GAA supporters blocking the M50

Diemos

Every time there is a big match in Croke Park traffic goes to chaos in Dublin.
I'm not a Dub but I live in Dublin and I find people's lack to driving skills and utter disregard for other road users in and around the capital inexcusable.

On Sunday evening, I was joining the M50 coming from Kildare, I glanced at the south bound M50 lanes as I was passing over the bridge and saw that the motorway was all but blocked by people trying to jump the queue to the on ramp by going up the nearside lane, then when a queue developed there, the centre lane and stopping with their indicator on, waiting for some fool to let them in.
This behaviour is deadly dangerous, not to mention illegal but not a cop in sight.
As far as I can see it happens every time there's a big match or a concert, I don't understand why the Gardai allow this sort of behaviour to occur.
It's an accident waiting to happen, any ideas why this behaviour is allowed to go unpunished time and again?
</rant>

ba_barabus

That happens every Friday on the M50.

cerastes

I blame, not necessarily in this order

Poor driver education and training about motorway use

enforcement

bad design that allows traffic to build up and cause tailbacks back onto a motorway or slip roads
(see off ramp for N4 going north on M50, beside Liffey Valley) drivers should be able to negotiate that slip and have a free flowing exit onto the bypass going west, but traffic gets choked there and causes tailbacks onto the M50, as buses cross the lane where the slip exits, and people generally dawdling around all the lanes).

People not having a clue where they are going, (Not knowing where their exit is).
and then worsening the problem by doing something completely stupid.
(I saw someone reverse up a motorway after missing their exit).

Poor signage and placement of signs, in some situations signs are placed too late, poorly or cant be seen properly from the road or dont take into account perspective of changing lanes where they can be viewed from further away causing drivers to unnecessarily change lanes. (See N7 where it meets crosses the M50 going towards Dublin).

dudara

To be fair, this is a pretty everyday occurrence at peak times. Nothing particularly to do with GAA match days. In fact, most of my rural neighbours from home would stay away from the M50 as they just don't understand it.

Supergurrier

You should see Tuam of a tuesday when the mart is on

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Feckin caught in it sunday night after the gaa
The hard shoulder was a squeeze, didnt think my truck would fit!

biko

This happens around every GAA field in the country after a game. You should see Salthill, gridlocked.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

biko wrote: »

This happens around every GAA field in the country after a game. You should see Salthill, gridlocked.

Indeed, however the problem is exacerbated around the m50 when multiple teams' supporters all need to use it to get to the m4/m6/m7/m8.

bazz26

Lol, first world problems.

corktina

we had two silage tractor meet in Town once...man it was gridlock for nearly 5 minutes! (fact)

Cleveland Hot Pocket

bazz26 wrote: »

Lol, first world problems.

Don't you just hate when your butler runs over your chef, in your Rolls?

wandatowell

Went up to the first Cork/Clare final last year. Absolute disaster getting to and from on the motorway.

Traffic was a very busy with all the cars coming from both counties meeting (I think) on the motorway.

Drivers from Clare doing 120kph in both lanes then the Cork drivers doing the same speed coming down the slip road with no space to join the motorway. Cue a 5-7 car pile up we only narrowly avoided.

Absolute insanity.

Getting home was a pain in the hole due to an crash at Portlaois. Basically fcuk that ****, Im watching it on the telly from now on.

paulbok

Phew, seen this thread and thought GAA fans were blocking the M50 this morning in protest over the upcoming rail strikes

LeinsterDub

If only there was some way of you knowing in advance this would happen....

Cleveland Hot Pocket

LeinsterDub wrote: »

If only there was some way of you knowing in advance this would happen....

What if you don't follow the GAH at all loike?

LeinsterDub

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

What if you don't follow the GAH at all loike?

Check the twitter or rte or basically any media outlets if you plan to use the
M50 around 5-7 on most Sundays from July to September and include Saturdays in August.

K.Flyer

This is why, at the first sign of the Gov being able to spend some money, they re-started the Newlands Cross road works.

ironclaw

K.Flyer wrote: »

This is why, at the first sign of the Gov being able to spend some money, they re-started the Newlands Cross road works.

Won't change a thing because you still have a single lane from the M50 to Waterford and Limerick / Cork. So basically a 20ft water main feeding a McDonalds straw. And it can never be widened, why? Because they built the Luas right beside it.

In the other direction, the junction for City / M50 S / M50 N was never done properly and is completely misaligned, so you'll just have faster moving traffic making the same stupid decisions and lane cutting. At least with the lights you limited the amount of traffic and speed at the interchange.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

ironclaw wrote: »

Won't change a thing because you still have a single lane from the M50 to Waterford and Limerick / Cork. So basically a 20ft water main feeding a McDonalds straw. And it can never be widened, why? Because they built the Luas right beside it.

In the other direction, the junction for City / M50 S / M50 N was never done properly and is completely misaligned, so you'll just have faster moving traffic making the same stupid decisions and lane cutting. At least with the lights you limited the amount of traffic and speed at the interchange.

+1
It's the one lane exit for N7 (which feeds the entire south and southwest) +the city that is the problem.

We need like 3-4 lanes there for that turnoff - must be one of the busiest intersections in the country ffs.

corktina

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Don't you just hate when your butler runs over your chef, in your Rolls?

Yeah , there's a waiting list for a new Rolls

nice_guy80

most of the exits off the M50 are badly designed, especially the turn off for Galway/Sligo.

ironclaw

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

+1
It's the one lane exit for N7 (which feeds the entire south and southwest) +the city that is the problem.

We need like 3-4 lanes there for that turnoff - must be one of the busiest intersections in the country ffs.

Its insane and it will only get worse. I'd almost say plough the Luas out of the way and give it at minimum two lanes to Waterford / Cork / Limerick. Its criminal the tail back you get on an evening.

JeffKenna

I'm from a rural area that would draw in a lot of tourists both from ireland and abroad. What I can't stand is D reg cars coming down and driving the roads at a snails pace. I swear to god, if I went up to Dublin and drove at that pace I'd be blown off the road.

Rant over

ironclaw

JeffKenna wrote: »

I'm from a rural area that would draw in a lot of tourists both from ireland and abroad. What I can't stand is D reg cars coming down and driving the roads at a snails pace. I swear to god, if I went up to Dublin and drove at that pace I'd be blown off the road.

Rant over

I know someone who honestly had absolutely no idea where their lights were because every road they had ever driven was lit.

To be fair, unless you are accustomed to a single lane road in the Whest etc it can be scary [Or incredibly good fun if you are :pac:]

paulbok

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

+1
It's the one lane exit for N7 (which feeds the entire south and southwest) +the city that is the problem.

We need like 3-4 lanes there for that turnoff - must be one of the busiest intersections in the country ffs.

There are 2 exit lanes off the M50 (from either direction) heading south on the N7. Granted they merge shortly after, but at that stage there are other lanes available. 6 lanes (2 M50 N, 2 M50 S & 2 from city center) merge to 4 lanes to Newlands X and then 3 lanes to the Naas bypass.

paulbok

nice_guy80 wrote: »

most of the exits off the M50 are badly designed, especially the turn off for Galway/Sligo.

This one is a disaster, one lane for traffic coming from the South, and on from the North that splits sharply for heading into the city which causes many accidents and near misses.
The stretch from Blanchardstown to South of the N4 merge is one one of the worst stretches of motorway in Europe for accidents (no direct source, but heard it on a traffic segment on Matt Cooper one night - but do travel that way every morning and it's where most accidents I come across are).

omega666

paulbok wrote: »

There are 2 exit lanes off the M50 (from either direction) heading south on the N7. Granted they merge shortly after, but at that stage there are other lanes available. 6 lanes (2 M50 N, 2 M50 S & 2 from city center) merge to 4 lanes to Newlands X and then 3 lanes to the Naas bypass.

Where's this magical second exit lane off the M50 Northbound exiting onto the N7/Nass Road?

nice_guy80

paulbok wrote: »

This one is a disaster, one lane for traffic coming from the South, and on from the North that splits sharply for heading into the city which causes many accidents and near misses.
The stretch from Blanchardstown to South of the N4 merge is one one of the worst stretches of motorway in Europe for accidents (no direct source, but heard it on a traffic segment on Matt Cooper one night - but do travel that way every morning and it's where most accidents I come across are).

Yep.
The exit for the West and Sligo southbound should have been further along the M50 with a separate slip road and flyover to the Palmerstown exit.

paulbok

omega666 wrote: »

Where's this magical second exit lane off the M50 Northbound exiting onto the N7/Nass Road?

My bad, one of those 2 is inbound to the city. There are 2 though from Southbound.

ironclaw

paulbok wrote: »

My bad, one of those 2 is inbound to the city. There are 2 though from Southbound.

What?

If you are Northbound on the M50 and exit for Naas or to go into the city it is a single lane until about 100m before the split. Its also too short as you have traffic from the previous exit trying to merge on to the M50. So a single width lane is literally accommodating three lanes worth of traffic.

Southbound on the M50 is grand if people either stay in given lane or don't wait until the last minute to jump in. People cutting in when the split occurs causes braking and hence a ripple, this occurs in both directions on a daily basis and drives me nuts. You are at most 5 cars ahead and you'll meet them at the Newlandscross lights anyway. Morons :rolleyes:

This is completely different to having two dedicated lanes i.e. The end of the M50 where you merge for the airport / Belfast. There you truly have two lanes.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

ironclaw wrote: »

What?

If you are Northbound on the M50 and exit for Naas or to go into the city it is a single lane until about 100m before the split. Its also too short as you have traffic from the previous exit trying to merge on to the M50. So a single width lane is literally accommodating three lanes worth of traffic.

Southbound on the M50 is grand if people either stay in given lane or don't wait until the last minute to jump in. People cutting in when the split occurs causes braking and hence a ripple, this occurs in both directions on a daily basis and drives me nuts. You are at most 5 cars ahead and you'll meet them at the Newlandscross lights anyway. Morons :rolleyes:

This is completely different to having two dedicated lanes i.e. The end of the M50 where you merge for the airport / Belfast. There you truly have two lanes.

There's only one lane for most of the way though, it splits in to two like you say, right at the end/.