N roads you hate

Amtmann

For whatever reason -- bends, bad surface, towns you have to drive through, dreary surroundings, or just the fact that you have to commute it every day. So what's your most hated N road?

I hate the N seventies in general, but particularly the N74 from Cashel to Tipperary Town and the N73 from Mitchelstown to Mallow.

I hate the N24 for loads of reasons: its pathetic, primitive alignment, the fact that it goes through Carrick, Tipp Town and Oola, its weird junction with the M8, and its dire junction with the M7.

corktina

N73 definately the worst road I have come across and Ive been up and down the country a time or two.
N72 not great either side of Mallow

(work in hand on parts of both these so just maybe they may improve)

N20 either side of Buttevant
N20 2+1 section (grr) mostly because of the drivers though rather than the road

yes Im from North Cork

CerebralCortex

I could rant forever about the stupidity that is the N18 between Shannon and Limerick. Most especially the houses carelessly built along it also the roller coaster ride near Bunratty. It's a disgrace! The N18 to north of Barefield and the N20 are also embarrassing.

jwcurtin

N18 Gort


The WORSTsurface in the country!

JustAddWater

the N82!

Ireland's smallest N road! Goes for about 500m (seriously!)

mike65

N24 obviously!

munchkin_utd

jwcurtin wrote: »

N18 Gort
The WORSTsurface in the country!

you sure?

ever see the N22 through Ballyvourney?
Its a close call between the 2!!

Either way.
a) within weeks it'll no longer be an N road
b) its due to be resurfaced when the by pass is opened.
( c) as is Ballyvourney in the coming weeks once they have laid a water main there)

Mr McBoatface

I don't hate it because the road it great, but I hate the idiots that didn't take the opportunity to bypass Athy and it's ridiculous 40min - 1 hour tailbacks when the new N78 was constructed from the M9.

A golden opportunity and money wasted if you ask me.

Tech3

N56, N84, N16, N52, N72, N73, N21, N24 and some of the N17.

L1011

N56. With the exception of the two bypasses (the N56 arm of the Donegal BP and the Mountcharles BP) it appears to be an alignment dating from the days of donkey and cart. That one of the few safe overtaking sections is over a bridge says it all! (the Gweebarra Bridge).

Along the straight bits near Dungloe you have to keep it very handy with speed or else the profile of the road will throw you in to the other lane or in to the fields.

Some lower traffic R roads in Donegal where Donegal CC has full control over planning of upgrades, etc, are in far better condition than the N56, the counties longest N road!

Must also be one of the few N roads where an R road is signed as the priority route at one point (R262, signs tell you to use it to get to Dungloe/Donegal and not the N56 itself).

Dilbert75

N24 almost all of the way from Waterford to Limerick.

flickarius

N52 especially between Dundalk & Mullingar, it's like having to drive a roller coaster!

icdg

JustAddWater wrote: »

the N82!

Ireland's smallest N road! Goes for about 500m (seriously!)

A little bit longer, but it does qualify as a pathetic N-road by virtue of being a private road through a business park! And in that short distance it has about ten roundabouts on it!

As far bad N-roads, well the N81 south of Tallaght naturally...

Nice Uncle P

N84 esp the crazy bands between Clonboo and Headford. And between Ballinrobe and Kilmaine. The regional road that connects Ballinrobe and Headford via the Neale and Cross is far safer than the so called "N" road goat track via Kilmaine

Berty

N52 for me especially from Borrisokane to Birr. :mad:

marmurr1916

Nice Uncle P wrote: »

N84 esp the crazy bands between Clonboo and Headford. And between Ballinrobe and Kilmaine. The regional road that connects Ballinrobe and Headford via the Neale and Cross is far safer than the so called "N" road goat track via Kilmaine

Should never have been classified as an N road in the first place - a fine example of parish pump politics.

I suspect that the original N8x routes (apart from the N80) were all classified as such because of parish pump lobbying.

The N85, N86 and N87 were reclassified from regional roads in the 1990s. The N87 should be turned back into a regional road. It's pretty much redundant as an N road since the re-opening of Aghalane Bridge on the N3/A509.

There are lots of N roads that are still fairly crappy - most National Secondary routes need major work.

The worst National Primary section that I know of is the N22 between Macroom and Ballymakeera: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=51.926908,-9.120369&spn=0.052082,0.338173&t=h&z=12&layer=c&cbll=51.926959,-9.120416&panoid=z0TUo4BIjI_YW9TIMpgelQ&cbp=11,295.92,,0,9.29

When a National Primary route is so narrow that trucks can't use it without hitting signs then something's seriously wrong.

TestTransmission

Berty wrote: »

N52 for me especially from Borrisokane to Birr. :mad:

Driving this tomorrow,quite possibly one of the worst stretches of n road in the country.

Berty

TestTransmission wrote: »

Driving this tomorrow,quite possibly one of the worst stretches of n road in the country.

This used to be the route from Limerick to Dundalk I used to take for 3 years. Nightmare of a road.

BluntGuy

Ah, the N52. Truly terrible piece of roadway. The N51 isn't far behind.

My personal least favourite though is the N24. Not only is the road bad, but it's just... depressing, having to drive through towns like Carrick On Suir and Tipp. From the perspective of infrastructure, it has the whole package of awfulness. A wildly inconsistent layout with hard shoulders vanishing, poor sightlines etc., two failed 2+1 sections, navigation of about 700 roundabouts on the clonmel "bypass", the dreadful termini, one of the clunkiest junctions in Ireland (I think Furet mentioned the M8 one in the OP).

I can't wait for the day (if ever) that road is upgraded.

Stark

N81. Can't remember the last time I got above 60km/hr on it especially the section north of Blessington thanks to the standard of driver that lives in that town. I've become quite aggressive regards not letting people out in Blessington any time I'm heading northwards these days as you're guaranteed to have at least one who will do a snail's pace in front of you all the way to Tallaght.

N72/N73.

Cork side of N22. Much better quality than the N72/N73 but still infested with Uncle Gaybo's children so can make for a frustrating drive if you get unlucky on a weekend afternoon.

trad

N31 if anyone can find it.

KevR

N84

N18 in Gort town and between Gort and Crusheen.

limklad

jwcurtin wrote: »

N18 Gort


The WORSTsurface in the country!

No It not the Worst surface, It is called "automatic speed limiters" or " Auto-mobile suspension testers. they just can't decide which it is.


2 weeks, you will not have to travel through Gort and you can adjust your speed to 120kph rather than 15kph through Gort.


N18: Crusheen to Gort road is bad mainly because of bends and poor drivers (Both very slow and fast drivers).
N20: Buttervent (Both sides, bad bends) & Mallow to Blarney Surface is poor. Last April when I last travelled it, there was strips of tar lifted of the road like someone peel it off.
N24 one of the most dangerous roads in Ireland, entire length.

fricatus

Got to agree with comments on the N24 above. It's a disgrace, because of all the reasons mentioned above, but don't forget that this is (at least theoretically) one of the most important and strategic routes in the country, since it links the ports of Rosslare, New Ross and Waterford, plus the city of Waterford, to large areas of the west and mid-west, viz. Limerick, Shannon, Galway and arguably Sligo!

limklad

JustAddWater wrote: »

the N82!

Ireland's smallest N road! Goes for about 500m (seriously!)

It is not 500m, it is 2.2 km, I measure it.

limklad

trad wrote: »

N31 if anyone can find it.

Dun Laoghaire pier (Ferry Terminal) (heading North west ) to Monkstown, to Blackrock then heads west on Mount Merrion Ave to join the N11, Roughly 5.4km

medoc

As above the N52 Birr to Borrisakane/Neenagh is a terrible example of a National (Secondry) road but there are many such examples all over the country. The N62 from Birr to Athlone is bad also especially the section from the N52/N62 junction to Ferbane.

-Corkie-

Berty wrote: »

N52 for me especially from Borrisokane to Birr. :mad:

Oddly enough I like it..:o.

In saying that if your stuck behind a truck thats loaded or a tractor its not much fun. I prefer the Borrisakane to Cloghan road though. My wife dont like it very much though...:D.

I hate every N road the N72 being my most hated..

charlemont

N58 is one joke of a road i was only on it once but it was a terrible road, also same day i was on the N84 all i can remember of it was going through what looked like a deserted town possibly headford ..

i almost forgot the N71, a disgraceful road its not too bad till Innishannon then it gets interesting with a series of bends on a very narrow road, the rest of it from Bandon to Skibbereen is horrid, its been a while since i was on the Skib to Killarney section but i guess its still just as bad.

the Clonakilty to Newmills section should be enough to make anyone not want to drive it a second time

kensutz

Dilbert75 wrote: »

N24 almost all of the way from Waterford to Limerick.

I call the drive the "soul destroying" drive.

Brabus

JustAddWater wrote: »

the N82!

Ireland's smallest N road! Goes for about 500m (seriously!)

Where is the N82? I'm guessing in the Dublin area but I searched the map and couldn't find it.

Found the N32 which goes from the junction of M1 & M50 to the Malahide road and thats only 3km!!