N7 - Newlands Cross upgrade

AugustusMinimus

BuzzFish wrote: »

IMHO the speed limit is too high on the M50 at peak times. There are a large number of rear-enders (adding to congestion) due to traffic following too close at speed. If we can't educate people to keep a safe distance, then they need to be travelling slower. The M25 around london is an example of how a (variable) lower speed limit, can increase throughput.

Should definitely be variable limits on the M50.

80kph during rush hours, 100kph for the rest of the day and 120kph during quiet hours.

AugustusMinimus

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Should definitely be variable limits on the M50.

80kph during rush hours, 100kph for the rest of the day and 120kph during quiet hours.

The gantries are there, it's waiting for someone to decide to install the signals.

Carawaystick

Idbatterim wrote: »

I was on the M50 southbound today about 8:30pm, the traffic is actually start stop on this newly upgraded at great expense motorway. Interchanges i.e. Tallaght, Ballymount etc still dont have the capacity to deal with the traffic! I hope this NX cross upgrade isnt at capacity or over it the minute it opens, which the M50 certainly appears...

And was it nice and dry and bright the morning you were there? or dark and wet?

I presume you mean the roads leading away from Ballymount & Tallaght don't have the capacity to deal with the traffic. As I posted at the weekend, the road r838 ( Katherine Tynan Rd) was backed up to the roundabit at the top of Calmount road

Idbatterim

wet and windy the other day. but I fly in to Dublin airport early once a month and head south bound and regardless of the weather, once you get slightly passed the N2 junction, you are crawling until eventually grinding to a complete stop and stop starting for miles... exiting at tallaght there are is no q to get off, serious q to get on at tallaght coming from Templeogue though. Ballymount looks crazy, havent exited there before though.

jd

Deleted User wrote: »

The gantries are there, it's waiting for someone to decide to install the signals.

And legislation as well, I think.

theholyghost

Any general update on how Newlands Cross is these days? Im supposed to hit it about 6 tonight heading for Dublin, is it a question of a few minutes extra delay or should I cut accross through Lucan to the M50 or give myself an extra 30 mins?

spacetweek

theholyghost wrote: »

Any general update on how Newlands Cross is these days? Im supposed to hit it about 6 tonight heading for Dublin, is it a question of a few minutes extra delay or should I cut accross through Lucan to the M50 or give myself an extra 30 mins?

Avoid avoid avoid!

paulbok

I get on at Rathcoole inbound in the evenings around 5:30, heading either into town or onto the M50 to the N2 junction.
It's slower than it was before the roadworks to Newlands, but it's normally not a long delay, maybe an extra 5 mins. The M50 north from the Red Cow is usually heavy to the N4.
Newlands to city centre is fine. Rathcoole to Stephens Green via Long Mile rd, takes usually 45-50 mins.

Jamie2k9

What's the deal with the Yellow road markings on section of N7. We are gone very American all of a sudden

Is it for night time drivers?

theholyghost

No delays at all this evening, less traffic than last week!

jd

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

What's the deal with the Yellow road markings on section of N7. We are gone very American all of a sudden

Is it for night time drivers?

At Newlands Cross? Indicates temporary road marking where there are roadworks.

spacetweek

jd wrote: »

At Newlands Cross? Indicates temporary road marking where there are roadworks.

Is this a new thing? I know they use it in places like Germany, particularly where there are already white markings along the same stretch. The intention is that if there are yellow lines, you ignore the white ones. Once they remove the yellow ones, you're back to white.

serfboard

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

What's the deal with the Yellow road markings on section of N7.

spacetweek wrote: »

Is this a new thing?

I'm pretty sure I've seen this in Ireland before.

tonc76

Brought in by Chapter 8 of Traffic Signs Manual 2010

cargo

serfboard wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I've seen this in Ireland before.

Fairly sure they used them (yellow/orange markings) around the airport junction and beyond on the M1 when they were widening it recently.

jd

tonc76 wrote: »

Brought in by Chapter 8 of Traffic Signs Manual 2010

to wit

8.2.5.17 In circumstances where it is necessary to highlight to road users the presence
of roadworks and/or the temporary nature of the road surface, orange road
markings may be used. These orange markings will be for centre line, edge
lines, traffic lane lines, hatching and direction arrows with dimensions and their
use as defined in Chapter 7.

jd

jd wrote: »

to wit

I believe that this is common practice in Germany.

BuzzFish

Have to say as a commuter driving over and back the junction each day at rush hour that the delays are minimal which I didn't expect. I know the best is yet to come but fair play to bam thus far. Only niggle is the traffic outbound in lane 3 seems to end up half in the right turning lane and cars seem to swerve back to the correct lane. Could be lined a little better. Surface is good though and rest of markings really help traffic flow as the yellow avoids any confusion with old lanes and the merge and parting from existing carriageway.

BuzzFish

Update:
Motorists are advised of a change in layout to the N7 Naas Road Inbound which will be put in place as part of the Newlands Cross Upgrade Scheme tomorrow night (Tuesday 11th February). Motorists will notice a change in layout on the N7 Inbound from Wednesday morning 12th February.

The N7 Inbound traffic will be diverted onto new temporary lanes on Tuesday night. The diversion will start from the Boot Road junction with the N7. There will still be 3 traffic lanes in place, in addition to the right and left turn filter lanes onto Fonthill and Belgard Roads.

There will be disruption and possible delays to traffic on the main N7 and on Fonthill and Belgard Roads from 9:30pm on Tuesday night until 6:00am on Wednesday morning, while the traffic switch is implemented. Motorists can expect some delays and additional journey times through Newlands Cross until these traffic diversions are completed.

RichardoKhan

Hey Buzzfish
You still compiling this video? Be really cool to see it up todate.

BuzzFish wrote: »

Not a lot happening to date that's caught on the camera but we are starting to see activity towards the end of the clip. Missing a few dates due to niggles with my script pulling images (sorted now) and quality a bit reduced for now.

BuzzFish

RichardoKhan wrote: »

Hey Buzzfish
You still compiling this video? Be really cool to see it up todate.

Here is what I have so far. I'm sure I could do better on the encoding etc but I'll wait until the project is complete before messing with that.....

Also, here is the video from Greenisle. Camera moves around a lot so expect to be dizzy....

Chris_5339762

Thats brilliant Keep it up and hassle them if the camera goes down. Might help also to remove all after-dark images and equalise the colours so each image is as bright as the previous (so cloudy days look like sunny days). Would be even better.

hi5

When is this project expected to be completed?

finnharpsboy

new traffic lanes in operation. its coming along nicely bar the odd pothole

Davy

hi5 wrote: »

When is this project expected to be completed?

Early 2015

eyeball kid

How was the traffic this morning does anyone know? Wasn't the inbound traffic due to switch over today?

BuzzFish

Swapped over last night.

Talking to someone who came through during the swap over, he told me that all the the signs leading to the new section were covered in snow and all of a sudden the 3 lanes were merged to one... without warning. Scary stuff and he was sure there would have been a crash at some point.

I came through this morning. Traffic no heavier than usual to be honest but different days can be different so we'll know the true extent in a week or so.

Left lane now exits for Fonthill and I saw a couple of bus lane users get caught out (serves them right eh!) and head in a direction they didn't want to be.

The merge from old tarmac to new seemed bumpy but it was hard pay much attention to that as the road was busy and I was paying more attention to staying in lane.

What has suprised me is the huge mound of earth where there was road yesterday. They look to be getting stuck in... and fast... to digging up the old section.

eyeball kid

Is do you get to the area beside the Esso garage, Joels restaurant or that hotel now?
They'll really be in trouble for the next year if normal passing traffic can't get to them.

Hopefully the traffic won't be any worse than normal once people get use to the new layout.

tonc76

eyeball kid wrote: »

Is do you get to the area beside the Esso garage, Joels restaurant or that hotel now?
They'll really be in trouble for the next year if normal passing traffic can't get to them.

Hopefully the traffic won't be any worse than normal once people get use to the new layout.

There's an access lane to all of these from the N7 which brings you right to the petrol station entrance

ItHurtsWhenIP

tonc76 wrote: »

There's an access lane to all of these from the N7 which brings you right to the petrol station entrance

Does the road come back in time for the Luas P&R exit?