Commute southbound M50 (M1-Sandyford exit)

bs2014

Hi all, I'm currently living in Whitehall, due to start a job out in Sandyford. Anytime I've drove out there it has been at off peakish times and I can do it in 30 mins. I'm wondering has anyone experience of the M50 or commutes a similar journey. Is it a mad commute as if theres a delay I'd be an hour late for work every day? I know from commuting to liffey valley previously that any days there were rain, you were guaranteed nearly to be delayed by an accident. Thoughts much appreciated.

omicron

What time do you start work at and how close to the m50 are you in Sandyford?

M50 southbound is very slow from 7.30 until 9 every morning so you'll need to leave around an hour travel time I'd say.

If you go to typical traffic on google maps you'll see an orange line on the m50 south bound from junction 5 to junction 14 every morning, so it should be moving but not fast.

Leave plenty time the first day, and leave 5 minutes later every day until you get it right!

You could also get the 11 bus but it's fairly slow and infrequent, or any bus into town and a luas, also fairly slow.

bs2014

Thanks @omicron. As far as i know I'm due to start at 8.30am but will know for certain soon, so I thought maybe that might mean missing the bulk of traffic. Another thought I have is to try go through the city centre, as I imagine that once I get to the quays, there would be very little traffic as I'd be heading out from the city. But I think your approach is the best one.

markpb

The Sandyford exit from the M50 starts to build around 8am but it's not till around 8:30 when it gets really bad so you'll probably be okay. You'll still want to leave around an hour though - any time there's a crash on the M50, the whole thing comes to a standstill for a while.

bs2014

Thanks @markpb, thats my previous experience with the m50, so hard to judge, I don't fancy leaving rediculously early every single morning just incase there is an accident, but think I'll allow myself an hour for the first while.

omicron

How are you on a bike?! Might be an idea for the summer anyway, will prob work out at a similar travel time but not stuck in a car!

Carawaystick

Traffic in the M50S has improved this week, and will reduce more over the coming months as colleges, secondary schools and primary schools go on holidays. I go from the M1 to J10 and it took 25 mins today, it was 35 before the easter holidays, longer when its wet.

Before the Halloween holidays it was taking an hour southbound, 35 northbound in the evenings
I suppose it's going to be busier further south from Tymon park and getting into Sandyford.


You could consider getting a 16 bus to either the Swan on Aungier st and walking up York street to the Luas
or to Camden street and walking around to the Odeon tram stop

cruizer101

Yeah it definitely got a bit quieter, I got from Skerries to Bray today in about 50 minutes. Getting off for Sandyford can take quite a while mind, you may be better trying to go through the city in some way depending where in sandyford you are.

Seaswimmer

omicron wrote: »

How are you on a bike?! Might be an idea for the summer anyway, will prob work out at a similar travel time but not stuck in a car!

Its only 15KM across to Sandyford industrial estate so about 40 to 50 minutes starting off but less as you get fitter and find the optimal route.

Major savings on fuel and tolls as well.

bs2014

Thanks, but for the sake of my life, I wouldn't be prepared to cycle at any cost saving, I don't know how more cyclists aren't killed around Dublin. But your point does make sense.

Seaswimmer

bs2014 wrote: »

Thanks, but for the sake of my life, I wouldn't be prepared to cycle at any cost saving, I don't know how more cyclists aren't killed around Dublin. But your point does make sense.

Send me a PM or go over to the cycling forum for good advice

Cycling in Dublin is very safe..

Colonel Sanders

I commute from Marino to Dundrum

Set the alarm for 7am, shower, get dressed and hop in the car about 7.30. I am usually drinking tea at my desk between 8.10 & 8.15

Traffic South bound from September to December was horrific. Then it quietened a bit after Christmas and has dropped a lot since the schools returned after the Easter holidays

Keep threatening to cycle a few days a week but haven't yet got there!

bs2014

@Colonel Saunders: I assume you go through the city centre, by the Custom house? i'm considering going through the cityr centre, but even leaving at 7.30, I reckon I will still get caught in the Whitehall-Drumcondra traffic

markpb

bs2014 wrote: »

@Colonel Saunders: I assume you go through the city centre, by the Custom house? i'm considering going through the cityr centre, but even leaving at 7.30, I reckon I will still get caught in the Whitehall-Drumcondra traffic

Whitehall should be fine at 7:30, I'd imagine you're more likely to get stuck around the Beckett bridge.

bs2014 wrote: »

I don't know how more cyclists aren't killed around Dublin.

Because it's not dangerous?

tara83

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

I commute from Marino to Dundrum


Traffic South bound from September to December was horrific. Then it quietened a bit after Christmas and has dropped a lot since the schools returned after the Easter holidays

!

When you say horrific how bad was it time wise?

Colonel Sanders

bs2014 wrote: »

@Colonel Saunders: I assume you go through the city centre, by the Custom house? i'm considering going through the cityr centre, but even leaving at 7.30, I reckon I will still get caught in the Whitehall-Drumcondra traffic

I actually use the M50, distance wise its a lot longer but it's quicker time wise. I have gone through the city the odd time and it's been longer, however I must try again when the schools traffic is gone. Google maps says 33 minutes right now (Sunday lunch time) so I'd be amazed if it was any quicker. I also prefer (reasonably) moving traffic to stop start in the city

tara83 wrote: »

When you say horrific how bad was it time wise?

Can't remember tbh but it would crawl bumper to bumper from Finglas to around Ballymount and then be very slow from junction 12 to 13

aaabbbb

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

I actually use the M50, distance wise its a lot longer but it's quicker time wise. I have gone through the city the odd time and it's been longer, however I must try again when the schools traffic is gone. Google maps says 33 minutes right now (Sunday lunch time) so I'd be amazed if it was any quicker. I also prefer (reasonably) moving traffic to stop start in the city



Can't remember tbh but it would crawl bumper to bumper from Finglas to around Ballymount and then be very slow from junction 12 to 13

I used to have to leave the house here in Donabate around 7 if I wanted any hope of making it to Maynooth for 9. A journey that would normally take approx 35 mins any other time of day....

It was pretty bad all right !

Sometimes the traffic would stop completely for long enough though that I was able to put the handbrake on and comfortably eat my breakfast ! :pac:

Stheno

bs2014 wrote: »

@Colonel Saunders: I assume you go through the city centre, by the Custom house? i'm considering going through the cityr centre, but even leaving at 7.30, I reckon I will still get caught in the Whitehall-Drumcondra traffic

markpb wrote: »

Whitehall should be fine at 7:30, I'd imagine you're more likely to get stuck around the Beckett bridge.

I commute from Swords to City centre regularly, traffic at whitehall is regularly backed up to the slip from the M1 from 7:30 onwards.

@ OP I was commuting to Dun Laoighire for a couple of weeks, leaving at 7:15 I was there an hour later

bs2014

Thanks everyone for your responses, despite responses I didn't want to hear for both the m50 and city centre options. I guess there will be a few very early starts and have to strongly consider moving out there!

bs2014

Hi all,

Just going through my old posts. Regarding the m50, it has got rapidly worse since I started the job last summer. The summer was fine commuting but since September it has been a joke. On average takes me a full hour to get from airport to j14. That can varie between 40 mins and 1hr 30mins or 2hrs. There is just no predictability. On the way home today and on Tuesday of this week, I was stuck at the blanch exit for 90mins as there was 6 car collision on literally the same point on both days. My colleagues at work have been sayingthe m50 in general is way worse than ever even worse than the boom years with 2 lanes and a toll. Currently, on the lookout for accomodation closer to Sandyford but sure even that is extremely scarce and astronomically expensive. When will our government listen up and tackle core problems. Rant over....#:)

Seaswimmer

bs2014 wrote: »

Hi all,

Just going through my old posts. Regarding the m50, it has got rapidly worse since I started the job last summer. The summer was fine commuting but since September it has been a joke. On average takes me a full hour to get from airport to j14. That can varie between 40 mins and 1hr 30mins or 2hrs. There is just no predictability. On the way home today and on Tuesday of this week, I was stuck at the blanch exit for 90mins as there was 6 car collision on literally the same point on both days. My colleagues at work have been sayingthe m50 in general is way worse than ever even worse than the boom years with 2 lanes and a toll. Currently, on the lookout for accomodation closer to Sandyford but sure even that is extremely scarce and astronomically expensive. When will our government listen up and tackle core problems. Rant over....#:)

I also looked at my old post from last year on this topic:)

I cycle home from Santry to Deansgrange every day so that would be roughly your commute on a bike. 15KM for you, about 20km for me.

Takes me about 50 minutes. You can avoid city centre by using East link if you are concerned about traffic. Its honestly a very easy cycle, plenty of bus lanes and good road surfaces!!

And despite everything you hear and read I find the vast majority of Dublin motorists to be generally quite courteous to cyclists. Just not to each other!

Has to be better than M50.

mckildare

Dragging up an old thread here but it's the exact topic I'm interested in, can anyone provide any update on what this commute is like these days? Wife would be joining M50 at Airport/M1 roundabout,
starting work at 9am in Deansgrange so Exit 13 or 14 both work
Thanks!

bs2014

To be honest I did it for a year and it near killed me, theres honestly no predicting the traffic but it is a case of rarely not being tailbacked the majority of the way. I have sinced moved south of deansgrange and ironically might be needing to do the reverse as I could be working soon in the Lucan area, I drove northbound the other morning and it would seem southbound in the mornings is heavier than northbound.

mckildare

Thanks for that bs2014, never good to hear things have got worse but have to accept reality. Seems like it's more regular than not now that the M50 is a car park. I'll start looking into public transport for her now!