M50 still tricky - be careful out there!

unkel

Northbound just before the Firhouse exit, there is still quite some ice left. The road was obviously not gritted today. Just be careful and take it handy. I was doing about 70km/h when I came upon it and a lift off the accelerator and no steering at all made the momentum of the car take it across the ice without problems. But some people are going way too fast and I doubt they all have winter tyres...

Bumpstop

Yea +1 I just travelled from junction 14 to J5. it's really dangerous in spots. A coach went by me doing about 80 KMh. I was in lane 3 a few times but it got really slippy and you have to lift off to cross lanes over the ice.

Rear wheel drive fun I'll miss it a bit when it's gone.

L1011

Poor from J5 to J7 also, driving lane unpassable in places but middle/outer lanes driveable. Ramps are also very poor.

Del2005

It would be funny if it wasn't so serious. The driving lane on most of the 3 lane roads is the worst lane on the road, 1st time in a long time I've had to use the 2nd lane, stupid drivers.

copacetic

unkel wrote: »

Northbound just before the Firhouse exit, there is still quite some ice left. The road was obviously not gritted today. Just be careful and take it handy. I was doing about 70km/h when I came upon it and a lift off the accelerator and no steering at all made the momentum of the car take it across the ice without problems. But some people are going way too fast and I doubt they all have winter tyres...

was on it at 9am and 8pm, not in great shape at all. However there was noticeable grit visible this morning and there was a gritter doing the worst patches at 8pm. So they are out there.

It's much worse heading northbound than southbound, especially on the sweeping bends from Balinteer on where everyone isn't sticking to exact same tracks.

unkel

copacetic wrote: »

It's much worse heading northbound than southbound, especially on the sweeping bends from Balinteer on

+1

There was no ice southbound at 4pm (-7 degrees) but plenty northbound at 11pm (-10 degrees) between Ballinteer and Firhouse.

My biggest fear on the return journey was the on-ramp at Ballinteer (in my RWD car with summer tyres :rolleyes:) but the ramp was completely ice free. The local roads in Lucan were bad though, but there's a lot you can do with your cars momentum

VinnyTGM

Yes, the M50 was a disgrace today, southbound at 6pm was deadly.

Turner

unkel wrote: »

+1

There was no ice southbound at 4pm (-7 degrees) but plenty northbound at 11pm (-10 degrees) between Ballinteer and Firhouse.

My biggest fear on the return journey was the on-ramp at Ballinteer (in my RWD car with summer tyres :rolleyes:) but the ramp was completely ice free. The local roads in Lucan were bad though, but there's a lot you can do with your cars momentum

Havent the on ramps got that extra friction yellow tarmac... If gritted properly there should be no problem.

copacetic

unkel wrote: »

+1

There was no ice southbound at 4pm (-7 degrees) but plenty northbound at 11pm (-10 degrees) between Ballinteer and Firhouse.

My biggest fear on the return journey was the on-ramp at Ballinteer (in my RWD car with summer tyres :rolleyes:) but the ramp was completely ice free. The local roads in Lucan were bad though, but there's a lot you can do with your cars momentum

similar fears here, I went a fair bit out of my way to avoid the dundrum and finglas on ramps today, one is very steep and the other is pretty steep and very twisty (and only a car wide ) with a couple of downchanges required. Not good in these conditions with the real wheel drive.

A lot of our roads really aren't designed for these conditions, but they are are pretty unusual.

Chief--- wrote: »

Havent the on ramps got that extra friction yellow tarmac... If gritted properly there should be no problem.

The on ramp at Dundrum has been a disaster throughout the various bad spells we've had this year.

johnos1984

The new section of the M7 was very slippy this evening before dark according to my sister

Stheno

Jesus if the local authorities cannot keep such major routes gritted and in shape what hope is there for anywhere else?

666bxg

+1

I nearly lost control and spun my car doing <60km/h after hitting bumpy ice on the M50 northbound after the N2 exit earlier. (-7c 2100)

And that was with winter tyres on my RWD car.

whippet

I had to head up towards Drogheda on Xmas eve and thought m50 / m1 was safest bet as I had the family in the car .... How wrong was I

Then in the middle lane before ballymun a CIE coach started fishtailing ... It was pant filling ...only that everyone around was going slow enough and gave enough space a disaster was averted.

Parts of the m1 were just as bad.

Came back through Drogheda, duleek Ashbourne ... The journey time was actually quicker and road conditions safer

MagicMarker

Thanks for the heads up OP, might have to make that trip later. Although it should a good bit better now with the higher temperature.

Vanbis

I know two people who lost it on the M50, one last tuesday heading Northbound and spun around and into the the barrier.

The second was heading Southbound after been out on the northside, he lost control and the car did a 360 and into the barrier, he needs a new bumber. He was lucky and just happy no other cars were around.

I use the M50 most days and last week was the worst i have seen it since the snow, it my opinion it was only gritted the once.

Absurdum

I had to use it a few times yesterday, shockingly poor condition. The M1 was worse in places, at J4 the salt/grit trucks appear to have treated the on and off ramps, leaving the motorway beneath untreated. It was barely passable.

gonker

Who is in charge of the m50. Its disgraceful. If you had an accident could you claim from them as it wasnt treated. I wasnt on it but so many friends and relatives were travelling on it yesterday and said it was crazy and not treated.

Del2005

gonker wrote: »

Who is in charge of the m50. Its disgraceful. If you had an accident could you claim from them as it wasnt treated. I wasnt on it but so many friends and relatives were travelling on it yesterday and said it was crazy and not treated.

The NRA are in charge of it. No you can't claim if you crash as you are supposed to adjust you're driving to suit the conditions.

The only time you can sue them is if they made the road dangerous and not treating it doesn't count. If they made a mess of treating it then you can sue.

L1011

Del2005 wrote: »

The NRA are in charge of it.

"M50 Concession" are actually.

dr.fuzzenstein

Drove up to Dublin airport from Gort on the 24th.
The road was cleared and salted ALL the way to Dublin, very little snow or ice on the road and no problem to drive.
And from Lucan all the way to the airport was 3 inches of snow and lots of ice. Driving above 40 km/h was impossible, the was no sign of any road treatment whatsoever and most of the tarmac was actually completely covered. And a truck had jacknifed northbound at Blanchardstown.
Since this was 6am I though maybe they didn't get around to it yet.
Came back at about lunchtime (flight cancelled), things where EXACTLY the same.
NO ONE had managed to treat the road in way, shape or form in the intervening 6 hours or so.
And it was mad busy.
And as soon as I had left the area under control of whatever lazy, incompetent bastards look after the Dublin motorway network, roads immediately cleared and remained clear all the way back to Gort.
Seriously, WTF!?

southernstar

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

And as soon as I had left the area under control of whatever lazy, incompetent bastards look after the Dublin motorway network, roads immediately cleared

The M8 was fine all the way up from Cork yesterday- no traffic at all yet the road was ok (and it was -9 a lot of the way up).

Once we hit the M50/ M1 it was frightening how bad the roads were. The brakes were locking across the ice- I've never experienced anything like it. I assumed this would be the one road that should be safe being the main traffic artery in the country.

Heroditas

unkel wrote: »

+1

There was no ice southbound at 4pm (-7 degrees) but plenty northbound at 11pm (-10 degrees) between Ballinteer and Firhouse.

My biggest fear on the return journey was the on-ramp at Ballinteer (in my RWD car with summer tyres :rolleyes:) but the ramp was completely ice free. The local roads in Lucan were bad though, but there's a lot you can do with your cars momentum

I went from Lucan to Dun Laoghaire at 3.30 yesterday and back again at 6pm.
Southbound was ok the vast majority of the way but northbound was very bad .... particularly around Firhouse.
I think that area is bad because it didn't get much sun during the day so most of the ice never got a chance to melt.
Felt the car wobble a few times despite taking it handily.

bazzachazza

Drove it yesterday at 7pm and I concur northbound in the shaded areas it didn't thaw.

Saw 3 spreaders going northbound. 1 stopped to help an idiot who was driving too fast and slid off on ice into the central reservation area and the snow built up from ploughing.

They stopped salting/gritting on the icy patches and started on the non icy bits. Can anyone confirm why this is, is it because they can only salt non iced bits for maximum effect ? and yes they definitely DID STOP spreading !