New roundabouts off the M3: safety issues

Dostoevsky

Is anybody else having issues with the surface of these roundabouts? I have so far skidded several times on them. Obviously after the first time I approach them a lot slower.

Yesterday, however, at Fairyhouse Cross roundabout I skidded from the Trim exit to beyond the Dunshaughlin exit (towards the Ratoath exit), with the car swerving 360 degrees. It was sheer luck that there was no other car there. There was no ice, and while the surface was wet it was not raining. My tyres are excellent, and I was driving, at the very most, 35km per hour. I checked at home and several people have had similar occurrences at these roundabouts.

As far as I can see, the County Council has put inferior material into these surfaces and the tyre's grip is accordingly fundamentally compromised. Just from asking around I know these roundabouts are a problem in the area. However, does anybody know why technically MCC is allowing such roundabouts to be built? Does anybody have an insider's take to what's going on with the construction of these roundabouts? Before anybody is killed, we should highlight this problem on the county's roads.

Thank you.

Midnight Sundance

I often find this very same problem at these roundabouts too. From what I've heard , it's due to lorries losing small amounts of fuel as they go around the roundabout. I just try to take them a lot more cautiously now.

miller50841

The designs are very bad and to bend/turns are way too sharp.

All roundabouts should be taken away they are just too dangerous anyway

CrabRevolution

I don't drive so only see the roundabouts from the bus, but has anyone else noticed the utter state of the two roundabouts at that junction?

They were done up in a golf theme for the Solheim Cup last year, with a 'green' with bunkers at the Trim/Dunshaughlin roads roundabout near the toll, and a tee box at the far end towards the Clonee road/Train station roundabout. They looked well at the time.

After the event though the tee box was taken apart, leaving a heap of compost in the roundabout. The other roundabout was just left to fall apart, weeds and grass started filling the bunkers, and they started filling with water when it rained, leading to a massive algal scum across it.

This could be put down to laziness on the councils part. But a few months ago they 'solved' the problem by digging several trenches through the grass and weed filled bunkers and filling them with gravel to drain. Making it look like they deliberately want the roundabouts to look permenantly ****.

I know this is a ludicrously long rant about something really unimportant, but I see it everyday on the bus, and, well.....some of us arent happy if we arent complaining.

maringo

why dont you get onto the road safety authority about it before someone is killed (below pulled off their site) rsa.ie
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bladespin

The surface on the two off ramps to Navan, the ramp and roundabout at Skryne is nothing short of shameful in anything but perfectly dry conditions, have had and seen many slides and a car wedged in the barrier on the Navan/Dublin ramp is a common sight on a wet evening.

Access

Midnight Sundance is right on the money... Its fuel spills in small amounts... by the hundreds of cars/trucks etc. that use those roundabouts.

Especially the fairyhouse/dunboyne off ramp roundabout at plantgen.

You can see the rainbow on the surface of the road on a wet evening. I usually crawl on the roundabout when i use it to avoid skidding/slipping.

Not

You need to be extremely careful exiting that Fairyhouse cross one for Dunshaughlin in wet or icy weather, I had the fright of my life a couple of months ago, as I was making a normal exit on a wet morning the car suddenly felt as if it was going to break away, if it had done I would have been straight into a car coming the other way, there's no room for recovery there. And that was on good tyres.

Although, in my opinion, that roundabout is not well designed, I have to say it is a huge improvement on what was there before it. Particularily for anyone coming from Trim. Now, if they could just paint a solid white line over the broken one on those bends between Rathbeggan and Dunshaughlin.... I've come across so many nasty accidents there , and almost been involved in one so many more times :mad: Does it take a serious fatal accident ?

Maysa07

Ha, i use think it was tires on my car. yes its a Hugh danger on them roundabouts..

happygoose

Thought it was just me too - exact same thing happened to me on the Fairyhouse Roundabout.

PauloMN

Agree with the comments above, those two roundabouts, especially the Trim/Fairyhouse one, have to be taken very very slowly. Felt the car slipping one morning on it, and I wasn't going fast, so ever since I've crawled around it.

Between that roundabout and the M3 Parkway one with the right-turners in the left-hand lane, it's 5 mins of my commute that I could do without.

dgt

I've skidded at those roundabouts too, heading towards Dublin. I always wondered why it was so slippery there compared to other roundabouts, never thought of fuel spillages

Jordan5372

did a 180 on the roundabout and also the roundabout coming off to the M3 heading for Dunshauqlin.

bladespin

Jordan5372 wrote: »

did a 180 on the roundabout and also the roundabout coming off to the M3 heading for Dunshauqlin.

you're doing it wrong

donmaga1

WOW I have skidded also, When the weather is wet I can feel the back of the car slide.