Station Roundabout Lanes, Letterkenny

Beanstalk

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the lanes approaching the station roundabout from the De Valera/Gortlee direction since they re-painted the roads and directions.

I assumed the left lane is for tesco, derry, lifford, ballybofey while the right lane is for pearse road and port road/main street.

A lot of people have told me it has changed in a real matter of fact manner and I've seen a lot of near accidents over the confusion at the roundabout. Anyone share some light on this?

homer simpson

has been talked about on here before.... http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056092731&page=2

Beanstalk

Thanks, the folks on that thread think it has changed but i'm not sure it has!. the left hand lane has markings for N13, N14, N15. Which is out the port road. The right hand lane is town centre and R250 which is out newmills. As far as I know the R250 starts on the pearse road, which would make it the right lane!

mrmac

Beanstalk wrote: »

Thanks, the folks on that thread think it has changed but i'm not sure it has!. the left hand lane has markings for N13, N14, N15. Which is out the port road. The right hand lane is town centre and R250 which is out newmills. As far as I know the R250 starts on the pearse road, which would make it the right lane!

I would agree with you about the R250 starting on the Pearse Road.
On Google Maps, both the Port Road & The Pearse Road are called the R250!
However, on Garmin Sat Nav maps, the R250 starts at Gleneeny House and continues along Pearse Road.

You are also correct that the R250 is actually the road out of Letterkenny, towards Newmills, so in relation to the round-about markings, it seems that the left lane is for Tesco, and the road past the LYIT; the right hand lane is for the R250 (Pearse Road) and the Town Centre, as indicated by the lane markings.

Therefore, nothing has actually changed, and it would be completely daft to have the left lane for three busy exists in this situation.

Hope that helps - a bit!

henke

mrmac wrote: »

I would agree with you about the R250 starting on the Pearse Road.
On Google Maps, both the Port Road & The Pearse Road are called the R250!
However, on Garmin Sat Nav maps, the R250 starts at Gleneeny House and continues along Pearse Road.

You are also correct that the R250 is actually the road out of Letterkenny, towards Newmills, so in relation to the round-about markings, it seems that the left lane is for Tesco, and the road past the LYIT; the right hand lane is for the R250 (Pearse Road) and the Town Centre, as indicated by the lane markings.

Therefore, nothing has actually changed, and it would be completely daft to have the left lane for three busy exists in this situation.

Hope that helps - a bit!

Yeah but are you sure the road markings are actually indicating this? I'm pretty sure that the right hand lane has a right arrow only with 'Town Centre' text beside it and the left hand lane has left arrow + straight ahead arrow with 3 roads indicated on it.

I'm fairly sure it looks like this since been recently repainted and I think this is what is causing the confusion and I know the right hand lane is a lot more empty recently. I'm open to correction on the new road markings though. If someone had a pic it would be great.

Beanstalk

The right hand lane definitely says R250 with town centre underneath it, which I think indicates the two exits. i'm really surprised there hasn't been an accident here yet, it's one of the busiest roundabouts in the town!

This is helped by the fact that none of the major roads marked on the left hand land are in the pearse road direction, unless you take the link road, but that wouldn't make sense.

henke

Beanstalk wrote: »

The right hand lane definitely says R250 with town centre underneath it, which I think indicates the two exits. i'm really surprised there hasn't been an accident here yet, it's one of the busiest roundabouts in the town!

You are most likely correct here. Cheers for pointing that out. I think when people see "Town Centre" they might be missing R250. Also I think because the lane has a right arrow only people automatically think it is one exit. Maybe it would make more sense if arrows were painted as <^ for left lane and ^> for right hand lane. I don't know really but I do know there was no confusion before these markings were painted.

mrmac

Beanstalk is correct, the right hand lane has markings for both R250 & Town Centre.
It also has an arrow indicating >.

Also, it should be noted, that with the slight angle of the road coming into this round-about, you are actually turning > to use the 3rd exist onto Pearse Road!?

I do agree that the new road markings, and the lack of better road signs, have made this a very dangerous location. You need to have the neck of an owl to watch for trouble!!

mrmac

MichaelM1987 wrote: »

... the left hand lane has left arrow + straight ahead arrow with 3 roads indicated on it.
....

Yep, the left hand lane does have three roads indicated on it, but they are all out the exist 2 direction.

henke

mrmac wrote: »

Also, it should be noted, that with the slight angle of the road coming into this round-about, you are actually turning > to use the 3rd exist onto Pearse Road!?

Yeah your right I just think that the one right > can confuse some people. I'm surprised there hasn't been more accidents on this road also.

smashey

It doesn't matter how well marked roundabouts are in this country, the level of stupidity in a lot of drivers seems to increase dramatically when faced with one.

mrmac

I'd swear it wasn't there yesterday, but there is a new sign post (at exist 2) pointing towards exist 3, saying "Pearse Road R250"!!!

The sign looks like it's made from plastic, but at least it may help with some peoples confusion.

(TBH it may not be plastic; I'll have a better look later.)

So that confirms it:

Left Lane = Exist 1 (Tesco), Exist 2 (N13, N14, N15)
Right Lane = Exist 3 (R250 Pearse Road), Exist 4 (Main Street, Town Centre).

Hallelujah, spread the word!

Beanstalk

hah brilliant! can't believe it took them too months to do that!

Siobhan1

mrmac wrote: »

So that confirms it:

Left Lane = Exist 1 (Tesco), Exist 2 (N13, N14, N15)
Right Lane = Exist 3 (R250 Pearse Road), Exist 4 (Main Street, Town Centre).

Ok am a bit confused now, is this the way it always was, as in before the new signage?

mrmac

Yep, that's the same designation as it always was, when coming from Oatfields.

DMG_49

mrmac wrote: »

I'd swear it wasn't there yesterday, but there is a new sign post (at exist 2) pointing towards exist 3, saying "Pearse Road R250"!!!

The sign looks like it's made from plastic, but at least it may help with some peoples confusion.

(TBH it may not be plastic; I'll have a better look later.)

So that confirms it:

Left Lane = Exist 1 (Tesco), Exist 2 (N13, N14, N15)
Right Lane = Exist 3 (R250 Pearse Road), Exist 4 (Main Street, Town Centre).

Hallelujah, spread the word!

Is it not....
Left Lane = (Tesco- they don't count that as an exit), Exist 1 (N13, N14, N15), Exist 2 (R250 Pearse Road)
Right Lane = Exist 3 (Main Street, Town Centre).

mrmac

D'oh! :rolleyes:

Sorry DMG_49, but someone painted a great big sign on the road to indicate otherwise. lol

It's great that this thread is here, as it shows what confusion the new signs made!

I'll have to get down there later, and take a few pics, as this is too serious to be this big a mess.

.17hmr

feck it can you all not just drive up the middle off the white line till they sort it out.:D

homer simpson

mrmac wrote: »

D'oh! :rolleyes:

Sorry DMG_49, but someone painted a great big sign on the road to indicate otherwise. lol

It's great that this thread is here, as it shows what confusion the new signs made!

I'll have to get down there later, and take a few pics, as this is too serious to be this big a mess.

Or just do what they do fairly frequently at manor roundabout and drive through the middle of the thing, there is no lane indicated for going over the thing

mrmac

Picture 1 - Lane Markings (one outside Oatfields & again just before traffic lights).




Picture 2 - Recent signpost, on island at exist 2.




Picture 3 - New sign, showing TINY R250! This is not a plastic sign, as first thought, but a proper metal one.




So the lane designations have not changed.

Left lane = Tesco & Port Road.
Right lane = Pearse Road (R250) & Main Street (Town Centre).

Please spread the word about this round-about, as it's pure mental atm.

DMG_49

So the arrow thats on the road markings was a mistake?

mrmac

Not really.
There is a subtle bend as this road approaches the round-about, so once you get to the white line (to stop), you do actually turn right to exist onto Pearse Road.

It's still a mess, but this round-about has been evolving for the last 20 years, and I don't think it's finished yet!

There was a time, when traffic coming in from Derry, flowed straight up the Main Street, as the road was a lot closer to Gleneany House, and the round-about was a lot further to the right! Loads of accidents then, as people didn't realise they where even entering a round-about! I should know, I got my aul man's car wrote off this way - oh, how he laughed!

PattheMetaller

DMG_49 wrote: »

So the arrow thats on the road markings was a mistake?

I must double check when in Letterkenny tomorrow, but with the slight curve as you approach the roundabout are you not going straight through when driving on out past Tobin's? Therefore the left and straight arrow would be technically right correct :rolleyes:. This would also make the right arrow for Pearse Road and Town Centre correct!

mrmac

PattheMetaller wrote: »

I must double check when in Letterkenny tomorrow, but with the slight curve as you approach the roundabout are you not going straight through when driving on out past Tobin's? Therefore the left and straight arrow would be technically right correct :rolleyes:. This would also make the right arrow for Pearse Road and Town Centre correct!

Yep.
Head wrecker ain't it! :rolleyes:

byte

Basically, did the tarmac need signage on it?

Standard roundabout rules apply it would seem - left lane for first and second exits, right lane for 3rd or 4th, etc.

ootbitb

agree with byte tarmac signs are often not seen in traffic.

roundabouts would be far safer if nationally standardised.

that way strangers have no trouble .

the way it is you have to be local to feel safe (though not in this case).

typical NRA balls-up really.

GoldenGreen

byte wrote: »

Basically, did the tarmac need signage on it?

Standard roundabout rules apply it would seem - left lane for first and second exits, right lane for 3rd or 4th, etc.

Thats not the standard round about rules anymore. It was the way i was taught when learing to drive and always seemed a nice simple way to know what lane to be in.

But in the revised Rules of the road the refference to the the exit number has been removed and replaces with more or less if you are turning right get in the right lane and if you are turning left or going straigh through you get in the left lane, thats grand when it a nice simple round about with 4 exits at 12,3,6 and 9 o'clock but there is very few of them round about about the place.

PattheMetaller

GoldenGreen wrote: »

Thats not the standard round about rules anymore. It was the way i was taught when learing to drive and always seemed a nice simple way to know what lane to be in.

But in the revised Rules of the road the refference to the the exit number has been removed and replaces with more or less if you are turning right get in the right lane and if you are turning left or going straigh through you get in the left lane, thats grand when it a nice simple round about with 4 exits at 12,3,6 and 9 o'clock but there is very few of them round about about the place.

Exits 1 and 2 on a major roundabout, no matter where they are on the clock face, are left hand lane approach (unless signs and markings tell otherwise). Not read this anywhere recently, but was told so by the instructor during the practicals for my Advanced Driving Test. The roundabout being discussed was the Manor Roundabout when approaching from Derry.

This theory leads me to approach the Station Roundabout from Oatfields in the right lane if taking exits 3 or 4. I treat going over Pearse Rd as being past 12 O'Clock, this combined with the 3rd exit rule makes the current markings correct imo e.g. when entering the roundabout, out past Tobin's is 2nd exit plus it is straight through the roundabout, due to the curve on appoach; plus the Pearse Rd, Main St and Regional Road are past 12 O'Clock and are therefore right turns.

Hell I may be wrong but that's my reading of it.

GoldenGreen

PattheMetaller wrote: »

Exits 1 and 2 on a major roundabout, no matter where they are on the clock face, are left hand lane approach (unless signs and markings tell otherwise). Not read this anywhere recently, but was told so by the instructor during the practicals for my Advanced Driving Test. The roundabout being discussed was the Manor Roundabout when approaching from Derry.

This theory leads me to approach the Station Roundabout from Oatfields in the right lane if taking exits 3 or 4. I treat going over Pearse Rd as being past 12 O'Clock, this combined with the 3rd exit rule makes the current markings correct imo e.g. when entering the roundabout, out past Tobin's is 2nd exit plus it is straight through the roundabout, due to the curve on appoach; plus the Pearse Rd, Main St and Regional Road are past 12 O'Clock and are therefore right turns.

Hell I may be wrong but that's my reading of it.

Yip thats the way i was taught too, counting exits and with no reference to their clock position.
This was back in the day when these were the rules of the road for a round about:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showp...7&postcount=76

but now the revised rules of the road do not make it that clear in reference to the exit numbers:
http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/pdf-downloads/english/rules-of-the-road%20eng.pdf
(Page 109 - 111)

ootbitb

on page 108

"Unless road signs or road markings indicate otherwise......."

crazy there is no cast in stone standard rule.


curious to know where tom tom or garmin would put you.

slimboyfat

As I approached this roundabout yesterday, I was more than confused, my understanding of the arrows were that the right lane was for the town centre and the left lane for all other routes. What a complete cock-up!

homer simpson

I see that they are out today again burning odd the old markings on the approach to the roundabout (from oatfield side), i don't know if / what they are replacing them with but they were burning them off anyways

ootbitb

all back the old way now

GetWithIt

Registered just to post this so pay attention.

Use.

Your.

Indicators.

I visit Letterkenny regularly and I would estimate only 5-10% use their indicators at all when confronted with a roundabout. Being in the wrong lane happens, it's not a big deal, but one of the reasons why traffic around LK is a disaster is that absolutely no one uses their indicators when exiting the roundabout.

The indicators aren't just for the benefit of the car behind you, it's also for the benefit of the car facing you entering the roundabout at the exit you're taking.

At smaller roundabouts with one lane you can't judge if someone is continuing around or exiting unless they explicitly indicate. I've sat many a time coming from the Pearse Rd with drivers unable to move onto the roundabout simply because those exiting have not indicated and they miss their chance.

smashey

GetWithIt wrote: »

Registered just to post this so pay attention.

Use.

Your.

Indicators.

I visit Letterkenny regularly and I would estimate only 5-10% use their indicators at all when confronted with a roundabout. Being in the wrong lane happens, it's not a big deal, but one of the reasons why traffic around LK is a disaster is that absolutely no one uses their indicators when exiting the roundabout.

The indicators aren't just for the benefit of the car behind you, it's also for the benefit of the car facing you entering the roundabout at the exit you're taking.

At smaller roundabouts with one lane you can't judge if someone is continuing around or exiting unless they explicitly indicate. I've sat many a time coming from the Pearse Rd with drivers unable to move onto the roundabout simply because those exiting have not indicated and they miss their chance.

Well said.

I have often wondered what is the usual length of time from when people pass their driving test (where they have to indicate) to when they decide indicators are an optional extra.

homer simpson

I see there is an article in todays Donegal News about this, the bit at the end caught my attention, where it claimed that they had numerous "callers" into their office, strangely almost all of the "callers" have said things very similar to what has been said on here, one of the "callers" had pretty much word for word what mrmac had said at the beginning of one of his posts (http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69791094&postcount=4) which is strange because it goes into great detail about sat-nav's ect....

Coincidence?

mrmac

Copy cats!

Poor use of indicators is not reserved for Donegal drivers. Having travelled up and down to Kildare for the best part of 5 years, I can safetly confirm that this diabolical disability is virtually nation-wide.

Also, anyone notice how the more expensive vehicles suffer badly from premature indicator bulb failure???

Beanstalk

homer_simpson wrote: »

I see there is an article in todays Donegal News about this, the bit at the end caught my attention, where it claimed that they had numerous "callers" into their office, strangely almost all of the "callers" have said things very similar to what has been said on here, one of the "callers" had pretty much word for word what mrmac had said at the beginning of one of his posts (http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69791094&postcount=4) which is strange because it goes into great detail about sat-nav's ect....

Coincidence?

i think its even stranger that one day after the thread started the sign was put up, then the markings were burned off, now its in the democrat! power to the boarders!

Beanstalk

Also regarding indicators, there is a serious lack of general indicating when driving coming from the station roundabout towards oatfield and turning up de valera!

GoldenGreen

what i found interesting too was that Inspector O'Donnell was quoted as saying "it clearly states in the rules of the road to use the left lane for the first two exits and the right lane for the others", he must be looking at the old rules of the road then (where it does clearly state this) and not the revised rules of the road (where it does not).

mrmac

Just got the DP & DN, and what a flaming cheek that reporter has!
I really don't mind the fact that he's clearly lifted posts from this thread, but not to mention the fact that he's skimmed it from boards.ie is a bit naughty!

So, Mr. You-Know-Who-You-Are, do not do that again, unless you mention it was gathered from boards.ie.

FYI - here's a before & after shot of the road markings!






Why they couldn't have done that in the beginning .... ???

Minister Boyce

Excellent Work Mr Mac.

When you at it you don't fancy taking your camera out to the polestar roundabout, approaching from Kelly's toyota to give some very wise people a master class what approach lanes to be in when entering this roundabout??:rolleyes:

The lack of use of indication is also coupled by A1 Ignorance, especially by some brianiacs 'slip in' in front of you when you exit off the port road.

muffler

Was on that wee stretch of road earlier today and noticed the 2 "straight on" arrows. Am I missing something or should those only be used where you have a double lane off the exit point?

muffler

homer_simpson wrote: »

I see there is an article in todays Donegal News about this, the bit at the end caught my attention, where it claimed that they had numerous "callers" into their office, strangely almost all of the "callers" have said things very similar to what has been said on here, one of the "callers" had pretty much word for word what mrmac had said at the beginning of one of his posts (http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69791094&postcount=4) which is strange because it goes into great detail about sat-nav's ect....

Coincidence?

Ah sure this is old news (pardon the pun). Not the first time that the DN have used material posted her as part of their "exclusives"

Are you still reading donegalboy? Good to see you're still earning a crust with a little help from Boards.ie

nmg_ire

Well bloody said

GetWithIt wrote: »

Registered just to post this so pay attention.

Use.

Your.

Indicators.

I visit Letterkenny regularly and I would estimate only 5-10% use their indicators at all when confronted with a roundabout. Being in the wrong lane happens, it's not a big deal, but one of the reasons why traffic around LK is a disaster is that absolutely no one uses their indicators when exiting the roundabout.

The indicators aren't just for the benefit of the car behind you, it's also for the benefit of the car facing you entering the roundabout at the exit you're taking.

At smaller roundabouts with one lane you can't judge if someone is continuing around or exiting unless they explicitly indicate. I've sat many a time coming from the Pearse Rd with drivers unable to move onto the roundabout simply because those exiting have not indicated and they miss their chance.

irish1967

Council paints over Station Roundabout confusion

Posted: 8/Jan 10:30
Last Updated: 8/Jan 10:32
Donegal County Council has moved to address confusion about how traffic should approach the Station Roundabout in Letterkenny from the Ramelton Road and Gortlee.
In November, new road markings were painted which seemed to suggest that only traffic turning into the town centre should take the right hand lane, and all other traffic, including traffic for Pearse Road should stay on the left.
The confusion this caused led to the prospect of severe tailbacks on the left hand side, and also the possibility of collisions as people approached Pearse Road from two lanes.
Now, new markings make it clear that Pearse Road traffic still takes the right hand lane, a continuation of how the junction has always operated.
Cllr Jimmy Harte, who lives in the Gortlee area, says the confusion needed to be addressed……..


http://www.highlandradio.com/2011/01/08/council-paints-over-station-roundabout-confusion/

mrmac

Yeah, heard that on the radio this morning, just had to chuckle sarcastically!

/btw - only heard 5 minutes of highland, as it's on the alarm clock, and that's only because of the weather - honest!