Ireland's road network needs a multi-billion euro cash injection to make it safe.

Some €1.7bn needs to be spent fixing 63 dangerous routes, many of which were not properly designed and were unsuited to carrying high volumes of traffic travelling at speeds of up to 100kmh.

The worst-affected roads are in the south-west, where 23 projects are identified. It is followed by the north with 16, the west with 14, the east with 10, and the south-east with seven.

The NRA said there was no funding available to carry out any major works because of cuts in the capital programme.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/lives-will-be-lost-unless-billions-spent-on-roads-warns-report-2608296.html

NRA Reports: http://www.nra.ie/NetworkManagement/NationalSecondaryRoadsNeedsStudy/

Mc Love

Cork to Limerick definitely needs updating - its an absolute horrendous road

-Corkie-

Mc Love wrote: »

Cork to Limerick definitely needs updating - its an absolute horrendous road

Cork to anywhere bar Dublin Is horrendous!

mb1725

Do I hear the T word coming again? (tolls):(

Mc Love

If thats what it takes - then bring it on! They have them in the UK and they have a much better road network than us. But then there are people that will try and avoid the tolls just as they have been doing with the tunnel in Limerick

Yakult

So lower the speed limit to 80km/h if the said road's are not safe enough to handle 100km/h?

Mc Love

I think it would be more dangerous to lower the speed

Yawns

Mc Love wrote: »

If thats what it takes - then bring it on! They have them in the UK and they have a much better road network than us. But then there are people that will try and avoid the tolls just as they have been doing with the tunnel in Limerick

Could it also be the fact that there's a few million people extra living in the UK so they have more taxes, so more money to spend on the road and fix them up?????????????????????????????????????

_Nuno_

Mc Love wrote: »

I think it would be more dangerous to lower the speed

Yes, more time on the roads so higher chances of accidents

Solnskaya

Next time you are driving on a rural road, heading round a bend, have a glance at where you would end up if you lost control and skidded off, even at low speed. You are pretty well guaranteed that there will be a telephone pole, steel signpost or hefty bare tree-trunk exactly at the point you would hit as you left the road.
This is a result of absolute pi55-poor road verge engineering. By simply re-positioning posts, signs and cutting strategic tree trunks, our roads would be made infinitely safer. In many european countries this is recognised as a major part of road safety- if you loose it(ice/oil etc), there should not be a solid, deadly object plonked at the exact point you will first meet as you struggle to regain control.
Next time you are driving, have a look, and you will see it is a factor on every bend. Our roads are badly planned, and badly engineered, but easily fixed to make them 100% safer.

Mc Love

on the M7/M20/N18 interchange in Limerick, on one of the bends there is no barrier meaning if you dont brake or lose control of the car you are going straight into oncoming traffic

Mc Love

Yawns wrote: »

Could it also be the fact that there's a few million people extra living in the UK so they have more taxes, so more money to spend on the road and fix them up?????????????????????????????????????

Why would they need tolls so??

omg a kitty

That one way bridge in Slane could really use a smack off a wrecking ball...But theres always people saying its a world heritage site and all.
Why can't they reroute the N2 around Slane? Its so stupid having to slow down on a National Road in the countryside just cos it goes through a tiny little town

crosstownk

Yes some roads need an upgrade but it's also some road users that need an upgrade.

Mycroft H

N64 and the N59 are horribly bad roads in places

al28283

Yawns wrote: »

Could it also be the fact that there's a few million people extra living in the UK so they have more taxes, so more money to spend on the road and fix them up?????????????????????????????????????

No, they would also have a much larger road network plus a lot more expenses to think about when spending their taxes, so proportionately we should have more to spend on the roads

listermint

Mc Love wrote: »

If thats what it takes - then bring it on! They have them in the UK and they have a much better road network than us. But then there are people that will try and avoid the tolls just as they have been doing with the tunnel in Limerick

Thats a very simplistic view, do you honestly think they ring fence toll money for the roads upkeep! Ha!

have you seen the M1 road surface lately.... 2 tolls on this baby... and it aint seeing any of the dosh.

Owen

Put catseyes on every road, and you'll see road deaths drop by a 1/3. I'll eat my own testicles if it doesn't.

Marcusm

Mc Love wrote: »

If thats what it takes - then bring it on! They have them in the UK and they have a much better road network than us. But then there are people that will try and avoid the tolls just as they have been doing with the tunnel in Limerick

Apart from bridges and tunnels, does the UK have a toll road except the M6Toll which is a relief road for another 3 lane motorway?

challengemaster

Yakult wrote: »

So lower the speed limit to 80km/h if the said road's are not safe enough to handle 100km/h?

Thats just avoiding the actual issue. The roads are shíte, so instead of fixing them, lets reduce the speed! /facepalm

Do you work for the government by any chance?

Yawns wrote: »

Could it also be the fact that there's a few million people extra living in the UK so they have more taxes, so more money to spend on the road and fix them up?????????????????????????????????????

Or it could be that they don't have complete idiots put in charge of building and maintaining the road network, so when they're built, they are built properly and don't fall apart after 3 months. When road works are done, they don't take weeks or months, and they don't leave the roads in a condition that requires a chiropractor after travelling on them.

Japan fixed a road in pieces after the earthquake. In A WEEK. The county council couldn't fix a single frikking pot hole in a month.

The NRA, and basically anything to do with roads in this country needs a serious reform with people who actually know what they're doing.

omg a kitty

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Put catseyes on every road, and you'll see road deaths drop by a 1/3. I'll eat my own testicles if it doesn't.

We'll be driving faster if they do, just for the laugh of seeing you eat your own testicles

Iwannahurl

I had a very quick look at just a few sections of one of the NRA's reports.

Depressing reading, given the scale of what's required, even though the state of these secondary roads is already well known. Even if we were not already bankrupt and heading for sovereign debt default within a couple of years, it will take decades to bring these roads up to modern European standards. Maybe I'll see some of the more important routes upgraded in my lifetime. And my children will see even more improvements, if they're lucky. And as for the NRA's plans to include cycleways in these aspirational schemes, words fail me...

Yakult

challengemaster wrote: »

Thats just avoiding the actual issue. The roads are shíte, so instead of fixing them, lets reduce the speed! /facepalm

Do you work for the government by any chance?

Yeah, lets do nothing to atleast try and solve it while we are waiting a few years 'til they get the funding..


:rolleyes:

Guy:Incognito

Yawns wrote: »

Could it also be the fact that there's a few million people extra living in the UK so they have more taxes, so more money to spend on the road and fix them up?????????????????????????????????????

and more roads to spend the money on.

mlumley

Just shows that most of the money was spent round Dublin.

Redisle

The bit on RTE news earlier about this where they were interviewing the owner of that Maxol station on the N71. I dunno wtf that was about, I live up the road from the spot and have never seen an accident there. It's a straight stretch of road, the only accidents caused by it are probably caused by the damn petrol station itself!

But yeah all the local "country" roads around the place are completely gone to ****e. There's a road near me that the council pours endless amount of tar chippings into week after week instead of fixing the damn thing.

x in the city

basically any roads apart from the motorways in the state are bollocks.

amacachi

challengemaster wrote: »

Japan fixed a road in pieces after the earthquake. In A WEEK. The county council couldn't fix a single frikking pot hole in a month.

That's simply untrue, I could show you a patch of road in Dundalk that has been repaired 3 times in the last month.

Top Dog

Mc Love wrote: »

They have them in the UK and they have a much better road network than us. But then there are people that will try and avoid the tolls just as they have been doing with the tunnel in Limerick

I've driven from Folkestone at the very south of the UK right up to Inverness (via Reading) - a journey of 650+ miles ... and passed 1 toll on the M6. If I drive from Cork airport to Dublin airport (169 miles) I go through 3 tolls. :rolleyes:

They may well have more tolls in the UK that I don't know of, but in my expierence of driving over there, they're few and far between.

More tolls is not the answer - spreading the wealth beyond the reach of the M50 would help matters :mad::mad:

Anyone been on the main road going through Tuam in the last two years? I reckon that 2km stretch alone would keep the aftermarket shock industry going!
I had some german friends visit recently and we went from galway to sligo. They made no comment for ages, just looked in shock at each other regularly. Eventually they told me the roads in romania were better, pretty embarrasing.

KamiKazi

amacachi wrote: »

That's simply untrue, I could show you a patch of road in Dundalk that has been repaired 3 times in the last month.

If it had been "repaired" the first time it wouldn't have needed another two "repairs".

Uriel.

Deleted User wrote: »

Anyone been on the main road going through Tuam in the last two years? I reckon that 2km stretch alone would keep the aftermarket shock industry going!
I had some german friends visit recently and we went from galway to sligo. They made no comment for ages, just looked in shock at each other regularly. Eventually they told me the roads in romania were better, pretty embarrasing.

lol, I love these little stories we boardsies come up with to "prove" something.

Lower the speed limit on any road that isn't in a condition to host traffic at thecurrent speed limit. Do this as an interim measure until longer term work is ready to be completed.

I agree with a previous poster, non primary roads are a disaster in terms of design, engineering and service point (poles, lighting etc...) placement. Fatalities involving single vehicles would probably seriously reduced if proper crash barriers were placed at impact points on corners and removing the solid impact points currently in place.

wildefalcon

Completely inept, disinterested, unqualified, overpaid Local Authority Road Engineers are responsible for most of the mess. Their bosses are responsible for the rest of the mess.

The money is spent on the wrong things. It is there. But it suits the politicians to have potholes, that way they get the kudos for "fixing" them.


Consider the amount of money that has been spent on new Council Headquarters, civic plazas, and other useless monuments to local authority hubris over the last 50 years.

Leonard Hofstadter

In fairness Cork to Mallow is an ok road - it's not brilliant but not bad either - there are plenty of overtaking opportunities - when people pull into the numerous slow lanes that are on the road - which of course doesn't always happen given the level of incompetance displayed by most Irish drivers:rolleyes:.

Between Mallow and Newtwopothouse is also a nice road with some decent overtaking opportunities as well, but between there and the Croom bypass is an absolute disgrace:mad:! Words cannot express just how awful that road is!

The big problem with the Cork to Limerick road is that you get held up going into Mallow (even though you don't go into it, the fact that the bypass has a few roundabouts and still goes near the town means you always get delayed), Buttevant is a disaster and of course Charleville is terrible too. Between Charleville and the Croom bypass is terrible if you get stuck behind either a slow driver or a truck, because there is not a single overtaking opportunity that is in any way safe.

There have been several crashes on the N20 over the years, and it really is not the kind of road you would expect to link the country's second and third biggest population centres.

Cork to Waterford is also not up to standard in parts, though I think it is a hell of a lot better than the Limerick road.

It's fine as far as Midleton (or at least it will be when they finish the resurfacing of the road), but between there and Youghal is very slow. The road itself is not that bad, but the capacity is insufficient.

Between Youghal and Dungarvan is terrible, too many parts of that road have 60 kph stretches (which everyone ignores unsurprisingly), too twisy and just outside Youghal in particular is terrible.

The 'bypass' of Dungarvan is not a proper bypass, it's more of an inner relief road that goes around the town.

At least between there and Waterford isn't too bad.

Cork to Tralee includes the disaster that is Macroom. The road itself is ok until a few km just outside Macroom, but between there and Ballyvourney is not good at all, especially outside Ballyvourney. It's grand between there and Tralee though, but you always get held up between Killarney and Tralee because the road hasn't enough capacity.

Limerick to Tralee is not that nice, nor is Limerick to Killarney, Adare, Newcastlewest, Abbeyfeale are all crying out for bypasses.

The road to West Cork is one of my favourites, some nice corners and for some bizzare reason I get amazing mpg but it is spectcaularly slow as well - in fairness it is mostly ok between Cork and Inishannon, but it is not great after that.

Vicxas

Between swords and ashbourne is a joke. Potholes the size of a car!

overshoot

Uriel. wrote: »

I agree with a previous poster, non primary roads are a disaster in terms of design, engineering and service point (poles, lighting etc...) placement.

these are primary roads, otherwise the NRA wouldnt be involved, local councils have responsibility for anything below a N class.
loved the bit on the n56 in donegal, 55% of the road has a lane of less than 3meters, 77% less than 3.5. a parking space is 2.4m wide, most trucks 2.4/2.5. and this road services everything west of donegal town/letterkenny

JD1763

Swords to Ashbourne isn't that bad overall.

It's the segment between the two crossroads thats in bits and hasn't had any work done on it in a while. Particularly heading towards Ashbourne theres a left hand bend where your forced out towards the middle of the road to avoid a few craters.

Although its ok now, the long straight on the way into Swords is going to deteriorate massively in the future due to the crap refill job they did after laying the sewerage pipes.

Rest of the road is fine apart from the ridiculously long 60km/h stretch from the second crossroads to Ashbourne itself. Watch out for the "white/silver" van whose "owner" (;)) sometimes parks in the gateway of the old church and graveyard at Greenogue.

mb1725

The new Government have promised a solution to all street and road issues: http://www.fixmystreet.ie/

Solair

They really need to upgrade the N80 or N52 to create a proper link across the midlands between the M7 at Portlaoise to the M6 at Kilbeggan or Moate and onwards from the M6 to the N4.

It would make it possible for say someone in Cork / Limerick etc to go to Galway / Sligo even on to Donegal/Derry using the motorway network and reasonable quality road. It also links those towns in the midlands which are pretty significant as a cluster i.e. Athlone, Tullamore, Longford etc.

The network is far too radial with no cross connects to make it useful as an actual national roads network.

Cork-Limerick and Cork-Waterford/SE are also pretty important routes that need serious upgrading.

The other issue I have with the national roads network is that when non-motorway roads are upgraded, they should include a cycleway for tourism reasons. There's a huge potential in cycling and even walking holidays.

There's no reason why secondary national roads and most of the R-roads couldn't carry cycle paths by default when they're upgraded. It should be part of the spec for any upgrading process.

Atomic Pineapple

:mad:

Matt Simis

draffodx, was going to mention the roads in Meath! There also seems to be an increase in massive holes in the middle of the road recently too. Avoiding one last week meant I basically had to take half the hedge with me on the left.

Atomic Pineapple

Matt Simis wrote: »

draffodx, was going to mention the roads in Meath! There also seems to be an increase in massive holes in the middle of the road recently too. Avoiding one last week meant I basically had to take half the hedge with me on the left.

Just outside Slane that was, I was after avoiding 4 of them literally seconds before that one and went phew! Then bam that one got me, wasn't even traveling at speed as there is a turn just after where that one is.

I'll take some pics of my local road where the home place is on, you wont know whether to laugh or cry.

Iwannahurl

Great pix.

Look at how thin the tarmac/asphalt is. Although standards are improving in some cases, I wouldn't let most of our Local Authorities build me a garden path.

Older roads, of which there is a huge number, probably have the same miserable quality of construction as the above. All it needs is a bit of rain or ice and they start to crumble.

We'll be a long time getting out of our post-colonial level of infrastructural poverty.

questionmark?

Marcusm wrote: »

Apart from bridges and tunnels, does the UK have a toll road except the M6Toll which is a relief road for another 3 lane motorway?

The M6 and the Toll on the severn bridge are the only ones I have come across so did a quick google toll roads in the UK and this is what came up
[QUOTE]RoadsEdit

• M6 Toll Road - Birmingham Relief road (First UK Privatised Motorway)

Toll Bridges Edit

• Forth Bridge on the Axx over the River Forth between Queensferry & ?
• Humber Bridge on the Axx Between Lincolnshire & Humberside
• Dartford Bridge (Queen Elizabeth II Bridge) A25 (M25) over the River Thames at Dartford.
• Severn Bridge on the M4 between England & Wales
• Second Severn crossing on the M4 between England & Wales
• Skye Bridge from Mainland Scotland to Isle of Skye (Toll now abolished)
• Tamar Bridge on the A38 between Devon & Cornwall [/QUOTE]

Clearly they only seem to Toll Bridges in the UK hugely expensive bridges at that. If anyone here has driving across the Severn Bridge you will see why it is tolled and you would be happy to pay it. Paying a toll that goes over a few fields near abbeyleix is different story.

Lord Nikon

I would be happy if just the potholes were filled in properly.

amacachi

KamiKazi wrote: »

If it had been "repaired" the first time it wouldn't have needed another two "repairs".

mb1725

A guy in Mallow Roads Dept told me that it is common practice to 'water' down the tarmac before leaving the depot so that it goes further. They are basically laying black paint down!