Which Lane Question

Berty

So another, how does this road work question?

So you are coming in Fr Griffin road by the fire station(on your right). At the college the road branches into two lane inbound.

I cannot figure out why there are two lanes but I always occupy the right lane as it appears 99% of people do as well. The odd person goes into the left lane but I have never seen them blasted out of it. What is the left lane for?

Is it an antequated lane left over from days gone by where you could have turned left?

snubbleste

It's just there for decoration purposes. It's cheaper than a statue or flowerboxes.

TobyZiegler

I suppose the point of it is twofold - one to stop traffic congestion going all the way back Fr. Griffen Raod at peak times and two to allow people to turn right at the lights and allow everyone else to keep going.

But I agree completely - what it is usually used for is to allow some fecker to just just jump into left lane, with no intention of turning left, and skip a whole line of traffic.

I must admit that I have on occasion just taken up the two lanes (I know I know thats not right either)! I've seen lots of other people doing that too. Even still I had a taxi driver go up on the path to get around me to get into left lane ahead of me and skip me and the few cars behind me. He wasnt turning left either.

Savin

Left lane has always been fair game to go straight on for me, as you can see it has nothing to do with the left on the far side of the junction....

http://www.google.ie/maps?ll=53.268617,-9.058002&spn=0.001355,0.004128&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=53.268689,-9.057911&panoid=Lp-fTFViG3HzRcO6BbY_XA&cbp=12,50.19,,0,14.97

what_traffic

Would be a good spot to put in a 2m cycle lane.

LadyMayBelle

I have wondered about this as well... but then again we are the city of magic roundabouts and the likes...anythign goes really.

TobyZiegler

Savin wrote: »

Left lane has always been fair game to go straight on for me, as you can see it has nothing to do with the left on the far side of the junction....

http://www.google.ie/maps?ll=53.268617,-9.058002&spn=0.001355,0.004128&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=53.268689,-9.057911&panoid=Lp-fTFViG3HzRcO6BbY_XA&cbp=12,50.19,,0,14.97

Yeah true, I suppose I should really be complaining aout people who choose the lane that has no cars in order to skip the queue - it happens both ways.

Sofa King

Savin wrote: »

Left lane has always been fair game to go straight on for me, as you can see it has nothing to do with the left on the far side of the junction....

http://www.google.ie/maps?ll=53.268617,-9.058002&spn=0.001355,0.004128&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=53.268689,-9.057911&panoid=Lp-fTFViG3HzRcO6BbY_XA&cbp=12,50.19,,0,14.97

Upon reading the OP i was convinced it was about these lanes here:

http://www.google.ie/maps?ll=53.267403,-9.061132&spn=0.000902,0.001955&t=h&vpsrc=0&layer=c&cbll=53.267365,-9.061275&panoid=QbbIRfSPv8f0QlY6u9G_cw&cbp=12,204.56,,0,9.92&z=19

galwaycyclist

Its there to encourage motorists to drive side by side so that the road will be blocked for cyclists coming from the part of town that has the highest levels of cycling in the city (Salthill).

You can see the same thing up at the lights at Whitstrand/ the Crescent

Mr. Presentable

So you can proceed straight if there is traffic queueing to turn right at the college?

tribesman78

The left lane used to be used before there was a one way system brought in down by the claddagh many, many years ago. Looking at it now it is fair game to use any lane but a bit cheeky to come up the left and skip all the traffic on the right. Really the left should be for straight on and the right for right turning traffic bit road markings are incorrect. If you are worried about someone pulling up beside you and going straight on and causing an accident becuse you are going straight on then recommend you just put your car in the centre of the lanes, looks like you dont know what you are doing but at least its safer.

restingpilgrim

Simpler for everybody to use the left hand lane and let the queue jumpers come down the right hand lane and then be held up by people trying to turn right

Fey!

I always thought that the rights was straight on or turn right, and that the left is for the turn into Ravens Terrace.

As for turning it into a cycle path, would the 30 yards of it be worthwhile?

biko

Fey! wrote: »

I always thought that the rights was straight on or turn right, and that the left is for the turn into Ravens Terrace.

That's how I usually go too, or simply straddle the centre line*





*that's how I roll

galwaycyclist

Fey! wrote: »

I always thought that the rights was straight on or turn right, and that the left is for the turn into Ravens Terrace.

As for turning it into a cycle path, would the 30 yards of it be worthwhile?

With cycling facilities it is not length that matters but whether or not they serve some useful purpose. So if there is typically a 30m or 40m or 60m queue of cars at this location blocking cyclists from maintaining progress. And if it can be done without creating additional problems - eg directing cyclists inside left-turning HGVs. Then this would be a good place for an on road cycle lane of some description. It makes much more sense than spending money putting in cycle lanes at places where cyclists are already able to keep moving.

It would be a very silly place for an off-road cycle path unless you wanted to go to the trouble of adding in separate traffic lights for the cyclists and even then a fair proportion of cyclists would probably ignore the cycle paths if using them imposed additional delay.

It does seem a bit redundant and anyone not familiar with the junction could get a fright when both lanes of traffic try to merge - both lanes thinking and being correct.

The lanes in the other direction (in front of Nestor's) don't seem to have enough space for modern cars either and could probably be removed.

dloob

Mr. Presentable wrote: »

So you can proceed straight if there is traffic queueing to turn right at the college?

I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn right there.

mlumley

Left lane turn left or go straight on. Right lane, go straight on if there are 2 exit lanes, other wise turn right. Helps if you read rules of the road, quite an infomative booklet.

dloob

mlumley wrote: »

Left lane turn left or go straight on. Right lane, go straight on if there are 2 exit lanes, other wise turn right. Helps if you read rules of the road, quite an infomative booklet.

It's not a roundabout.
Both lanes have arrows that indicate you can go straight.
Even if it was a roundabout, because both lanes have straight arrows the rules of the road would be considered overridden by the roadmarkings.

Columc

I usually use the left lane when ether someone was turning right, or when I wanted to turn left before the bridge to go towards Dominic street.

JohnCleary

Fey! wrote: »

I always thought that the rights was straight on or turn right, and that the left is for the turn into Ravens Terrace.

As for turning it into a cycle path, would the 30 yards of it be worthwhile?

As a person who uses this road a lot, I do the same as above - Don't know if it's right or wrong, but it's what a lot of locals (well, G reg car's ive seen) do

Surfacezebra

Stay in the middle,its a road rage hotspot just waiting to explode

listenup

your all wrong.....
there is a left lane because as you continue further up the road there is the left turn to bring you up beside salthouse BUT there is the yellow box to stop people from blocking traffic which want to come out of claddagh and continue straight ahead when congested. the lane is to allow cars coming up fr griffin rd to turn left and not be stalled in traffic on the bridge

JohnCleary

listenup wrote: »

your all wrong.....
there is a left lane because as you continue further up the road there is the left turn to bring you up beside salthouse BUT there is the yellow box to stop people from blocking traffic which want to come out of claddagh and continue straight ahead when congested. the lane is to allow cars coming up fr griffin rd to turn left and not be stalled in traffic on the bridge

That was mentioned twice in the thread (once by me) - The road you refer to is called Ravens Terrace

darraghking22

you are all wrong. its nothing to do with traffic.

the reason theres two lanes is because you used to be able to turn left before the lights headin up towards monroes.

this road should now be treated as one lane. i absolutely hate it when a car comes all the way down the left and goes by all the queuing cars.
i always make sure im in the middle of the lane as to avoid this situation.


so to answer the OP's question "which lane" if theres a car in front of you, wait patiently behind them. dont be an asshole and drive all the way down the left

Diabhal Beag

The left lane is only used by people turning left at the yellow grid thing whenever I go that direction.

Zzippy

darraghking22 wrote: »

you are all wrong. its nothing to do with traffic.

the reason theres two lanes is because you used to be able to turn left before the lights headin up towards monroes.

this road should now be treated as one lane. i absolutely hate it when a car comes all the way down the left and goes by all the queuing cars.
i always make sure im in the middle of the lane as to avoid this situation.


so to answer the OP's question "which lane" if theres a car in front of you, wait patiently behind them. dont be an asshole and drive all the way down the left

Actually, as several people in the thread have pointed out, the left lane is used for turning into Raven's Terrace. People turning left there have every right to "drive all the way down the left", there are 2 lanes provided so they are entitled to use them. As for making sure you're in the middle i.e. blocking both lanes, that would make you the asshole.

xflyer

Blocking lanes like that is inexcuseable. Both can and should be used. If there was only one lane someone turning right would hold up the even longer queue of traffic caused by turning the road into a single lane. Traffic has been botched badly enough in this town without making it worse.

galwaycyclist

xflyer wrote: »

Blocking lanes like that is inexcuseable. Both can and should be used. If there was only one lane someone turning right would hold up the even longer queue of traffic caused by turning the road into a single lane. Traffic has been botched badly enough in this town without making it worse.

I disagree one of the reasons we are all stuck in traffic is because traffic engineers have been setting aside valuable road space for the valueless purpose of storing queuing cars. In the process, they have been systematically blocking cyclists and motorcyclists from maintaining progress.

Berty

Op here again. If people believe that the left lane can be used for turning into Raven Terrace then could you point out the left lane that you believe is between the lights and Raven Terrace because I cannot see it.

Zzippy

Beer Baron wrote: »

Op here again. If people believe that the left lane can be used for turning into Raven Terrace then could you point out the left lane that you believe is between the lights and Raven Terrace because I cannot see it.

There is also a turn into the carpark at the off licence before the turn into Raven's Terrace. The lanes might not be marked but the road is plenty wide to take 2 lanes of traffic there as far as the bridge. Even if you consider that there aren't 2 lanes, the presence of 2 lanes before the lights means that people can legally use both lanes, and should not block both by straddling the line.
Think there is a long term plan to make Lower Fairhill Road a 2-way road again, in which case the left hand lane before the lights will clearly be for traffic turning left. There's another thread on it here