What is the proper way to drive on the m50?

Pseudorandom

Ok, so every time anyone posts a topic involving commuting or the M50 in general people often spend a lot of time talking about the correct way to drive on a motorway and how it should be taught in driving lessons. But what is the correct way exactly?

I've seen two main theories put forward:
1. Stay as far left as you can unless you have to overtake. As soon as you can move left again do so.
2. The furthest left lane is the merging lane. Stay in the middle lane as much as you can and treat the farthest right lane as a passing lane only for overtaking and moving back in to the middle as soon as you can. The left lane should be used for merging in or out of the exit lanes.

and of course the third:
3. Screw all other drivers; undertake anyone you deem to be not speeding as much as they should be in the lane left to them and always be swerving, swerving towards victory.

gobo99

Number 1. Free up left lane for merging traffic if required.

Pseudorandom

I tend to be driving on the M50 at peak hours anyway so it all becomes quite irrelevant because everyone is bumper to bumper, but it usually does seem like I'll be blocking people merging if I stay in the furthest left lane?

eeguy

Pseudorandom wrote: »

I tend to be driving on the M50 at peak hours anyway so it all becomes quite irrelevant because everyone is bumper to bumper, but it usually does seem like I'll be blocking people merging if I stay in the furthest left lane?

I suppose people think it's too much effort to stay left. Just tootle along in the middle for he minimum of fuss.

RayM

If traffic is heavy, I usually stick to the fast lane and do whatever speed the cars in front of me are doing. If I get stuck behind a slow one, I'll move over and let someone else bully them out of the way. I tend to avoid the left lane unless the road is quiet, because constant lane-changing is one of the things that causes bottlenecks on the M50.

Hilly Bill

Pseudorandom wrote: »

I tend to be driving on the M50 at peak hours anyway so it all becomes quite irrelevant because everyone is bumper to bumper, but it usually does seem like I'll be blocking people merging if I stay in the furthest left lane?

You wont be blocking anyone , if you stay in the furthest lane then you will go straight off at the next exit. If you are in the first lane then you just let cars merge in order.

Cookie_Monster

Pseudorandom wrote: »

I've seen two main theories put forward:
1. Stay as far left as you can unless you have to overtake. As soon as you can move left again do so.

In theory this

Pseudorandom wrote: »

3. Screw all other drivers; undertake anyone you deem to be not speeding as much as they should be in the lane left to them and always be swerving, swerving towards victory.

In reality this

The Bishop Basher

RayM wrote: »

If traffic is heavy, I usually stick to the fast lane and do whatever speed the cars in front of me are doing. If I get stuck behind a slow one, I'll move over and let someone else bully them out of the way. I tend to avoid the left lane unless the road is quiet, because constant lane-changing is one of the things that causes bottlenecks on the M50.

And you were trying to lecture me on another thread about how to drive on a motorway..

You and people like you are the problem.

The reality is many people end up choosing option 3 because people like RayM decide to sit in the "fast lane".

It only takes a couple of people driving like this to screw it up for everyone else and the problem is we have lots of them.

And not being taught as part of the test is no excuse. None of us were taught as part of the test so we either looked it up or figured it out for ourselves.

dbagman

I was cruising down it one day a good few years ago now off peak hours keeping to the middle lane to allow people merge and keeping the outside lane free. Here was me thinking to myself I was being a very considerate driver. I spy in my rear view a Garda bike. He proceeds to overtake and pull in front of me, jam on his brakes and usher me into he left hand lane with his hand. Me thinking sh1t what's this about only for him to then speed off and do the same to other vehicles in front of me. Now when I say he jammed on the brakes I had to hit my own hard enough to stop from rear ending him. Iv no idea what or why as there was nothing behind me and even if there was they could use the outside lane to overtake. To this day I can only assume he was having a ****ty day himself coz there really was no need for it. Suffice to say option 3 in the OP applies those that are meant to know the correct way to drive on it too it would seem. No sooner had he done it and I was back in the middle lane to allow a car merge anyway. Maybe it was his first day......driving.

theteal

Keep left unless overtaking. It can't be put more simply than that. Now its been quite a few years since I did the daily m50 commute but back then the left driving lane was always the quickest moving anyway because of....well, Irish drivers!

If changing lanes when needed is too much effort for you then you're part of the problem. Driving is supposed to take effort, you're supposed to be alert. Too many people switch their brain off when behind the wheel and this greatly adds to the problems on Irish roads.

theteal

By the way, I genuinely can't tell if people are trolling with some of the responses here

The Bishop Basher

I'm not condoning his actions but he probably just had a total pain in his arse watching people like you hog the middle lane.

Why do Irish people find the concept of keeping left so incredibly difficult to understand ?

Borderfox

Quite a lot of people are too lazy to steer or indicate on the roads.

I work with a guy who's idea of driving on the M50 is to go straight into lane 3 and stay there for the whole trip and then at the last minute to go for the slip road

I drive left and allow merging traffic in and overtake right, its simple and requires effort.

Gaoth Laidir

theteal wrote: »

Keep left unless overtaking. It can't be put more simply than that. Now its been quite a few years since I did the daily m50 commute but back then the left driving lane was always the quickest moving anyway because of....well, Irish drivers!

If changing lanes when needed is too much effort for you then you're part of the problem. Driving is supposed to take effort, you're supposed to be alert. Too many people switch their brain when behind the wheel and this greatly adds to the problems on Irish roads.

Completely agree. To those people who advocate sticking to the middle lane "to allow others to merge": nonsense. It's not as if there's a steady stream of merging traffic. There are on and off ramps every couple of kilometres, on average, not every 100 metres, so ffs please keep out of the middle lane and only use it for overtaking.

We drive on the LEFT in Ireland. Links fahren. Conduire à gauche. However, most of the time I see the middle and right lane busier than the left lane, which is opposite to how it should be and is how it is on the continent. I would LOVE to see some of you guys driving in Germany. You would last 2 minutes before you'd be flashed and hooted tf out of the way. That policeman was right.

Gaoth Laidir

dbagman wrote: »

I was cruising down it one day a good few years ago now off peak hours keeping to the middle lane to allow people merge and keeping the outside lane free. Here was me thinking to myself I was being a very considerate driver...

You were being an a-hole.

Bushmanpm

Keep left in lane one (nearside lane)
Merging traffic are joining YOUR lane, THEY give way to you. They should set their speed appropriate to the lane they are joining. Sometimes if the spacing gets a bit tight, lane one drivers may need to ease off the throttle a little
(not slam on the brakes!) and only in rare cases should a driver in lane one move to lane two.
This is such a basic concept that is unfortunately lost on most drivers. This adds to all the lane changing and general slowing of traffic.
Equally you'll always get a 'turbo nutter b'stard' roaring down the slip road so I always have a check of my nearside door mirror when passing a slip road.

Macy0161

Pseudorandom wrote: »

I've seen two main theories put forward:
1. Stay as far left as you can unless you have to overtake. As soon as you can move left again do so.

It's not a theory, it's the rules of the road. Keep left unless overtaking.

If you can be undertaken, you're in the wrong lane. It's driving lane, and one (or more) over taking lanes. It's not complicated, no matter what convoluted excuses people try to make.

The Bishop Basher

Macy0161 wrote: »

If you can be undertaken, you're in the wrong lane.

This sums it up perfectly..

No ifs, buts or ands about it..

Brian?

Macy0161 wrote: »

It's not a theory, it's the rules of the road. Keep left unless overtaking.

If you can be undertaken, you're in the wrong lane. It's driving lane, and one (or more) over taking lanes. It's not complicated, no matter what convoluted excuses people try to make.

100% correct. I overtake people on the left every time I use a 3 lane road in Ireland. I do the speed limit in the left most lane. I'm overtaking slow moving traffic, perfectly legal and safe.

veliktom

It's worse on the N7 inbound (Naas dual carriageway). I always go to lane 1 when the motorway ends but lane 1 of the M7 becomes lane 2 of the N7, so most drivers don't bother to change lanes. I'm doing the speed limit in lane 1, undertaking a line of slower moving traffic in lane 2, and the speedsters are whizzing along in lane 3. Completely nuts.

dbagman

Swanner wrote:

I'm not condoning his actions but he probably just had a total pain in his arse watching people like you hog the middle lane.

I was approaching a slip road, and as such anticipating merging traffic. Which is exactly what happened. To me that classes as being alert as much as being aware of what's around you. Expect the unexpected and all that. Id hardly class it hogging the middle lane. If my memory serves me right I was approaching the n7 turn off heading north so probably the busiest stretch of it. And the widest.

dbagman

Gaoth Laidir wrote:

We drive on the LEFT in Ireland. Links fahren. Conduire à gauche. However, most of the time I see the middle and right lane busier than the left lane, which is opposite to how it should be and is how it is on the continent. I would LOVE to see some of you guys driving in Germany. You would last 2 minutes before you'd be flashed and hooted tf out of the way. That policeman was right.

So you condone dangerous driving to prove a point? Yet I'm the a hole. Good lad.

dbagman

Bushmanpm wrote:

Keep left in lane one (nearside lane) Merging traffic are joining YOUR lane, THEY give way to you. They should set their speed appropriate to the lane they are joining. Sometimes if the spacing gets a bit tight, lane one drivers may need to ease off the throttle a little (not slam on the brakes!) and only in rare cases should a driver in lane one move to lane two. This is such a basic concept that is unfortunately lost on most drivers. This adds to all the lane changing and general slowing of traffic. Equally you'll always get a 'turbo nutter b'stard' roaring down the slip road so I always have a check of my nearside door mirror when passing a slip road.

To the best of my knowledge that is incorrect. The person merging should match their speed to that of the main road correct, but in most cases they are running out of road. For them to speed up to match the m50 only for some d1ck to cut them off because "they're entering my lane" is an a hole if ever there was one. They have no where to go once the slip ends. Are you suggesting they grind to a halt for fear of upsetting the people in the lane they're trying to join. Common courtesy and good driving to allow them enter and better again to get out of the lane completely so you avoid having to slow down to accommodate them. There in lies the congestion problem.

theteal

dbagman wrote: »

I was approaching a slip road, and as such anticipating merging traffic. Which is exactly what happened. To me that classes as being alert as much as being aware of what's around you. Expect the unexpected and all that. Id hardly class it hogging the middle lane. If my memory serves me right I was approaching the n7 turn off heading north so probably the busiest stretch of it. And the widest.

Sorry dude, this doesn't wash. You said it was off peak. The garda had plenty of open road to brake in front of you and usher to the driving lane. It definitely doesn't sound like a busy on-ramp. If he saw you move to accommodate traffic entering the motorway and then move back to the driving lane I dare say his/her intervention wouldn't have happened.

KwackerJack

The M50 standard is........In the middle lane, at 80kph and yapping on your phone.


The Driving standard on the M50 is worse than a drunken joyride on GTA5 at half 3 in the morning.

You always get these muppets who when in the right lane holding up traffic flash you as you pass them out in the middle lane??

And don't get me started on merging.......trying to merge onto the M50 is like flying a microlight through the centre of Baghdad dressed as George Bush.

When you try to merge every driver speeds up so they can get ahead of you resulting in you slowing down and entering the motorway at a ridiculously slow speed.

Senna

dbagman wrote: »

I was cruising down it one day a good few years ago now off peak hours keeping to the middle lane to allow people merge and keeping the outside lane free. Here was me thinking to myself I was being a very considerate driver. I spy in my rear view a Garda bike. He proceeds to overtake and pull in front of me, jam on his brakes and usher me into he left hand lane with his hand. Me thinking sh1t what's this about only for him to then speed off and do the same to other vehicles in front of me. Now when I say he jammed on the brakes I had to hit my own hard enough to stop from rear ending him. Iv no idea what or why as there was nothing behind me and even if there was they could use the outside lane to overtake. To this day I can only assume he was having a ****ty day himself coz there really was no need for it. Suffice to say option 3 in the OP applies those that are meant to know the correct way to drive on it too it would seem. No sooner had he done it and I was back in the middle lane to allow a car merge anyway. Maybe it was his first day......driving.

So the guard is trying to teach you how to drive on a motorway correctly, yet it must be his/her first day or maybe hes in a bad mood!!
Classic example of Irish driving, even when a trained member of the garda is showing you the correct way, you don't believe him and go straight back to driving in the wrong lane.

The Bishop Basher

dbagman wrote: »

I was approaching a slip road, and as such anticipating merging traffic.

It's up to the merging traffic to anticipate you. Not the other way round..

dbagman wrote: »

Id hardly class it hogging the middle lane.

Let me remind you what you posted...

dbagman wrote: »

I was cruising down it one day a good few years ago now off peak hours keeping to the middle lane to allow people merge and keeping the outside lane free.

So you were most definitely hogging the middle lane.

It's worrying how many people are posting in these threads, describing the manner in which they hog the middle and outside lanes while convinced they are in the right. It's no wonder the M50 is the mess it is..

We need a massive education campaign backed up with proper enforcement but this being Ireland of course we'll do absolutely nothing.

mojesius

Stay left, unless you're overtaking. Move back to the left lane when you're finished overtaking. Unfortunately, because of so many 90kmph middle-lane hoggers, this sounds easy in theory but difficult in practice, so I tend to just stay in the left lane, which is often completely clear as many drivers think of it as a merging lane or a 'slow lane for HGVs'. I really dislike undertaking but I'm not going to slow down to 80kph just because John and Mary are too busy floating along in the middle lane, oblivious to anything going on around them.

I often have to drive the M50 off-peak joining at N3 junction and take the city centre ramp, moving into middle lane when the sign appears to do so. The amount of sitting lane-hoggers in the middle lane or 'fast lane' who complete dangerous last-minute swerves way after the signs to the left lanes towards M1/airport is unreal.

First Up

Swanner wrote:

We need a massive education campaign backed up with proper enforcement but this being Ireland of course we'll do absolutely nothing.

Reading this (and other) threads, the scale of the education campaign that is needed comes into clear focus.

Daunting, but I can't imagine what other priority should rank higher with the RSA and traffic police.

xabi

dbagman wrote: »

To the best of my knowledge that is incorrect. The person merging should match their speed to that of the main road correct, but in most cases they are running out of road. For them to speed up to match the m50 only for some d1ck to cut them off because "they're entering my lane" is an a hole if ever there was one. They have no where to go once the slip ends. Are you suggesting they grind to a halt for fear of upsetting the people in the lane they're trying to join. Common courtesy and good driving to allow them enter and better again to get out of the lane completely so you avoid having to slow down to accommodate them. There in lies the congestion problem.

Nonsense

Fieldsman

I can't understand Dbabman's amazement at the garda's gesture to get over in the left lane. It's drivers like him that cause a lot of the tailbacks.

Bushmanpm

dbagman wrote:

To the best of my knowledge that is incorrect. The person merging should match their speed to that of the main road correct, but in most cases they are running out of road. For them to speed up to match the m50 only for some d1ck to cut them off because "they're entering my lane" is an a hole if ever there was one. They have no where to go once the slip ends. Are you suggesting they grind to a halt for fear of upsetting the people in the lane they're trying to join. Common courtesy and good driving to allow them enter and better again to get out of the lane completely so you avoid having to slow down to accommodate them. There in lies the congestion problem.

Annalise it and we're both correct. Obviously common courtesy from the driver in lane one is to help the merging vehicle, hence me saying ease off the throttle. Obviously don't be a knobhead and deliberately block them, that goes without saying, but the fact is THEY are joining YOUR lane, technically YOU have right of way.
How many people stay in lane two because of merging traffic? A, loads! How many people stay in lane three because of said people in lane two?
It is more efficient for vehicles to stay in their lanes to aid the traffic flow.

bobbyss

Given a motorway reasonably clear and you are in the left lane, is there any legal minimum speed you must maintain? Is there any law that specifies this?

Sterling Archer

Stay in 1, move to 2 to let others merge in necessary, S for sliproads, not really hard

Sterling Archer

bobbyss wrote: »

Given a motorway reasonably clear and you are in the left lane, is there any legal minimum speed you must maintain? Is there any law that specifies this?

Magic, Google found it for me, even prompted me

Seth Brundle

dbagman wrote: »

Are you suggesting they grind to a halt for fear of upsetting the people in the lane they're trying to join. Common courtesy and good driving to allow them enter and better again to get out of the lane completely so you avoid having to slow down to accommodate them. There in lies the congestion problem.

If you are trying to merge onto a motorway and cannot then by law you must stop and give way to the existing traffic on the motorway until it is safe to merge.
A driver intending to merge has no absolute right to just join the motorway. They cannot cross the hatched markings or drive on the hard shoulder and therefore, if they run out of space on the slip road they stop and wait.

Seth Brundle

Shane_ef wrote: »

Stay in 1, move to 2 to let others merge in necessary, S for sliproads, not really hard

...and for reference to the masses, lanes two and three are both overtaking lanes. We do not have "fast" lanes.

bobbyss

Shane_ef wrote: »

Magic, Google found it for me, even prompted me

Thanks. Wow. That seems very slow for a motorway. 30 MPH?

(I am no solicitor but that 1994 Act says maximum speed on a motorway is 70 mph. Section 44 I think.)

dbagman

Swanner wrote:

So you were most definitely hogging the middle lane.

I should clarify. I moved into the middle lane approaching a slip road. I didn't know there was traffic merging but it being the busiest part of the road I was sure there would be. This is when the guard did what he did. And not seconds later I was back in the middle lane to accomodate the traffic trying to merge. You most definitely can use the middle lane to allow merging traffic. And anyone claiming you should slow down when the middle lane is free or just keep going because " they're joining my lane" are very much in the wrong.
I also find it startling that some are claiming the guard was in the right in what he did in my story above. Pulling in front of someone and hitting the brakes to the point where they have to jam on is far from the right thing to do. Regardless of circumstance. And whether you believe me when I tell you that's what happened or not is besides the point. I know what happened and it was dangerous on the behalf of the guard. I can guarantee they're not shown that manoeuvre in their training.

dbagman

Swanner wrote:

It's up to the merging traffic to anticipate you. Not the other way round..

So you're one of those that plough on regardless in the left lane and feck anyone trying to merge into it. You are therefore part of the problem.

Seth Brundle

dbagman wrote: »

I should clarify. I moved into the middle lane approaching a slip road. I didn't know there was traffic merging but it being the busiest part of the road I was sure there would be. This is when the guard did what he did. And not seconds later I was back in the middle lane to accomodate the traffic trying to merge. You most definitely can use the middle lane to allow merging traffic. And anyone claiming you should slow down when the middle lane is free or just keep going because " they're joining my lane" are very much in the wrong.
I also find it startling that some are claiming the guard was in the right in what he did in my story above. Pulling in front of someone and hitting the brakes to the point where they have to jam on is far from the right thing to do. Regardless of circumstance. And whether you believe me when I tell you that's what happened or not is besides the point. I know what happened and it was dangerous on the behalf of the guard. I can guarantee they're not shown that manoeuvre in their training.

1. You changed lane for no good reason. There was nobody trying to merge. There is abundant slip road to see cars intending to merge to take action were it required.
2. Garda behind you sees your move and indicates to you to move back into the correct lane.
3. Garda has done their job and moved on.
4. You tell the internet where many people refuse to believe that a garda on a motorbike brake tested you. I've never, ever seen a motorbike rider "hit the brakes" to force a motorist to drive within the law because they know full well that if and when they do this when in front of a moron driver they are highly likely to get dead!

The Bishop Basher

kbannon wrote: »

If you are trying to merge onto a motorway and cannot then by law you must stop and give way to the existing traffic on the motorway until it is safe to merge.

Spent a few days in court a few years ago as a witness.

A case came up where a driver pulled onto the M11 and was rear ended by a squad car who was giving chase at the time. The driver had jammed on while merging to avoid the car being chased and joined the motorway at low speed. They were subsequently hit by the squad car. The lady was indignant that she was right. The judge found against her as it's the duty of the person joining the motorway to ensure they do so safely and without impeding traffic already in the lane.

It's a no brainer yet that lady and so many on here don't even get that basic rule..

Kinda scary how incompetent some of the people we share the roads with are to be honest.

KwackerJack

kbannon wrote: »

If you are trying to merge onto a motorway and cannot then by law you must stop and give way to the existing traffic on the motorway until it is safe to merge.
A driver intending to merge has no absolute right to just join the motorway. They cannot cross the hatched markings or drive on the hard shoulder and therefore, if they run out of space on the slip road they stop and wait.

Then why have a merging lane...why not have a junction with traffic lights?

To me the idea if a merging lane is to merge.....not stop and cause a tail back because you simply cannot enter the motorway due to arrogant drivers who think they own the motorway because they are already on it.........

Why can't they move over or adjust there speed allow you to enter ahead or behind.

Say I am in the right lane overtaking traffic, a car in the middle lane wishes to merge to the right lane to also overtake, do I stay at my speed and allow him in front or do I speed up and scream how dare you try to merge onto MY LANE???

Tayschren

kbannon wrote: »

If you are trying to merge onto a motorway and cannot then by law you must stop and give way to the existing traffic on the motorway until it is safe to merge.
A driver intending to merge has no absolute right to just join the motorway. They cannot cross the hatched markings or drive on the hard shoulder and therefore, if they run out of space on the slip road they stop and wait.

This folks is the important one, along with stay left and move right only to overtake.

But to expand, this rule should be modified for merging into the overtaking lanes, not just for the driver trying to merge right but for the drivers in the right lanes.

I may be wrong but using a right indicator to merge right into the overtaking lane when there is no clear access (no gap to safely enter and your not at the right speed) to the lane is aggressive and dangerous as the cars passing on the right have to make a call on whether your a numpty of just trying to move into the lane in an unsafe manner.

This is one of the major problems on the M50
*When using the overtaking lane correctly You dont have to slow down just because Mary in the left lane has her indicator on! Especially of there are a large number of cars behind and if the car entering the overtaking lane is slower than the line of traffic you are in!
^ in saying that its hard to judge if the gob**** with his indicator on is doing it on purpose to get access or they dont see you :-(

Seth Brundle

Swanner wrote: »

Spent a few days in court a few years ago as a witness.

A case came up where a driver pulled onto the M11 and was rear ended by a squad car who was giving chase at the time. The driver had jammed on while merging to avoid the car being chased and joined the motorway at low speed. They were subsequently hit by the squad car. The lady was indignant that she was right. The judge found against her as it's the duty of the person joining the motorway to ensure they do so safely and without impeding traffic already in the lane.

It's a no brainer yet that lady and so many on here don't even get that basic rule..

Kinda scary how incompetent some of the people we share the roads with are to be honest.

I'm quite sure a woman was killed by a truck after merging from the N4 onto the M50. The facts haven't been made public AFAIK but if you use the M50 frequently you will see why poor merging is the likely hypothesis.

First Up

dbagman wrote:

So you're one of those that plough on regardless in the left lane and feck anyone trying to merge into it. You are therefore part of the problem.

Responsibilites for both. If the middle lane is clear, use it to make room for those merging. If it isn't, be decent about it.

Those merging - don't join until/unless there is room. If that means waiting, so be it but most times you will be let in.

But I've lost count of the times I've let someone merge and then watched them bully their way into the middle lane, where they intend to sit for the duration.

Jobs OXO

Stay in the fast lane at the speed limit.

First Up

Jobs OXO wrote:

Stay in the fast lane at the speed limit.

FFS.

Sterling Archer

Jobs OXO wrote: »

Stay in the fast lane at the speed limit.

What Fast lane?
Ireland doesn't have fast lanes

The Bishop Basher

dbagman wrote: »

So you're one of those that plough on regardless in the left lane and feck anyone trying to merge into it. You are therefore part of the problem.

Of course yes I ram them off the road if they get in my way..

Ffs this thread is depressing..

You have a bunch of people here trying to explain it to you and you're still not getting it. I wouldn't normally give a **** but we have to share the road with people like you.. At best you are an annoyance on the road, at worst you will kill someone.

If you don't believe us go ask the RSA or the gardai but please go educate yourself before you kill someone.

KwackerJack

kbannon wrote: »

I'm quite sure a woman was killed by a truck after merging from the N4 onto the M50. The facts haven't been made public AFAIK but if you use the M50 frequently you will see why poor merging is the likely hypothesis.

There is a lot of talk about stopping whilst trying to merge. Obviously in heavy traffic this would be the case.

Lets say the traffic is flowing nicely. Mary glides down the slip road and sees that the left lane is full and obviously moving faster. So she will do what everyone else does and forces ger way out and goes on her merry way.

In a different scenario she decides to obey the law and come to a dead stop on the slip road and wait for a clear exit.......she would be abused to the highest level by every single driver behind her resulting in people going around her and noe she is a hazard and causing other drivers to make dangerous moves to get by her


Just because it's law It doesn't make it right.....the majority of laws in ireland have not kept up with society