M50 and allergy to left lane

Ratchet

i use m50 everyday for last two months......its brutal
-most of drivers just aim for right lane even if moves slower
-lots of muppets take slip road while driving in right lane
-most of the time there is f3ck all traffic in left lane which feels like express lane -where is mad max when you need him?

looks like 3 lanes its just to much for some

sentient_6

Your probably preaching to the choir around here man.

Ratchet

Ratchet wrote: »

i use m50 everyday for last two months......its brutal
-most of drivers just aim for right lane even if moves slower
-lots of muppets take slip road while driving in right lane
-most of the time there is f3ck all traffic in left lane which feels like express lane -where is mad max when you need him?

looks like 3 lanes its just to much for some

Dubs :pac:

Armadillo

If the authorities to put up 'KEEP LEFT, PASS RIGHT' signs or painted it onto overpasses, would it work?

Hogzy

Armadillo wrote: »

If the authorities to put up 'KEEP LEFT, PASS RIGHT' signs or painted it onto overpasses, would it work?

No probably not. It only takes one retarded driver to hold up the outside lane. All the cars behind it then want to pass the car in front of them thereby creating a large line of traffic waiting to pass

ShiresV2

Ratchet wrote: »

i use m50 everyday for last two months......its brutal
-most of drivers just aim for right lane even if moves slower
-lots of muppets take slip road while driving in right lane
-most of the time there is f3ck all traffic in left lane which feels like express lane -where is mad max when you need him?

looks like 3 lanes its just to much for some

It's not really a motorway though is it, just a trunk road. There's so much going on and so little distance between exits.

Agree though that the left lane is the express lane, and they could definitely do with modifying the gantry sinage to say that the outermost lane is PASSING ONLY or whatever.

Fey!

Motorways are supposed to have a 120kmph speed limit, too, but that doesn't happen on the most expensive tolled road in the country.

The M50 has to be one of the most frustrating places to drive in the country.

Anan1

I think most people have got the hang of two lane motorways by now, it's the 3 lane sections that seem to be beyond them.

Eric Cartman

on some sections of the m50 (n7 till firhouse) the exits are too close together to bother changing lanes, the left lane gets avoided as people just shoot down the sliproads and out into the left lane, most people use the middle lane, people really need to learn to move out of the right hand lane though

TheUsual

Not just the M50, try every motorway in Ireland.

Atomic Pineapple

Fey! wrote: »

Motorways are supposed to have a 120kmph speed limit, too, but that doesn't happen on the most expensive tolled road in the country.

The M50 has to be one of the most frustrating places to drive in the country.

Its an urban motorway meaning it has to be limited to 100km/h.

Only way to fix it is by punishment, the tv adverts have done nothing but they dont threaten punishment for incorrect lane usage so paddy public doesn't care and will drive whatever way he or she wants.

Needler

Armadillo wrote: »

If the authorities to put up 'KEEP LEFT, PASS RIGHT' signs or painted it onto overpasses, would it work?

Don't you know the authorities can solve all our problems? Especially all of Dublin's problems.

savagecabbages

I've never seen this problem on the M50 the traffic is usually stopped in ALL lanes whenever I use it:pac::pac::pac:

Gotta love this 4-lane section of the N7 tho:rolleyes:
I'd bet that 70% of traffic is in the rightmost of 4 lanes every time I've traveled this:
N7 Streetview

corktina

the only solution is cameras and fines for offenders...now THAT will be a popular suggestion!

Max Power1

TheUsual wrote: »

Not just the M50, try every motorway in Ireland.

Worst IMO is the N7/M7 after naas

R.O.R

savagecabbages wrote: »

I've never seen this problem on the M50 the traffic is usually stopped in ALL lanes whenever I use it:pac::pac::pac:

Gotta love this 4-lane section of the N7 tho:rolleyes:
I'd bet that 70% of traffic is in the rightmost of 4 lanes every time I've traveled this:
N7 Streetview

And when was the last time you drove on the M50?

I use it every day (M1 -> N7 and N7 -> M1) it slows down in parts, but is generally free flowing - except for last Thursday when a 5 car shunt left me sat there for an hour, but that's the first major delay in years.

golden8

savagecabbages wrote: »

I've never seen this problem on the M50 the traffic is usually stopped in ALL lanes whenever I use it:pac::pac::pac:

Gotta love this 4-lane section of the N7 tho:rolleyes:
I'd bet that 70% of traffic is in the rightmost of 4 lanes every time I've traveled this:
N7 Streetview

Even "professional drivers" have a aversion of using the left lane (ie bus and lorry in front of the bus).

Pdfile

the only issue i ever have is speeding eejits ( in all sorts of bangers ) in the right lane, im not fit to speed so ill go int othe middle lane, only to be tail gated by a truck until i move right again ( over the space of 2/3 minutes depending on traffic and such )


madness. :rolleyes:

theteal

TheUsual wrote: »

Not just the M50, try every motorway in Ireland.

. . .and dual carriageway

theteal

Pdfile wrote: »

the only issue i ever have is speeding eejits ( in all sorts of bangers ) in the right lane, im not fit to speed so ill go int othe middle lane, only to be tail gated by a truck until i move right again ( over the space of 2/3 minutes depending on traffic and such )


madness. :rolleyes:

left lane always bumper to bumper or something?

Pdfile

theteal wrote: »

left lane always bumper to bumper or something?

i men't to say i sit in the right doing the limit then i get a speeder roaring up my arse so i have to go to the middle then back to the right...


seriously. if you in an emergency call the gaurds and they'll escort you... otherwise slow the fcuk down.

Max Power1

Pdfile wrote: »

i men't to say i sit in the right doing the limit then i get a speeder roaring up my arse so i have to go to the middle then back to the right...


seriously. if you in an emergency call the gaurds and they'll escort you... otherwise slow the fcuk down.

are you joking or something?

theteal

Pdfile wrote: »

i men't to say i sit in the right doing the limit then i get a speeder roaring up my arse so i have to go to the middle then back to the right...


seriously. if you in an emergency call the gaurds and they'll escort you... otherwise slow the fcuk down.

I'm on my phone so can't do the :rolleyes:

Dude, you're in the wrong thread - go easy lads

The Bishop Basher

Pdfile wrote: »

i men't to say i sit in the right doing the limit then i get a speeder roaring up my arse so i have to go to the middle then back to the right...

Ooops. Que the rules of the road fundamentalist PC brigade now.

I sit in the right lane too. Yes, yes I know it's an overtaking lane and I am generally overtaking something. The only time I sit in the left lane, overtake on the right and pull back in on the left is when there is very little traffic on the road.

In the UK where you have 3 or 4 lanes, these rules make sense. for 2 lane motorways there is a fast and slow lane. Everyone travelling fast sits in the right hand lane. If they were all to keep pulling back into the left lane no one would get anywhere. Where this all goes wrong, as we all know, is when someone decides to do 60 in the "fast" lane.

Max Power1

Swanner wrote: »

Ooops. Que the rules of the road fundamentalist PC brigade now.

I sit in the right lane too. Yes, yes I know it's an overtaking lane and I am generally overtaking something. The only time I sit in the left lane, overtake on the right and pull back in on the left is when there is very little traffic on the road.

In the UK where you have 3 or 4 lanes, these rules make sense. for 2 lane motorways there is a fast and slow lane. Everyone travelling fast sits in the right hand lane. If they were all to keep pulling back into the left lane no one would get anywhere. Where this all goes wrong, as we all know, is when someone decides to do 60 in the "fast" lane.

No such thing as a fast lane.

The driving lane is the left most lane.

The middle and right (if available) are overtaking lanes, and should only be used briefly while overtaking,. Once the overtaking manouver is completed you then return to the driving lane.

Its hardly rocket science.

enda1

A lot of the problems with the M50 come from its design. Its a lot/too much hassle to use the leftmost lane. Somtimes the lane decides to vanish off to an exit leaving just two driving lanes. Other times there is a shitload of traffic merging onto the M50 from 2 lanes, whereby the outside of the two lanes has drivers going quite fast and packed quite close and then with a short merge area forcing concerned drivers to move out to the middle to avoid complications.

I wouldn't worry so much about the middle lane drivers really as I think the reasons are many fold for their existence, its more the outside lane drivers who don't move in left that really grate, cause then its solely their fault for their selfish and dangerous position on the road.

The Bishop Basher

I know that's what the rules of the road state. I understand it. I'm not denying it.

Meanwhile, back in reality, when driving on the M50 and M11 everyday, as I do, with significant traffic on the road for the entirety of my journey, I sit in the "fast" lane. `Now if we were all to sit in the left hand lane and continuously manouver in and out to overtake, I would hazard a guess that mine and everbody elses journey would take significantly longer. Therefore I sit in the overtaking lane and in reality it becomes the “fast” lane.

As you say it's not rocket science.

Max Power1

Swanner wrote: »

I know that's what the rules of the road state. I understand it. I'm not denying it.

Meanwhile, back in reality, when driving on the M50 and M11 everyday, as I do, with significant traffic on the road for the entirety of my journey, I sit in the "fast" lane. `Now if we were all to sit in the left hand lane and continuously manouver in and out to overtake, I would hazard a guess that mine and everbody elses journey would take significantly longer. Therefore I sit in the overtaking lane and in reality it becomes the “fast” lane.

As you say it's not rocket science.

If everyone drove correctly, didnt do as in the bold above, then it would render the motorway more efficient not less - as you imply above.

Bull76

Drove to the airport yesterday morning at 04.30. No traffic on the road, but what traffic there was, was sitting in the middle lane of the M50. I drove the whole way on the M50 in the left most driving lane and passed ten cars or so all in the middle lane. I undertook them, which is wrong but so is staying in the middle lane when the left lane is free.
To many fools on the road these days, all doing less than the speed limit and then looking all what did I do when I want to get passed and they have to move over. But as usual they will move back to the middle or overtaking lane and slowly drive along until requested to move over again.

enda1

Bull76 wrote: »

Drove to the airport yesterday morning at 04.30. No traffic on the road, but what traffic there was, was sitting in the middle lane of the M50. I drove the whole way on the M50 in the left most driving lane and passed ten cars or so all in the middle lane. I undertook them, which is wrong but so is staying in the middle lane when the left lane is free.
To many fools on the road these days, all doing less than the speed limit and then looking all what did I do when I want to get passed and they have to move over. But as usual they will move back to the middle or overtaking lane and slowly drive along until requested to move over again.

As wrong as they may have been, doesn't compare to how wrong you were.

Padraig Mor

Swanner wrote: »

`Now if we were all to sit in the left hand lane and continuously manouver in and out to overtake, I would hazard a guess that mine and everbody elses journey would take significantly longer.

I'd hazard a guess that you're wrong.

Max Power1

enda1 wrote: »

As wrong as they may have been, doesn't compare to how wrong you were.

Undertaking is a lot, loss "less wrong" imo than lane-hogging the incorrect lane.

If there were no lane hoggers there would be no undertaking.

corktina

Pdfile wrote: »

the only issue i ever have is speeding eejits ( in all sorts of bangers ) in the right lane, im not fit to speed so ill go int othe middle lane, only to be tail gated by a truck until i move right again ( over the space of 2/3 minutes depending on traffic and such )


madness. :rolleyes:

if you were to move to the left lane and let the truck by, you wouldnt have him on your tail now would you!

Look whos talking

Well considering the way are driving laws are anyway i'm not surprised the country is full of bad drivers... you could once go in take your driving test ..fail it and then drive away ..what a ridiculous thing ..and only in Ireland !!

corktina

Swanner wrote: »

Ooops. Que the rules of the road fundamentalist PC brigade now.

I sit in the right lane too. Yes, yes I know it's an overtaking lane and I am generally overtaking something. The only time I sit in the left lane, overtake on the right and pull back in on the left is when there is very little traffic on the road.

In the UK where you have 3 or 4 lanes, these rules make sense. for 2 lane motorways there is a fast and slow lane. Everyone travelling fast sits in the right hand lane. If they were all to keep pulling back into the left lane no one would get anywhere. Where this all goes wrong, as we all know, is when someone decides to do 60 in the "fast" lane.

you are a large part of the problem.

The Bishop Basher

Max Power - I agree with you for uncongested roads but when you have 2 lanes bumper to bumper as is usually the case, that logic breaks down.

BostonB

Driver behavoir will only change if theres on the spot fines and theres enough Gardai willing and able to catch people.

NFD100

Swanner wrote: »

Ooops. Que the rules of the road fundamentalist PC brigade now.

I sit in the right lane too. Yes, yes I know it's an overtaking lane and I am generally overtaking something. The only time I sit in the left lane, overtake on the right and pull back in on the left is when there is very little traffic on the road.

In the UK where you have 3 or 4 lanes, these rules make sense. for 2 lane motorways there is a fast and slow lane. Everyone travelling fast sits in the right hand lane. If they were all to keep pulling back into the left lane no one would get anywhere. Where this all goes wrong, as we all know, is when someone decides to do 60 in the "fast" lane.

I'm in the UK. I'm sorry, but you are talking rubbish. The left lane is the driving lane. Other lanes are for overtaking. UK drivers never use the term 'fast lane' as it doesn't exist. The Police can and will issue penalty points for lane misuse.

Cuddlesworth

Swanner wrote: »

Max Power - I agree with you for uncongested roads but when you have 2 lanes bumper to bumper as is usually the case, that logic breaks down.

I understand where you are coming from, its a catch 22 situation. If you try to drive properly on the M50 its quite difficult and time consuming. If you don't its quicker, but not as quick as when everybody drives properly.

You can all berate him but nothing is going to change on the M50. Its the exact same on similar city ring roads in England, Germany and France.

Max Power1

Swanner wrote: »

Max Power - I agree with you for uncongested roads but when you have 2 lanes bumper to bumper as is usually the case, that logic breaks down.

Doesnt matter whether you agree or not.

Two facts of the situation -
1- its the law, people should drive correctly. Imo fines should be issued to lane hoggers (there should be TC on the M7 24/7 , this would be a real revenue generator)

2- It would reduce overall journey times and increase traffic fluidity if everyone drove correctly.

enda1

Max Power1 wrote: »

Undertaking is a lot, loss "less wrong" imo than lane-hogging the incorrect lane.

If there were no lane hoggers there would be no undertaking.

That's got nothing to do with whether or not one is more dangerous than the other.

Undertaking is extremely dangerous.
If the driver you are undertaking decides to move back into the left land during your manoeuvre, you will have caused a huge accident!

I've no time for driving in the incorrect lane, but it doesn't make all crazy manoeuvres somehow justifiable.

Atomic Pineapple

NFD100 wrote: »

I'm in the UK. I'm sorry, but you are talking rubbish. The left lane is the driving lane. Other lanes are for overtaking. UK drivers never use the term 'fast lane' as it doesn't exist. The Police can and will issue penalty points for lane misuse.

I wish that was the case here, unfortunately the general public here have built up an attitude that as long as your not speeding you can drive whatever way you want.

Guy:Incognito

enda1 wrote: »

A lot of the problems with the M50 come from its design. Its a lot/too much hassle to use the leftmost lane. Somtimes the lane decides to vanish off to an exit leaving just two driving lanes.

No it doesnt The only time theres a change is southbound at Sandyford (is the junction called sandyford or soemthign else? ) where the road drops to 2 lanes and stays like that til Wexford.


The design is fine. Junctions close by are fine too. The problem is that people drive too close together. If everyone drove properly and at 100kmph with proper gaps, traffic merging on to the road could join in between the traffic with no need for anyone to be braking or doing anything. You should never need to brake on a motorway outside of an emergency situation,

The only design issue I see is the righhand lane of the on ramps that have a short merging section, but these wouldnt be a problem if the drivers werent idiots. They all battle together in to the right lane and end up all trying to merge togetherin one small gap intead of using the left lane that gives you the full distance to the next junction to merge in.

People seem to think they have to get out on to the carriagway the second the hatch markigns stop (or before that for some impatient people) Whats wrong with using the full length?

.

enda1 wrote: »

Other times there is a shitload of traffic merging onto the M50 from 2 lanes, whereby the outside of the two lanes has drivers going quite fast and packed quite close and then with a short merge area forcing concerned drivers to move out to the middle to avoid complications. .

If everyone used proper gaps thered be no need for anyone to change lanes anywhere.

.

enda1 wrote: »

I wouldn't worry so much about the middle lane drivers really as I think the reasons are many fold for their existence, its more the outside lane drivers who don't move in left that really grate, cause then its solely their fault for their selfish and dangerous position on the road.

The middle lane idiots are a huge issue, they are reducing the 3 lane carriageway back to 2 lanes and making the whole upgrade pointless. Most of the time a good percentage of them are doing less than 100kmh aswell.


I use the M50 everyday and more often than not never leave the left lane. If you have to sit in the middle or outside lane you dotn know how to drive properly.

Guy:Incognito

enda1 wrote: »

Undertaking is extremely dangerous.
If the driver you are undertaking decides to move back into the left land during your manoeuvre, you will have caused a huge accident!
.

If someone moves left without checkign then they have caused the accident themselves. If they are in the middle lane it means they have 2 lanes to the left of them. Are you saying they are free to swing left at any time with impunity even though, by your own admission there are lots of cars merging in to the left lane all the time?

Bull76

Bull76 wrote: »

Drove to the airport yesterday morning at 04.30. No traffic on the road, but what traffic there was, was sitting in the middle lane of the M50. I drove the whole way on the M50 in the left most driving lane and passed ten cars or so all in the middle lane. I undertook them, which is wrong but so is staying in the middle lane when the left lane is free.
To many fools on the road these days, all doing less than the speed limit and then looking all what did I do when I want to get passed and they have to move over. But as usual they will move back to the middle or overtaking lane and slowly drive along until requested to move over again.

Did you do a driving test at all? The conviction with which you justify your illegal and dangerous driving is worrying.

voxpop

enda1 wrote: »

Undertaking is extremely dangerous.
If the driver you are undertaking decides to move back into the left land during your manoeuvre, you will have caused a huge accident!

A driver should check his/her mirrors before changing lanes.


I drive the M50 every day - the 3 lane sections. Lanes dont disappear - whoever said that is completely wrong. Its pretty easy to move from the left most to the middle when other cars are merging from a slip road. Tbh I dont see any reason why not to use the left most lane except out of laziness. Its easy to plonk yourself in the middle lane and just cruise along oblivious.

The Bishop Basher

corktina wrote: »

you are a large part of the problem.

How so ?

If you read my original post i stated that I drive on the left lane and only use the right hand lane for overtaking when the traffic allows for it.

But when the traffic is like this.....



Please explain to me how the overtaking rule is any way logical ??

.Longshanks.

What I don't get is why the RSA put ads on TV saying something to the effect that.....on a three lane motorway, the person on the motorway should yield / move to the middle lane to allow the traffic on the slip road join the motorway.

(I can't find it on youtube this morning)

But surely this just compounds the problem?

Raskolnikov

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

but these wouldnt be a problem if the drivers werent idiots.

Totally agree. I find the big problem I have is less with people hogging the overtaking lane, but rather people sitting in the middle lane at slow speeds. If a middle lane hogger is doing 100kmph, I am somewhat understanding. If a middle lane hogger is doing 80kmph, that really causes my blood pressure to rise. How many times do you see people (usually middle-aged/elderly, often driving a Kia) oblivious to traffic whizzing by them on either side lanes, being forced into trying all manner of dangerous manoeuvrings, just to try and get past? It's this kind of bad behaviour that makes other motorists do stupid things.

Anan1

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

If someone moves left without checkign then they have caused the accident themselves. If they are in the middle lane it means they have 2 lanes to the left of them. Are you saying they are free to swing left at any time with impunity even though, by your own admission there are lots of cars merging in to the left lane all the time?

I agree that the accident would be there fault, but it's nonetheless avoidable. Remember that someone rolling along in the middle lane when the left lane is free is almost by definition a dope, and needs to be treated with a healthy degree of caution. I undertake myself, but it is dangerous. I use the horn to make quite sure that they know i'm there, I do it smartly, and i'll only do it when I have a clear hard shoulder in case things do go wrong.

Ciaran500

Heres one I always wondered. If I'm doing 100kph in the left hand lane and come up on someone doing ~90kph in the middle lane (which seems to happen far too much), am I in the wrong if I undertake them?