Dublin -> Co Cavan. M3, N3 or N2?

Breezer

I've to commute from Dun Laoghaire to Bailieborough, Co Cavan, every day for the next 3 weeks. According to Google Maps, the M3 will take me 90 mins, the N3 1 hour 50 mins, and the N2/R165 will take 1 hour 50 mins.

I'm keen to avoid tolls other than the M50. I need to be in Bailieborough before 9am.

So basically, people who know the route:

- is it actually a 20 minute saving each way, or has Google taken account of the new 80km/h speed?

- What's the old N3 like to drive these days, and the traffic in Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells at that hour of the morning?

- Is Kells worth avoiding altogether by driving out onto the bypass, or should I just go through it?

- Would the N2 be better, or is Slane still a nightmare?

Cheers.

Losty Dublin

Breezer wrote: »

I've to commute from Dun Laoghaire to Bailieborough, Co Cavan, every day for the next 3 weeks. According to Google Maps, the M3 will take me 90 mins, the N3 1 hour 50 mins, and the N2/R165 will take 1 hour 50 mins.

I'm keen to avoid tolls other than the M50. I need to be in Bailieborough before 9am.

So basically, people who know the route:

- is it actually a 20 minute saving each way, or has Google taken account of the new 80km/h speed?

- What's the old N3 like to drive these days, and the traffic in Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells at that hour of the morning?

- Is Kells worth avoiding altogether by driving out onto the bypass, or should I just go through it?

- Would the N2 be better, or is Slane still a nightmare?

Cheers.

Before the M 3 opened it was taking me about 80 minute from Blanch to Cavan town; nowadays it's about 40 minutes, more if it was schooldays. The new roads drops you off a few miles shy of Virginia; from here it's about 20 minutes across on the R 178. Alone on the times, I'd swallow the tolls there and back for the time savings.

I'd avoid the N 2 as well as you still need to get past Slane and Collon as well as miles across drumlin country roads; ditto for going via Kells, Mullagh and Moynalty. Many of the R roads in Cavan are very narrow, windy, hilly and in poor condition at times so due care needs to be taken on them.

Would work not cover you on the road tolls as a matter of interest, seeing as they are sending you up there?

Breezer

Work might if I had a job, college certainly won't! Cheers. I might do the motorway in the morning and the old road in the evening.

BrianD3

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Before the M 3 opened it was taking me about 80 minute from Blanch to Cavan town; nowadays it's about 40 minutes, more if it was schooldays.

Not a chance you'd do that journey in 40 minutes unless you're breaking the speed limit by a huge margin. 60-70 minutes would be more realistic.

Losty Dublin

BrianD3 wrote: »

Not a chance you'd do that journey in 40 minutes unless you're breaking the speed limit by a huge margin. 60-70 minutes would be more realistic.

I'll correct myself by saying I went from the Dunboyne turnoff on the M3 and yes I did a bit over the limit but you have almost 60 miles of open road and only Virginia to slow you done for any distance so 40 minutes to the Cavan by pass is what it took me.

In any case OP only wants to get as far as Virginia so he needn't worry about Cavan

Terrontress

What about go through town, out the M1, admittedly there's a toll but you don't have to pay the M50, Ardee and then Bailieborough. You'll be heading against the traffic so you should have no problem.

Victor

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Before the M 3 opened it was taking me about 80 minute from Blanch to Cavan town; nowadays it's about 40 minutes, more if it was schooldays.

http://maps.google.ie/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Bailieborough,+County+Cavan&hl=en&geocode=FWyZLgMdBs-e_w%3BFSKwNgMdbJ-V_ymPNBk-m6pgSDEA9DGXqccACg&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=13&sll=53.396842,-6.385803&sspn=0.029479,0.071926&ie=UTF8&ll=53.388038,-6.36898&spn=0.029485,0.071926&z=13

Suggested routes

1. M3 1 hour 1 min 82.0 km

http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Itineraires?strStartLocid=31NDFwemcxMGNOVE11TXpnMU9EST1jTFRZdU16YzNOekk9&strDestLocid=31NDFxYXExMGNOVE11T1RrME9RPT1jTFRjdU16WXdORFk9&intItineraryType=1&caravaneHidden=false&vh=CAR&strVehicle=0&itineraryCarType=0&itineraryFuelType=0&isFavoriseAutoroute=false&isAvoidPeage=false&isAvoidVignette=false&isAvoidLNR=false&isAvoidFrontiers=true&dtmDeparture=24%2F01%2F2011&distance=km&devise=1.0|EUR&indemnite=&carbCost=1.3&autoConso=6.8&villeConso=6&routeConso=5.6

89 km wich 44 km on motorways

44km @ 120km/h = 22 minutes
45km @ 80km/h = 34 minutes

Total ~56 minutes minimum

Losty Dublin

Victor wrote: »

44km @ 120km/h = 22 minutes
45km @ 80km/h = 34 minutes

Total ~56 minutes minimum

True except the speed limit on the N 3 is 100 km/h, it was from Dunboyne turn off and it was not to the main street of Cavan town

Carawaystick

Has the OP considered bypassing the westlink via the N/M4 to the Johnstown house junction between Leixlip/Maynooth (J6 on osm) and then taking the R449 towards Intel and then either the old road towards Maynooth and the R157 to the M3, or the L1014 to bypass Carton house to the R157, as Dunboyne is bypassed and pay those tolls - EUR2.80 vs 3 on the westlink.

Breezer

Carawaystick wrote: »

Has the OP considered bypassing the westlink via the N/M4 to the Johnstown house junction between Leixlip/Maynooth (J6 on osm) and then taking the R449 towards Intel and then either the old road towards Maynooth and the R157 to the M3, or the L1014 to bypass Carton house to the R157, as Dunboyne is bypassed and pay those tolls - EUR2.80 vs 3 on the westlink.

Em... no I didn't consider that

Opted for the motorway in the end. I'll cope with the tolls. Thanks for the replies.