M50 lanes

LeftBase

Quick question. The other day I was driving down the M50 and was pulled over my a guard. He told me that I was driving in the middle lane and that I should be in the left lane unless overtaking. Now I know the rules of the road say that you do that but anyone who drives on the M50 knows that every granny and sunday driver type in the country drives at 60kph in the left lane and we would get nowhere if driving behind them.
He said it was just a warning and that I should keep to the left lane in future.

So my issue is this.....if we are supposed to drive in the left lane why does the M50 have 3 lanes? If the middle is only to overtake what is the 3rd lane for? Overtaking those who are overtaking too slowly? I remember the M50 upgrade(and the 3 hour commute the roadworks created) was vaunted as a move to reduce traffic congestion and ease journey times, but if the guards want us all in the left lane then the 3rd lane is pointless and serves no purpose, applying their logic the it is still a 2 lane motorway!

I should also point out that when I continued my journey I saw the same garda car shoot down the outside lane at close to 130kph with no lights or anything to be seen!:rolleyes:

brian ireland

Good Question.

Anan1

LeftBase wrote: »

but anyone who drives on the M50 knows that every granny and sunday driver type in the country drives at 60kph in the left lane and we would get nowhere if driving behind them.

Nonsense, they drive in the middle lane. If they were in the left lane then you overtake and pull back in in front of them.

All you need to remember is drive left, overtake right. Good to hear the Gardaí are pulling people for it.

Basics.

"Granny" driving 60kph in left lane. You're driving 80kph you overtake in the middle lane, person driving 100kph overtakes you in outside lane.

If someone is obeying the rules, and driving 100kph in the left hand lane, why should they have to move over two lanes to legally overtake you?

Someone will explain it alot better than me. But yeh, delighted to see the guards actually enforcing this.

Atomic Pineapple

This is gonna be fun.

Great to see the Gardai are doing this, pity it's not a fine and points they're handing out.

OP, I suggest you educate yourself in correct motorway lane discipline and get a better attitude towards safe and correct driving than:

"Now I know the rules of the road say that you do that but anyone who drives on the M50 knows that every granny and sunday driver type in the country drives at 60kph in the left lane and we would get nowhere if driving behind them."

MugMugs

draffodx wrote: »

This is gonna be fun.

+1
OP what have you done? You're about to unleash a world of pain.

Berty

Good question.........................is it a serious question?

Stay left unless overtaking. It's simple. No questions required. Just stay in the left lane unless you are overtaking somebody.

Beer Baron

Beer Baron wrote: »

Stay left unless overtaking. It's simple. No questions required. Just stay in the left lane unless you are overtaking somebody.

I can hear the confusion in your post :pac:

ardmacha

But yeh, delighted to see the guards actually enforcing this.

They'll have an uphill battle when everyone they stop goes on boards and starts discussing the layout of the road instead of just driving on the left, as they are supposed to.

Atomic Pineapple

ardmacha wrote: »

They'll have an uphill battle when everyone they stop goes on boards and starts discussing the layout of the road instead of just driving on the left, as they are supposed to.

But the people here are mostly correct educators so they'll be coming to the right place

Anan1

ardmacha wrote: »

They'll have an uphill battle when everyone they stop goes on boards and starts discussing the layout of the road instead of just driving on the left, as they are supposed to.

I think people are more likely to drive properly when it's been explained to them.

Stark

LeftBase wrote: »

So my issue is this.....if we are supposed to drive in the left lane why does the M50 have 3 lanes? If the middle is only to overtake what is the 3rd lane for? Overtaking those who are overtaking too slowly?

That.

LeftBase wrote: »

I remember the M50 upgrade(and the 3 hour commute the roadworks created) was vaunted as a move to reduce traffic congestion and ease journey times, but if the guards want us all in the left lane then the 3rd lane is pointless and serves no purpose, applying their logic the it is still a 2 lane motorway!

Applying yours (and the typical Irish motorist's) policy of only using the middle and right lanes makes it a 2 lane motorway.

LeftBase wrote: »

I should also point out that when I continued my journey I saw the same garda car shoot down the outside lane at close to 130kph with no lights or anything to be seen!:rolleyes:

And? The Gardaí are entitled to break the speed limit in the course of duty.

MugMugs

That's a pretty apt username OP. The left lane is for driving. The middle lane is for overtaking. The right lane is.for overtaking the middle lane. If you're not overtaking then you should be left. No ifs buts or maybes

az2wp0sye65487

I always try to obey the rules and use the left lane when on Motorways. But I can see where the OP is coming from on this...

As everyone here will no doubt agree, it's drive on the left, overtake on the right.

But, what is the 3rd lane for? If everyone overtakes in the middle lane on the M50 and then moves back to the left lane, what is the right (3rd) lane for??

Also, during periods where the M50 is congested - if you pull out to overtake in the middle (or right) lane, you may find it's a while before you get the opportunity to move back to the left lane again. So once you're moving faster than all the traffic to your left, is it still considered overtaking?

MugMugs

Alexandra Unimportant Gymnast wrote: »

I always try to obey the rules and use the left lane when on Motorways. But I can see where the OP is coming from on this...

As everyone here will no doubt agree, it's drive on the left, overtake on the right.

But, what is the 3rd lane for? If everyone overtakes in the middle lane on the M50 and then moves back to the left lane, what is the right (3rd) lane for??

HGVs are not permitted in Lane 3

Alexandra Unimportant Gymnast

Alexandra Unimportant Gymnast wrote: »

But, what is the 3rd lane for? If everyone overtakes in the middle lane on the M50 and then moves back to the left lane, what is the right (3rd) lane for??

It's for those overtaking at a faster speed.

Anan1

Alexandra Unimportant Gymnast wrote: »

I always try to obey the rules and use the left lane when on Motorways. But I can see where the OP is coming from on this...

As everyone here will no doubt agree, it's drive on the left, overtake on the right.

But, what is the 3rd lane for? If everyone overtakes in the middle lane on the M50 and then moves back to the left lane, what is the right (3rd) lane for??

Overtaking.

JimsAlterEgo

Deleted User wrote: »

It's for those overtaking at a faster speed.

but only if the middle is busy, if middle is empty you have no business being in the outside lane.

Big Nasty

Gonna get me a couple of these bad boys:

JimsAlterEgo

JimsAlterEgo wrote: »

but only if the middle is busy, if middle is empty you have no business being in the outside lane.

Yes. Exactly. If there's nothing to overtake, well, then you're not overtaking, are you?

Berty

Thread reminded me of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZhdvl_P1Zc

mitosis

Anan1 wrote: »

Overtaking.

Yeah baby! First and fundamental rule for using the road is "Drive on the Left"

Tallon

Just drive in the middle lane with your indicator on.. problem solved

Seth Brundle

Lets hope this is not a once off by the gardai.
It would be nice if people in this country were forced into learning how to drive!

mullingar

Hogging the middle lane and not overtaking anything means you have effectively CLOSED lane 1 as its illegal to undertake.

ALWAYS ALWAYS drive in Lane 1 unless you are overtaking.

Lane 3 is for overtaking a slow overtaker

mullingar

mullingar wrote: »

Hogging the middle lane and not overtaking anything means you have effectively CLOSED lane 1 as its illegal to undertake.

You know that's the best way I've ever seen anyone putting it

Colonel Sanders

Dear god the guards actually pulled someone for this! Middle lane morons cause congestion, end of story. As someone else said they effectively turn a 3 lane motorway into a 2 lane

Keep left unless over taking, lane 1 IS NOT a "slow lane". That's all you need to know

Really shows how poor driver training is in this country that someone needs ask.

inforfun

Next question...

Are you allowed to undertake when in the exit lane on the M50?
The ones i use go on for kilometers and i cant be arsed to move 3 lanes in order to overtake, so undertaking it is.

Now in a normal situation (where an exit lane is a couple of hundred meters max) it is allowed to undertake (well, where i am from in any case) because it is separated from the ongoing motorway and becoming a different road/motorway.

People don't want to be in lane one because it requires extra caution and adjustment of speed at every merge point.

They rather get in the middle and stick at a steady speed until there exit.

cisk

cisk wrote: »

People don't want to be in lane one because it requires extra caution and adjustment of speed at every merge point.
.

The middle lane is for overtaking and to allow for merging traffic.

Colonel Sanders

cisk wrote: »

People don't want to be in lane one because it requires extra caution and adjustment of speed at every merge point.

They rather get in the middle and stick at a steady speed until there exit.

I disagree. Most people I ask think it should be left empty for slow traffic i.e. they think it's the "slow lane" & lane 3 is the "fast lane"

Atomic Pineapple

inforfun wrote: »

Next question...

Are you allowed to undertake when in the exit lane on the M50?
The ones i use go on for kilometers and i cant be arsed to move 3 lanes in order to overtake, so undertaking it is.

Now in a normal situation (where an exit lane is a couple of hundred meters max) it is allowed to undertake (well, where i am from in any case) because it is separated from the ongoing motorway and becoming a different road/motorway.

Yes, where you see the heavy broken white lines along the long inner lanes of the M50 that means that lane is considered different to the main motorway and you are allowed to "undertake" there.

cisk wrote: »

People don't want to be in lane one because it requires extra caution and adjustment of speed at every merge point.

They rather get in the middle and stick at a steady speed until there exit.

Any competent driver should be well able to drive in the driving lane and not have to adjust speed with correct observations, the truth is Irish drivers are lazy and disinterested in correct driving, they want to be able to sit in the middle lane and drive along blissfully unaware of what's around them until they get home.

Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

I disagree. Most people I ask think it should be left empty for slow traffic i.e. they think it's the "slow lane" & lane 3 is the "fast lane"

I agree.

I have to admit, I've started to flash these drivers as I move from lane 1 to lane 3. It really drives me nuts that I have to move two lanes because of someone who can't be arsed following the rules of the road.

/grumpiness

am the same as whoopsy, drives me up the wall
more so when you're merging, you're stuck behind some gobsh!te who is also merging but thinks that trying to merge while doing 60 onto a 100 road is fine. nevermind that, you get to the end and you're finally able to pull into the middle lane to overtake them... AND THEY PULL INTO THE MIDDLE LANE TOO. even though the driving lane is empty. who are you overtaking! why are you going so slowly! aghh

ardmacha

I think people are more likely to drive properly when it's been explained to them.

It has, the Rules of the Road, to say nothing of TV ads running at present.

People choose to ignore these things because they find it convenient and the disadvantages fall on others, and who cares about them?

Tallon

mullingar wrote: »

Hogging the middle lane and not overtaking anything means you have effectively CLOSED lane 1 as its illegal to undertake.

ALWAYS ALWAYS drive in Lane 1 unless you are overtaking.

Lane 3 is for overtaking a slow overtaker

I thought you were allowed pass on the left if traffic in the right lane is going slower than you?

bluewolf

bluewolf wrote: »

am the same as whoopsy, drives me up the wall
more so when you're merging, you're stuck behind some gobsh!te who is also merging but thinks that trying to merge while doing 60 onto a 100 road is fine. nevermind that, you get to the end and you're finally able to pull into the middle lane to overtake them... AND THEY PULL INTO THE MIDDLE LANE TOO. even though the driving lane is empty. who are you overtaking! why are you going so slowly! aghh

I nearly got creamed coming back from Galway last weekend. Merging onto M50 in right hand (merge) lane southbound, was up to about 90km to suit the traffic in lane 1, a car who I had caught up on in the left hand (merge) lane decides to leave his merge lane, travel over the median strip and missed me by inches before swerving back into his own lane, all I could see in my wing mirror was the articulated truck that was about to flatten me if the car hadn't swerved back.

Same gobshyte, as you said, moved straight to the middle lane and trundles along without a care in the world :mad:

Anan1

ardmacha wrote: »

It has, the Rules of the Road, to say nothing of TV ads running at present.

People choose to ignore these things because they find it convenient and the disadvantages fall on others, and who cares about them?

I'm not excusing these people for a moment, i'm just saying that having it explained here might make it stick better than being simply told to do it. Although one has to wonder what kind of a person ventures onto a motorway with no idea how it works..

Tallon

Tallon wrote: »

I thought you were allowed pass on the left if traffic in the right lane is going slower than you?

What? but sure then you'd always be allowed to pass on the left

Berty

Tallon wrote: »

I thought you were allowed pass on the left if traffic in the right lane is going slower than you?

In slow moving traffic only but the RSA haven't really confirmed what the speed is so we would assume its like when the M50 was a car park or like being on the Quays in Dublin. That kind of thing.

Not doing 100km/h in the left lane because the guy in the middle lane is doing 99km/h.

Tallon

Tallon wrote: »

I thought you were allowed pass on the left if traffic in the right lane is going slower than you?

not slower but slowly

slowly is then not defined anywhere

but i wouldnt want to try arguing to a judge that 90 kph is "slowly"

i think it was intended for traffic jams

Colonel Sanders

Tallon wrote: »

I thought you were allowed pass on the left if traffic in the right lane is going slower than you?

*anecdote alert*

Asked a trainee guard about this once. He said it was illegal to change lanes to under take but not to simply maintain road position i.e.

1. you're behind a lane hogger, you change into an inside lane to under take => illegal

2. you're driving in the driving lane as you should. You approach a lane hogger and simply stay in your lane & under take => not illegal

He also mentioned something about being able to under take as long as the outer lane was moving at a sufficiently slow speed, but the law doesn't define what a "sufficiently slow speed" is

Can someone more knowledgable confirm/deny???

inforfun

cisk wrote: »

People don't want to be in lane one because it requires extra caution and adjustment of speed at every merge point.

They rather get in the middle and stick at a steady speed until there exit.

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

I disagree. Most people I ask think it should be left empty for slow traffic i.e. they think it's the "slow lane" & lane 3 is the "fast lane"

These people should stay home or take public transport

Deleted User wrote: »

I agree.

I have to admit, I've started to flash these drivers as I move from lane 1 to lane 3. It really drives me nuts that I have to move two lanes because of someone who can't be arsed following the rules of the road.

/grumpiness

You have people in the middle lane everywhere unfortunately, Ireland is not unique in that.
What does baffle me is the amount of "professional" drivers doing it here in Ireland. Truck drivers, taxis, bus drivers. At least they should know better?

wexie

Beer Baron wrote: »

In slow moving traffic only but the RSA haven't really confirmed what the speed is so we would assume its like when the M50 was a car park or like being on the Quays in Dublin. That kind of thing.

Not doing 100km/h in the left lane because the guy in the middle lane is doing 99km/h.

What about sitting in the left lane (where you should be) doing a comfortable and relaxed 95 km/h and some eejit is sitting in the middle lane doing 80.

This happens to me a lot and I always wonder should I (technically) pull out into lane 3 to go around gob****e and then go back into the left lane?

Or could I argue that I'm where I should be, doing the correct speed therefor eejit is in the wrong?

(I think I know the answer but just checking).

EDIT : Think Colonel Sanders just answered this

Personally I always hope that if they see enough people undertaking them they might eventually get the message and pull in. Sometimes this seems to work.

i hate the self-styled speed enforcers who hog the overtaking lane and refuse to move back over come hell or high water
you're not a guard, it's not your job to make sure i go at the speed limit or just under. drive properly and get the fcuk out of my way so i can overtake and get on with my business
especially as for all you know it's a bloody emergency

whoopsy that's mad, you'd want to smack em

Tallon

Deleted User wrote: »

What? but sure then you'd always be allowed to pass on the left

Thems the rules... I'm just asking

Anan1

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

*anecdote alert*

Asked a trainee guard about this once. He said it was illegal to change lanes to under take but not to simply maintain road position i.e.

1. you're behind a lane hogger, you change into an inside lane to under take => illegal

2. you're driving in the driving lane as you should. You approach a lane hogger and simply stay in your lane & under take => not illegal

Christ.

Colonel Sanders

If I come across a middle lane moron 1 of 2 things happen:

1. If it's a busy road I often undertake but give them a blast of the horn so they know I'm there (and hopefully they'll think for a second why I'm beeping them) so they won't change lane on top of me. The odd driver moves in when I do this
2. Move across 2 lanes to over take. I always flash if I do this then move back to lane 1 in 2 movements after safely over taking.

Colonel Sanders

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

*anecdote alert*

Asked a trainee guard about this once.

trainee guard wants to stop making things up

Colonel Sanders

Anan1 wrote: »

[Christ.

He was a trainee :-)

Seth Brundle

Some of you may remember Mags from Galway's letter to the indo...
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/bullies-on-the-road-are-driving-me-mad-1371885.html

And the response from a retired member of an Garda Siochana...
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/sometimes-there-is-a-need-for-speed-1372860.html