

And "they" don't call it "a national road with motorway-like qualities".

So clearly, pretty much everything you said in your post is wrong.

drunkmonkey

Is it ok to blow the horn at these people, i've done it a few times and most of the time they don't even notice...

DHFrame

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Is it ok to blow the horn at these people, i've done it a few times and most of the time they don't even notice...

They dont notice because they cant hear it. Unless you have a high powered horn. I would'nt advise it. They dont really realise what they are doing in the first place so if you blow your horn they just think your a nutter. Which I suppose could lead to aggression which is the worst thing that can happen.

It's like a war on that road. Numpties hogging the middle lane and aggression towards them. It's bad.. just bad.

They way I deal with that road now is to hover just below the 100k speed limit and stay away from everyone else in the middle and fast lanes. You only get to your destination 10 mins later max!! You do the math.

This is useful for all you speed freaks out there.! Wow. Over 100 miles with a speed limit of 70. If you drive 100mph you only save 20 mins. So speeding up the dangerous N7 is completely futile.

http://www.easywebcalculators.com/speeding.htm
..
.
.
.

FredH3as

Is it not 'bad luck' to drive in the first lane on the N7?

drunkmonkey

DHFrame wrote: »

you only save 20 mins. So speeding up the dangerous N7 is completely futile.

.

that's over 7 days a year with the milage I clock up professor....:P

DHFrame

drunkmonkey wrote: »

that's over 7 days a year with the milage I clock up professor....:P

Go to bed 10 mins later and wake up 10 mins earlier? Eat Cerial Quicker? It all adds up padiwan. Which is more dangerous? What do you think? How long would it take you to clean up the mess?

Ferris

They should be sent on a driving course in LA, totally legal to undertake and if you're not doing 70-80mph you're a deadman .

Also way less aggression on the roads, way less beeping and people always let you into a lane providing you match their speed.

awkward

Ferris wrote: »

Also way less aggression on the roads.

That's 'cause everyone is carrying a gun

drunkmonkey

DHFrame wrote: »

Go to bed 10 mins later and wake up 10 mins earlier? quote]

just some apes can sit in the middle lane, I think i prefer my extra few minutes snooze....

Omcd

This road drives me nuts as well. I would prefer to sit in the leftmost lane doing 100k. However, this is not possible, everytime I try to do that, I always have to change out of the lane after less than a minute in it, either because of slow vehicle in that lane (fair enough), or because the traffic in the middle lane has slowed to 80k or less, or because some f_cker coming out of an entrance decides they have the right of way over traffic bearing down on them in the left hand lane. This last reason is the big flaw with this road, all the IMO sub standard entrances to it from petrol stations, pub carparks, minor roads, and even now gateways from front gardens of houses.

Pshan

I don't use the road as much as most of the previous posters but I think the overhead signage doesn't help as anyone new on the road may get the impression that being in the left (first) lane is for turning/slipping off at the next junction. Also as has been mentioned, there is a petrol station on the left as you head for Dublin and drivers exiting from there just seem to head into the laft lane without any build up of speed.

DHFrame

Anyone know the rate of accidents on this road?