Bizarre/Illegal things on motorways

JamBur

Didnt get a chance tbh, I was so shocked that it didnt register until I was past

antodeco

JamBur wrote: »

Driving on the M7 yesterday. There was a torrential downpour, visibility was crap, I slowed to about 30\40kph, but came up behind two idiots who had stopped in the lefthand lane. They didnt even pull into the hard shoulder! If I was going any bit faster it would have been catastrophic.

Happened me a few times. Also when they then decide to pull out if the hard shoulder right in front of you as soon as the rain stops.

corktina

fryup wrote: »

anyone see a convoy of honda 50's last night on the m7 ??

i'd say I know a couple of them....used to have a Plastic Pony/Nifty Fifty myself in the 70s

fryup

^^^^^^

well if you do, tell them to cop on to themselves they were loaded up with baggage and weaving in and out of traffic ...one guy was tailgating a hgv

corktina

yeah will do....their names are 50 and 118

AugustusMinimus

Cyclist on the M8 again today. Said there was no point in calling the cops as he was taking the Watergrasshill exit at the time.

sentient_6

Driving the M18 today from limerick. About 17 km's from Gort i was approaching a lorry & was going to overtake. I see a red van pulled into the hard shoulder a bit up ahead. Suddenly he pulls straight out onto the main line & off he goes. The reason he was there in the first place? F**kn ejit guards were out with a tripod checking for speed, they had it standing in the hard shoulder, the red van pulled out after they had him pulled in in front of them. When i passed i was checking them out in my mirror to see one of the guards step out onto the middle of lane one with his hand up to stop the car coming a bit behind me. Really darwin award **** going on there.

niloc1951

sentient_6 wrote: »

Driving the M18 today from limerick. About 17 km's from Gort i was approaching a lorry & was going to overtake. I see a red van pulled into the hard shoulder a bit up ahead. Suddenly he pulls straight out onto the main line & off he goes. The reason he was there in the first place? F**kn ejit guards were out with a tripod checking for speed, they had it standing in the hard shoulder, the red van pulled out after they had him pulled in in front of them. When i passed i was checking them out in my mirror to see one of the guards step out onto the middle of lane one with his hand up to stop the car coming a bit behind me. Really darwin award **** going on there.

I would not pull in, I would carry on to the safety of the next exit and wait for them to arrive.
I would then explain that the only way I would stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway, one of the most dangerous places to be, would be if I broke down and in such a circumstance I would hop to the other side of the safety barrier pronto.

I would then put my hands forward to be placed in handcuffs , which is better than having my whole body placed in a pine box

corktina

niloc1951 wrote: »

I would not pull in, I would carry on to the safety of the next exit and wait for them to arrive.
I would then explain that the only way I would stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway, one of the most dangerous places to be, would be if I broke down and in such a circumstance I would hop to the other side of the safety barrier pronto.

I would then put my hands forward to be placed in handcuffs , which is better than having my whole body placed in a pine box

no you wouldn't....

kaimera

M1 on saturday coming back from Newry.

With the two northern teams playing in Croker, traffic was mental.

Idiots trying to jump ahead of traffic in the tag only lane at the toll.

Traffic literally coming to a stop cos of a bus load of girls taking a piss at the side of the road. **** me, retarded driving.

Meanwhile in Dublin, the roundabout at the O2, heading for the eastlink bridge; driver in the outside lane, passenger with her legs out the window....driver decides while on the roundabout with me on the inside, she wanted to go straight ahead, and not take the second exit...

Can't recall seeing two girls being as scared as when I laid on the horn. ****ing clowns.

niloc1951

corktina wrote: »

no you wouldn't....

Hard to tell TBH as I am unlikely to give them cause to want to pull me in in the first place

On a serious note, anyone putting themselves at risk of being wiped off the road by a wandering 44t. artic really should be in a bed in the nearest mental hospital.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22651108

Colm R

kaimera wrote: »

Can't recall seeing two girls being as scared as when I laid on the horn. ****ing clowns.

Taking you out of context!!

flazio

niloc1951 wrote: »

I would not pull in, I would carry on to the safety of the next exit and wait for them to arrive.
I would then explain that the only way I would stop on the hard shoulder of a motorway, one of the most dangerous places to be, would be if I broke down and in such a circumstance I would hop to the other side of the safety barrier pronto.

I would then put my hands forward to be placed in handcuffs , which is better than having my whole body placed in a pine box

The Gardaí would be pulled up behind you thereby increasing your safety, they are trained in handling themselves safely on the motorway, they may be indicating you to stop immediately so as to stop a serious defect on your car, such as an oil leak, from affecting the safety of the motorway for other users, when the Gardaí give an instruction, best bet is to obey.

niloc1951

flazio wrote: »

The Gardaí would be pulled up behind you thereby increasing your safety, they are trained in handling themselves safely on the motorway, they may be indicating you to stop immediately so as to stop a serious defect on your car, such as an oil leak, from affecting the safety of the motorway for other users, when the Gardaí give an instruction, best bet is to obey.

Perhaps, but then again maybe not.

riaganach

I have to say, this spooked me:

Just drove down from Dublin to Cork tonight. I would normally travel at 75 mph - cruise control switched on.

There were very few cars on the road, so I was in the left lane, heading south around junction 5. Urlingford I think.

I saw headlights in the distance and assumed they were on the other side of the road.

They weren't. The a fiesta (I think) sped past me, on the south bound carriageway, and it was heading north!

I flashed my lights continuously, jammed on the brakes, beeped the horn, turned on the hazards.

There was a car maybe 2 km behind and I was expecting to run back to a head-on collision. Miraculously, the fiesta stopped on 'its' side of the road (the south bound right lane). Then it turned, just in time before the car behind me caught up with it. No accident happened but it's the 'what might have been' has me spooked.

FFS.

Every slip road should have a 'wrong way turn back' sign.

Thoie

riaganach wrote: »

I have to say, this spooked me:

Just drove down from Dublin to Cork tonight. I would normally travel at 75 mph - cruise control switched on.

There were very few cars on the road, so I was in the left lane, heading south around junction 5. Urlingford I think.

I saw headlights in the distance and assumed they were on the other side of the road.

They weren't. The a fiesta (I think) sped past me, on the south bound carriageway, and it was heading north!

I flashed my lights continuously, jammed on the brakes, beeped the horn, turned on the hazards.

There was a car maybe 2 km behind and I was expecting to run back to a head-on collision. Miraculously, the fiesta stopped on 'its' side of the road (the south bound right lane). Then it turned, just in time before the car behind me caught up with it. No accident happened but it's the 'what might have been' has me spooked.

FFS.

Every slip road should have a 'wrong way turn back' sign.

They do - every slip road that I can think of has 3 "wrong way turn back" signs - a crossed out arrow in a red circle on each side, and the road markings indicating no entry. In order to get a license in Ireland (even a provisional) you're supposed to know what those signs mean.

Glad everyone was safe in the end.

The only other thing you could do would be have some kind of metal thingies set in the road that let cars exiting travel safely, but puncture the tyres if you try to go the wrong way.
https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-7.705889!3d52.664515!2m2!1f18.36!2f69!4f75!2m4!1e1!2m2!1s67JGFeq2F0B3itHHZQfQjg!2e0&fid=5

riaganach

Thoie wrote: »

They do - every slip road that I can think of has 3 "wrong way turn back" signs - a crossed out arrow in a red circle on each side, and the road markings indicating no entry. In order to get a license in Ireland (even a provisional) you're supposed to know what those signs mean.

Glad everyone was safe in the end.

The only other thing you could do would be have some kind of metal thingies set in the road that let cars exiting travel safely, but puncture the tyres if you try to go the wrong way.
http://maps.google.com/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-7.705889!3d52.664515!2m2!1f18.36!2f69!4f75!2m4!1e1!2m2!1s67JGFeq2F0B3itHHZQfQjg!2e0&fid=5

I looked at your link - no "wrong way turn back signs". Only the standard "do no enter" crossed out black arrow on a red circle.

This is far more prominent:

https://maps.google.com/?ll=53.302164,-6.415275&spn=0.005366,0.012832&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=53.302164,-6.415275&panoid=mqNfYPPZbmN8QG3t3qcZnw&cbp=12,26.27,,0,7

I actually always thought these signs were a little bit over the top until I witnessed the Wrong-Way Corrigan in his little Festy last night.

niloc1951

riaganach wrote: »

I looked at your link - no "wrong way turn back signs". Only the standard "do no enter" crossed out black arrow on a red circle.

This is far more prominent:

https://maps.google.com/?ll=53.302164,-6.415275&spn=0.005366,0.012832&t=m&z=17&layer=c&cbll=53.302164,-6.415275&panoid=mqNfYPPZbmN8QG3t3qcZnw&cbp=12,26.27,,0,7

I actually always thought these signs were a little bit over the top until I witnessed the Wrong-Way Corrigan in his little Festy last night.

It certainly looks like it's time for the NRA to consider a solution LIKE THIS. For exiting traffic the surface mounted version would present a speed bump (and be cheaper to install) at the stop sign, both designs would effectively stop any traffic heading the wrong way.

In hard cash terms installation would cost a good few Euro, but surely less than the cost of lost lives and the consequences of serious injury to the economy.

antoobrien

niloc1951 wrote: »

It certainly looks like it's time for the NRA to consider a solution LIKE THIS.

Is that not a bit over the top though? It'd shred the tyres of people who realise their mistake and reverse back out an on ramp before they go very far (something I've seen once or twice at ballinasloe, usually done without causing an obstruction).

niloc1951 wrote: »

In hard cash terms installation would cost a good few Euro, but surely less than the cost of lost lives and the consequences of serious injury to the economy.

I hate to bring numbers in, but the economic cost of road deaths is estimated to be 2m, so if this is decided to be a reasonable solution, then the cost would be justified.

niloc1951

antoobrien wrote: »

Is that not a bit over the top though? It'd shred the tyres of people who realise their mistake and reverse back out an on ramp before they go very far (something I've seen once or twice at ballinasloe, usually done without causing an obstruction).

Fair comment, so perhaps 'in ground' versions could be installed further down the exit ramp.
Also is it not better to have a few tyres shredded than a few human bodies, and, it would enable the Gardaí to to get to the scene and prosecute the stranded driver for dangerous driving.

Thoie

Our existing "universal signs" (the road markings and the warning signs) should be read by any driver as "wrong way, turn back". It's rather depressing if it has to be spelled out, in two languages. And what about people who don't read English/Irish? They only have the existing 3 warnings to depend on.

If people don't like the idea of shredded tyres (I do), how about tromp l'oeil stop signs? Not sure how difficult they'd be to do, and whether they'd work at night though.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/46021227415065427/

antoobrien

niloc1951 wrote: »

Fair comment, so perhaps 'in ground' versions could be installed further down the exit ramp.
Also is it not better to have a few tyres shredded than a few human bodies, and, it would enable the Gardaí to to get to the scene and prosecute the stranded driver for dangerous driving.

I think you've missed the point, the shredded tyres could create a just as big a hazard as somebody driving the wrong way. One doesn't expect traffic to be beached on a ramp, so it'd be fairly easy to catch people unawares.

Also, if it were put further down, there are a lot of slips that are not wide enough to negotiate, which could create snarl ups at the junctions as well as making it hard for tow trucks to get to the (presumably) stranded vehicle.

Thoie wrote: »

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/46021227415065427/

I don't think they'd work on slips, as they're much longer than the pictures shown, and the luminous paint etc required on the road surface would need constant maintenance.

It'd be great if it could be made work with hoardings, but we'd need to be careful to ensure that they don't restrict the vision of people using the slips in the correct manner.

murphaph

In Austria they have an extra sign at Autobahn slips:



The German ADAC (AA equivalent) has been campaigning for years to have those signs introduced in Germany, with some success of late.

niloc1951

antoobrien wrote: »

I think you've missed the point, the shredded tyres could create a just as big a hazard as somebody driving the wrong way. One doesn't expect traffic to be beached on a ramp, so it'd be fairly easy to catch people unawares.

Also, if it were put further down, there are a lot of slips that are not wide enough to negotiate, which could create snarl ups at the junctions as well as making it hard for tow trucks to get to the (presumably) stranded vehicle.

Not as big a hazard as if it was moving towards you at a closing speed of 240 KmPH, it would after all be stationary in an area of restricted speed. As for recovery, a safe operation should be well within the capability of any recovery crew.
Regarding snarl ups or queues at motorway exits, these can and do happen for a variety of reasons at present, just listen to the traffic reports on RTE and The BBC, so nothing new there.

ardmacha

NI style red wig-wags would be a good idea and a useful piece of harmonisation across the country.

Motorway "no entry" lights, Templepatrick

© Copyright Albert Bridge and
licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

antoobrien

niloc1951 wrote: »

Not as big a hazard as if it was moving towards you at a closing speed of 240 KmPH, it would after all be stationary in an area of restricted speed.

A smash at up to 80km/h is still spectacular, especially if there are children in the stranded car.

niloc1951 wrote: »

As for recovery, a safe operation should be well within the capability of any recovery crew.


Regarding snarl ups or queues at motorway exits, these can and do happen for a variety of reasons at present, just listen to the traffic reports on RTE and The BBC, so nothing new there.

They'd be far more frequent if the tyres were blown out every time somebody cocked up and tried to get out of the situation safely. And you've again ignored the fact that many slip roads are not wide enough to allow traffic around a vehicle blocking the slip, so the rescue vehicle might have to drive 20 miles out of the way (e.g. somebody blocking the wrong exit at ballinasloe) in order to safely reach the slip in order to reverse back up the slip.

niloc1951

antoobrien wrote: »

A smash at up to 80km/h is still spectacular, especially if there are children in the stranded car.



They'd be far more frequent if the tyres were blown out every time somebody cocked up and tried to get out of the situation safely. And you've again ignored the fact that many slip roads are not wide enough to allow traffic around a vehicle blocking the slip, so the rescue vehicle might have to drive 20 miles out of the way (e.g. somebody blocking the wrong exit at ballinasloe) in order to safely reach the slip in order to reverse back up the slip.

An interesting take on the problem.

If drivers heading the wrong way on motorway slips is as frequent as you indicate it speaks volumes for the gross incompetence of a significant number of those who use our roads.

Regarding insufficient road width, slip roads are wide enough to allow other traffic sufficient room to pass a disabled/stranded/abandoned vehicle, remember vehicles can come to a halt for many different reasons on the road.

I fail to see your issue with recovery, surely any recovery required would be effected from the exit side not the motorway side.

Perhaps when you experience a vehicle approaching you on your side of a motorway/dual carriageway, if you survive, you may change your mind and accept what you currently think are measures too extreme to be worth serious evaluation.

Local to where I live, in recent times, three people have lost their lives and two seriously injured in crashes involving drivers who were able to access the wrong carriageway, it does make you think outside the box.

source

niloc1951 wrote: »

.


I fail to see your issue with recovery, surely any recovery required would be effected from the exit side not the motorway side.

Won't the same spikes affect the recovery truck?

Thoie

source wrote: »

Won't the same spikes affect the recovery truck?

I'd kinda hope that after you'd shredded your front tyres, you might stop, rather than continuing to drive all the way past your rear tyres. And because the spikes are 1-way, you could reverse the 6 inches back from them, then the recovery truck could grab you from there.

source

Thoie wrote: »

I'd kinda hope that after you'd shredded your front tyres, you might stop, rather than continuing to drive all the way past your rear tyres. And because the spikes are 1-way, you could reverse the 6 inches back from them, then the recovery truck could grab you from there.

But you're not taking into account the purpose of slip roads, they're designed need to get traffic up to motorway speed.

So the speed you will be traveling would, have you over the spike strip in less than a second. Also we're taking about people who obviously haven't a clue what they're doing on the road, I wouldn't be to confident they would stop even if they were traveling slow enough to react.