M3/N3 New Speed Limits

rubberdungeon

Would anyone know why the speed limits have been reduced on the M3/N3 on both sides of the road.

I didn't see any signs or notices to say the speed limits had been reduced, I just noticed it while driving, but lots of cars carried on at the old limits as they mustn't have noticed the signs.

Heading citybound on the M3, coming to the end of the motorway the speed which was 120, it is now 80, at the 'end of motorway' sign, the speed was 100 now it is 60.

On the other side, when you pass Blanchardstown the speed is 100, when you get up near Clonee, the speed drops to 80, then to 60 (I thought it might be roadworks but as it's on both sides of the road, I'm thinking perhaps it isn't).

When you join the M3, speed used to be 120, now it is 80, 120 is further up the road.

I'd love to know if anyone knows why there is such a change in speed limits in that area.

Thanks

prunudo

I don't know the actual reason but I'm sure if you ask somebody official you will be told it's to do with road safety. Then there will be 100's of people caught speeding thus feeding into the safety brigade that we are a nation of speeders and need more scamera's to show us the error of our ways...........


......I think I'm getting too cynical

Colm R

There was some works going on in the hard shoulder on approach to the Clonee exit, going outbound in the past few weeks. And I have some vague recollection that there are some plans to change around this particular junction. I can't find any information on it right now - I wonder is the reduced speed limit because of this work.

Have not travelled the road in a while. Outbound, is the 100km speed limit now gone, where it use to be just past the main Blanchardstown exit?

donspeekinglesh

The 100km/h limit is still there for a bit, then it drops to 60km/h.
The roadworks are there a while without the limit being changed. And the lower limit goes on for a good distance after they're finished.

hadook

Heading home last night, I noticed the 80kph sign on top of the Motorway signs at the start of the M3 outbound. The next speed limit signs on the motorway itself are the toll at Clonee but it's still signposted 120kph joining at next slip.

Victor

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/media/N3%20Mulhuddart%20Speed%20Limit%2001.11.13.pdf

Road Works Speed Limit (No. 2) Order (N3 Mulhuddart Interchange Upgrade) 2013

Notice is hereby given that the County Manager, Fingal County Council in exercise of the powers vested in him under Section 10 of the Road Traffic Act, 2004 and in the interests of road safety has made an order entitled Road Works Speed Limit (No. 2) Order (N3 Mulhuddart Interchange Upgrade) 2013 to apply a Road Works Speed Limit on N3 between Junction 3 (Mulhuddart Interchange) and Junction 4 (Castaheany) as follows:-

It is proposed to introduce a speed limit of 80 km/h as follows:
* N3 eastbound carriageway from a point 465m west of Castaheany Junction bridge and thence in an easterly direction to a point 35m east of Castaheany Junction bridge.
* N3 eastbound carriageway from a point 46m east of Blakestown Road bridge and thence in an easterly direction to a point 209m southeast of Blanchardstown Road overbridge.
* N3 westbound carriageway from a point 209m southeast of Blanchardstown Road overbridge and thence in a westerly direction to a point 46m east of Blakestown Road underbridge.
* N3 westbound carriageway from a point 35m east of Castaheany Junction bridge and thence in a westerly direction to a point 465m west of Castaheany Junction bridge.

It is proposed to introduce a speed limit of 60 km/h as follows:
* N3 eastbound carriageway from a point 35m east of Castaheany Junction bridge and thence in an easterly direction to a point 46m east of Blakestown Road underbridge.
* N3 westbound carriageway from a point 46m east of Blakestown underbridge and thence in a westerly direction to a point 36m east of Castaheany Junction bridge.
* Castaheany Junction merge onto N3 eastbound from a point 147m east of Castaheany Junction bridge and thence in an easterly direction to the N3 eastbound carriageway.
* Castaheany Junction diverge off N3 westbound carriageway from the N3 westbound carriageway and thence in a westerly direction to a point 301m east of Castaheany Junction bridge.
* Link Road to Damastown Close and Old Navan Road diverge/merge from/to the N3 eastbound carriageway thence in a northerly direction to a point 33m north of the N3 eastbound carriageway.

The Road Works Speed Limit will be in effect from 11th November 2013 to 31st May 2014.

Representations in relation to the Road Works Speed Limit Order may be made in writing to Mr Michael Carroll, Administrative Officer, Operations, Fingal County Council, Grove Road, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.

Mr. Michael Carroll,
Administrative Officer.
Dated this 7th November 2013

donspeekinglesh

hadook wrote: »

Heading home last night, I noticed the 80kph sign on top of the Motorway signs at the start of the M3 outbound. The next speed limit signs on the motorway itself are the toll at Clonee but it's still signposted 120kph joining at next slip.

There is a single 120km/h sign on the left of the road, a few hundred meters along the m3

Colm R

Victor wrote: »

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/media/N3%20Mulhuddart%20Speed%20Limit%2001.11.13.pdf

Good job on finding that - I've been navigating the Fingal Website - it seems to be a new one, and they don't have all their information up there.

So - its clear at present that there is roadworks in the hard shoulder on the outbound carriageway between the Blanchardstown and Clonee exits - so hence a lower speed limit.

I guess there will be road works on the inbound also.

Any idea what they are doing?

RichardoKhan

Tidying up the trees (overhangs & roots), sorting out drainage, new edging, new Noise barriers & eventually new noise reduction road surface.

Redsoxfan

Just my own view, it would help if there were signs up also indicating roadworks. The 80 kph limit looks bizaare on its own.

Borderfox

Coming from m50 there is a 30/50/80/100/80/120 set of speed limit signs, road works look finished or postponed atm. Spend most of my time on this road watching the speedo

liamog

Would it not be a good idea to have special signs for roadwork speed limits? With the new signs on the N3, it looks more like they've decided to permanently reduce the speed for no apparent reason.

They could be similar to the UK system with the yellow backing, except in our case the orange roadworks colour.

highdef

Borderfox wrote: »

Coming from m50 there is a 30/50/80/100/80/120 set of speed limit signs, road works look finished or postponed atm. Spend most of my time on this road watching the speedo

After travelling the road again today, from the M50 it's actually 30/50/80/100/80/60/80/120 however I did see signs of roadworks in the buslane/hard shoulder before Clonee as mentioned earlier in the thread plus there were some roadwork signs up as well so it makes a lot more sense now.

Admittedly, everything can't be done at once so I guess it was just bad timing when I travelled the road....speed limit signs had been erected but roadwork signs had not.

Good to know that there is a good reason for it but I still think a 60 limit is a bit OTT to be applied when no actual roadworks are taking place and the road is a as clear as a whistle however that is a completely different discussion

donspeekinglesh

The Garda speed van was out yesterday evening on the 80km/h section, near the start of it outbound.

prunudo

donspeekinglesh wrote: »

The Garda speed van was out yesterday evening on the 80km/h section, near the start of it outbound.

Have the roadworks started yet?

donspeekinglesh

There's a little work, much further on.

highdef

Just another observation I have made with regards to the new speed limits. In most instances, there is only speed limit sign each time there is change in the limit on this stretch of the N3, on the left hand side of the road. Is there not something in the road traffic act that states that there must be 2 signs, one on each side of the road? If there is only one sign, then is the speed limit change void?

I actually missed one of the signs yesterday going from 80 to the 60 (I was doing 80 anyway) - the reason I missed it was because I was overtaking an articulated truck and I was only doing a few kmh more than it so it took a while to pass. As the 60 sign was only on the left, I never saw it. If it wasn't for the reason that I knew there was one somewhere around that area, then I wouldn't have reduced my speed however I was quite late reducing my speed as I thought I just hadn't passed the sign. There really should have been one on the right hand side too for this very reason. Having only one sign on the left means that there is a fair chance that it could be partly obscured from foliage.....if there is another one in the right hand side, this won't happen as there are no trees.

As I am only an occasional user of the road, I have not yet familiarised myself with the new speed zones.