R132 near Dublin Airport narrows for no reason

Carley353

Can anyone explain the reason for the way the new road outside Dublin Airport has those road markings to prevent you driving in them?
This is after you exit the airport heading south towards the city centre and it's midway between those lights and the right turn for the Old Airport Road.

There's two lanes for most of the way but then the right lane is blocked off with those hatch markings so you have to move left and then you're supposed to move back right a few yards later before the right turn for the Old Airport Road.

It seems counter productive. I've just had someone slam on the brakes in front of me to let someone in the right lane move into the left lane, only for them to move back to the right lane again after a very short distance because they're obviously turning right at the next junction. So why not let the two lanes as they are and leave the left lane for those heading in city direction and the right lane for those heading towards the M50 on the old road? Why the need to merge the two lanes temporarily like that, it's seem a waste of time for no obvious reason.

I can't see the sense in widening a road only to block off parts of it that you can't drive in. It ruins the traffic flow & seems to cause more problems than anything.

I'd love to know why it's done like that...

Carawaystick

And the traffic lights don't ruin the traffic flow more?

There has to be a lane merge anyway, there's only 1 lane south of the lights.

Carley353

Yes but why not just put an arrow on it at that point and have it as a right turn lane as would normally be the case? Instead of moving lane left and then back right again

I meant the flow of traffic between the two sets of lights.

murphaph

I don't understand the way it is either. Just make the lane a right turn only lane and be done with it. I think someone just messed up here.

Carawaystick

murphaph wrote: »

Just make the lane a right turn only lane

From where? The Alsaa/Airport cross roads?

plodder

I guess the problem is that the right lane will have traffic stopped waiting to turn right at the lights, and there is a danger of getting rear-ended by people who think they're in the "fast lane" of a dual carriage way rather than a turn-right lane. Forcing everybody into the left lane first, prevents that.

Part of the problem is that we only use road-markings for indicating this stuff. Most countries use proper signs that you can actually see properly. If we did that, then maybe this wouldn't be necessary.

Alun

plodder wrote: »

Part of the problem is that we only use road-markings for indicating this stuff. Most countries use proper signs that you can actually see properly. If we did that, then maybe this wouldn't be necessary.

This x1,000,000. Just a simple sign something like this (example from the Netherlands) a couple of times before a junction would solve a lot of these kinds of problems. Road markings obscured by traffic, at the junction itself when it's often too late, which is precisely when these kinds of things happen, just don't work.

plodder

The only place I've seen them in this country is on the N5 road around Castlebar.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.852511,-9.290865,3a,75y,230.9h,81.73t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s5ujh9LuSv4VjRFpNYKVRWg!2e0

There's a series of three roundabouts with different turn left, right, straight on configurations. I suspect there was major confusion until the signs were put in. Never understood why we don't have them everywhere.

Carley353

So right. That would make so much more sense. Why do the road planners not look at best practice in other places and use what works and makes the most sense.

Carawaystick

But traffic travelling south on the r132 has to merge anyway, there's only one lane straight on at the lights.

Carley353

Carawaystick wrote: »

But traffic travelling south on the r132 has to merge anyway, there's only one lane straight on at the lights.

Accepted. But if you've already taken up position in the right lane to take a right turn at the junction, it's tiresome having to try to merge into a lane that you have to leave immediately to move out again. Plus it slows up the left lane unnecessarily.

If the road signs Alun and Plodder suggested were used then the traffic travelling south would already be in the left lane and only traffic turning right would be in the right lane. It would make things simpler.

Carawaystick

But where would the overtaking lane change into a right turning lane?