M4 - Driving up the hard shoulder

bemak

This has been driving me mad with the last few months but this morning was the last straw. I commute from Kilcock into Dublin every morning and when it gets busy a lot of drivers have taken to speeding up the hard shoulder to get to the exit. It is unbelievably dangerous - case in point : Warning on dangers of using motorway hard shoulders

Anyway this morning when I was travelling in, traffic was very heavy with the schools being back. Miles before the Maynooth exit people were driving up the hard shoulder again at speed. Even though I wanted to take the exit myself (to avoid the traffic between the maynooth and leixlip junction on the M4) I waited until I could legally take it and when I did I got 'blown out of it' from some hero in a VW Caddy that was speeding up the hard shoulder behind me. I had checked my mirror before pulling out but by the time I was half way into the lane he was right up behind me - presumably because of the speed he was doing. Fortunately the slip road has two lanes at the top so when I was side-by-side with him a few minutes later I opened up on him. Of course he didn't even look my way. 

Fairly immature on my part but this nonsense has to stop - someone is going to get seriously injured or killed again.

Rant over

Eddy_Phelan

Yes! Completely agree, in fact just wrote about it in that 'car issues that irritate me thread'. Everyone has somewhere to be, I can't believe some even have the gall to attempt it, let alone get away with it. Only a matter of time before someone who's genuinely using the hard shoulder because they've broken down, gets hit.

PAKNET

The M7 was just as bad as well before the new year, the hard shoulder was effectively a 4th lane from about exit 11 up to Rathcoole.

I've noticed since mid-last week there's now an undercover traffic corp car circuiting between exits 5 and 11.

They drive as part of the traffic between exits with no lights or siren.

When coming up to each exit they turn on the lights only and move into the hard shoulder until they've passed the exit then merge back in.

Haven't seen a single person driving in the hard shoulder so far this year and the M7 was fairly bad this morning so it seems to be working.

Del2005

This is what happens when our road safety people only concentrate on 2 issues, exceeding the posted limit and DUI. For some reason they seem to think that everything else is grand on the roads.

bemak

PAKNET wrote: »

The M7 was just as bad as well before the new year, the hard shoulder was effectively a 4th lane from about exit 11 up to Rathcoole.

I've noticed since mid-last week there's now an undercover traffic corp car circuiting between exits 5 and 11.

They drive as part of the traffic between exits with no lights or siren.

When coming up to each exit they turn on the lights only and move into the hard shoulder until they've passed the exit then merge back in.

Haven't seen a single person driving in the hard shoulder so far this year and the M7 was fairly bad this morning so it seems to be working.

I actually mentioned it to Leixlip Garda Station - one bike would make a killing and set an example

Isambard

perhaps the UK solution is what's needed? Convert the hard shoulder into a driving lane (with laybys for emergency) for over 30 miles. (M4).

RayCun

Or put a barrier at the end of the hard shoulder, separating it from the exit lane

Indricotherium

RayCun wrote: »

Or put a barrier at the end of the hard shoulder, separating it from the exit lane

That would be ridic dangerous.

RayCun

Indricotherium wrote: »

That would be ridic dangerous.

I'm not talking about an invisible barrier.

The hard shoulder is not a driving lane, it is an emergency stopping lane. If you are using the lane correctly, a barrier is not a problem.

If you are using it as a shortcut, you'll find you have to merge back in to regular traffic and it won't be as effective as a shortcut.

bemak

Isambard wrote: »

perhaps the UK solution is what's needed? Convert the hard shoulder into a driving lane (with laybys for emergency) for over 30 miles. (M4).

From what I can see the congestion is mainly due to traffic merging to the M4 as opposed to those exiting it, so if they were to make the merging lane a mile long say, it might help dissipate the traffic load more effectively.

kirving

Should have a barrier at the end of it for sure, to prevent this kind of thing.

I'd also be in favour of all hatched ares on motorways having speedbumps like a racing circuit. If you have to cross in a real emergency - fine, but it keeps the usual idiots in check.

Indricotherium

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Should have a barrier at the end of it for sure, to prevent this kind of thing.

I'd also be in favour of all hatched ares on motorways having speedbumps like a racing circuit. If you have to cross in a real emergency - fine, but it keeps the usual idiots in check.

I think a speed-bump, or physical barrier in a lane directly adjacent to a 120km/h driving lane would probably cause more accidents than it is worth causing for the sake of stopping a somewhat annoying, queue jump.

Indricotherium

Indricotherium wrote: »

I think a speed-bump, or physical barrier in a lane directly adjacent to a 120km/h driving lane would probably cause more accidents than it is worth causing for the sake of stopping a somewhat annoying, queue jump.

Rumble strips the entire width and length of a hard shoulder might be more appropriate and have the desired effect.

RayCun

Indricotherium wrote: »

I think a speed-bump, or physical barrier in a lane directly adjacent to a 120km/h driving lane would probably cause more accidents than it is worth causing for the sake of stopping a somewhat annoying, queue jump.

But there are other places on motorways where hard shoulders stop - are they accident black spots?

kirving

It's not that the queue jumping is annoying, it's downright dangerous. Would also prevent idiots from pulling out of sliproads across the hatching in a desperate attempt to make it to lane 3 as quickly as possible.

Del2005

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Should have a barrier at the end of it for sure, to prevent this kind of thing.

I'd also be in favour of all hatched ares on motorways having speedbumps like a racing circuit. If you have to cross in a real emergency - fine, but it keeps the usual idiots in check.

Absolutely no need for any of this. Get our law enforcement officers to do their job and problem solved. We are great at passing laws which everyone ignores, usually to replace other laws that were ignored, or putting down physical restrictions instead of actually enforcing the laws we have.

RayCun

Del2005 wrote: »

Absolutely no need for any of this. Get our law enforcement officers to do their job and problem solved. We are great at passing laws which everyone ignores, usually to replace other laws that were ignored, or putting down physical restrictions instead of actually enforcing the laws we have.

The point is to prevent dangerous driving. Put a barrier there and it will work every hour of the day, every day of the year. Rely on gardai enforcement and it will happen now and again. People will stop when the gardai are there and start again a few weeks later. And the garda time is taken up by something that could be solved easily and permanently by some road furniture.

Irish Steve

Sounds to me that a few strategically placed cameras that record the activity on the road might produce some useful information that could be used to initiate prosecutions. Same is true for some of the Bus lanes in Dublin, cameras in the right places would pay for themselves very quickly after installation, and then provide the necessary deterrent going forward.

BrianD3

I used to drive on the M4 regularly at peak times about 16 years ago and never saw anything like that. Saw it on the M50 alright - cars driving along the hard shoulder with left indicator on then "junction hopping".

Another type of asshole that causes congestion is the "pretend merger".

Has traffic now gotten so bad on the M4 that eastbound traffic is backed up "miles before" the Maynooth exit :eek:

Del2005

RayCun wrote: »

The point is to prevent dangerous driving. Put a barrier there and it will work every hour of the day, every day of the year. Rely on gardai enforcement and it will happen now and again. People will stop when the gardai are there and start again a few weeks later. And the garda time is taken up by something that could be solved easily and permanently by some road furniture.

People don't drive in the hard shoulder in countries where the laws are enforced. Putting any physical barrier on the side of a high speed road is dangerous and what will happen is that people will still barrel up the shoulder and then pull back into traffic causing more chaos. Also if there are physical barriers in the hard shoulder how are emergency vehicles supposed to use it?

ironclaw

Its a trend on the M50/M11 merge as well. Either stay in the overtaking lane from Cherrywood, or jump the hatched areas at the actual merge.