M50 - Hard shoulder/4th lane

hi5

With the upgrading of the M50 they have introduced an extra lane where the hard shoulder used to be on some sections between junctions.
These appear to be local lanes dedicated to those going from junction to junction only.
They are seperated from the 3 main running lanes by a thicker broken white line with shorter gaps.
Is there any official information about the usage of these lanes,as regards speed limit,break down emergency,interaction with the main motorway etc.
Theres nothing as far as I can see in the Rules of the road.
I think its a good idea and should speed up traffic and understand common sense prevails.
I would like a link to something official if anyone has anything.
Thanks.

Have a look here http://m50.ie/index.php?page=phase-1



edit: the description has been removed!

Basically the M50 is a three lane motorway, Lane one is the main driving lane with two overtaking, the "middle" (lane two) lane is the first overtaking lane not the main driving lane.
the left most lane or Auxilliary lane is used as an extra long slip road that you can go into or leave at any time after joining the motorway or are leaving at the next exit.

It is not intended for use if you are already on the mainline and don't plan to leave at the next exit.

Simply treat it as an extra long slip road, same speed limit as the main line etc.

hi5

Thanks Dolanbaker, thats what I was looking for:).

sdanseo

Theres a stunning amount of people who haven't a clue how to use this lane; the concept seems totally alien to 90% of drivers. When I left Lane 1 and went into the supplementary lane yesterday there were 4 other cars in it the whole way yet traffic was heavy and slower in Lane 1, and worse in Lane 2. But of course, a pile of people crossed 2 or even 3 lanes to exit at the last minute, ignoring safety and the lane arrangements totally to suit themselves.

What's needed is an RTÉ news clip or something showing people how to drive on a motorway. I mean it's not rocket science.