New road markings at Shire's

CUCINA

They've done away with the bus lane and replaced it with two inbound lanes. Then at Avoca drivers on the outside lane have to merge with the INSIDE lane which to me seems a bit odd, if not dangerous. That T junction is dangerous at the best of times (and very dangerous at night time).
Rather than mess around with the road markings on that stretch of road, would it not make more sense to install street lighting at that junction?

Borderfox

Couldn't believe they got permission to remove an inbound bus lane in this day and age and the Avoca junction is not a good decision.

Vicxas

Its really dumb, especially coming from the Navan side, you nearly have to throw yourself into the outside lane to get into the right one.

rizzee

I was waiting for a thread on this.

So coming from Dunshaughlin - Fairyhouse to left, Batterstown to right and Avoca straight ahead - the left lane at roundabout is LEFT TURN ONLY (Fairyhouse/Ratoath) and the RIGHT LANE is for Avoca and Batterstown directions.

I don't agree with it at all, I've been obeying the road markings by staying in the right lane on approach to the roundabout, I've had people in the left lane follow around towards Avoca instead of going towards Ratoath (Although I don't blame them for this) and then swing into the right lane blocking me from entering the road!

There will be an accident soon. I don't agree with the road markings at all.

Borderfox

rizzee wrote: »

I was waiting for a thread on this.

So coming from Dunshaughlin - Fairyhouse to left, Batterstown to right and Avoca straight ahead - the left lane at roundabout is LEFT TURN ONLY (Fairyhouse/Ratoath) and the RIGHT LANE is for Avoca and Batterstown directions.

I don't agree with it at all, I've been obeying the road markings by staying in the right lane on approach to the roundabout, I've had people in the left lane follow around towards Avoca instead of going towards Ratoath (Although I don't blame them for this) and then swing into the right lane blocking me from entering the road!

There will be an accident soon. I don't agree with the road markings at all.

Its not the roundabout we are talking about, its the road passing the new shires building where they removed the bus lane. At the roundabout the left lane is for left and straight ahead and the right lane is for right only unless there is a long queue on the left lane.

rizzee

Borderfox wrote: »

At the roundabout the left lane is for left and straight ahead and the right lane is for right only unless there is a long queue on the left lane.

That's what I was referring to, the new road markings at the roundabout are wrong, take a look when you're going by next!

rizzee

Ah jasus it's chaos. Undertaking, Overtaking, people don't know what to be at!!

fme

I took a look here to check the rules: http://www.drivingschoolireland.com/roundabouts.html
I've never seen a roundabout with 2 lanes in and 2 lanes out not allow the left hand lane to go straight on.
Its daft that the left lane is told to only turn left as very little traffic does that.
I'm not sure what they expect now to go from Dunshaughlin through past Avoca.
To move to right lane approaching the roundabout, but exit it on the left lane.?
There is also now the fight to try and gain (or not lose) a place in line ahead of Avoca.
Also not good for me on the odd occasion of cycling

NufcNavan

I am going to continue to ignore the road markings at that roundabout.

I have always been taught to go into the left lane for turning left and straight ahead, right lane for turning right.

Roundabouts can be chaotic enough for drivers who are unsure of these basic rules without the council making a balls of confusing road markings.

rizzee

Someone put up a video on the Dunshaughlin Grapevine Facebook page about this yesterday, includes a video of the layout.

Bargain_Hound

Very same roundabout layout leaving the Blanchardstown shopping center beside the big liberty / quinn building. Left only to M3 exit on the left lane and straight to blanchardstown village/shopping center.

will56

CUCINA wrote: »

They've done away with the bus lane and replaced it with two inbound lanes. Then at Avoca drivers on the outside lane have to merge with the INSIDE lane which to me seems a bit odd, if not dangerous. That T junction is dangerous at the best of times (and very dangerous at night time).
Rather than mess around with the road markings on that stretch of road, would it not make more sense to install street lighting at that junction?

Its insanity. There's going to be a smash up at Avoca with cars merging, esp as the cars on the inside have right of way so aren't indicating.
The whole N3/M3 and not this road are a nightmare in the morning with everyone seemingly of the opinion that they're commute has priority

DJB

I think the new road markings make sense... if people follow them. On approach from Dunshaughlin, stick to the right lane and when you join the roundabout, stay on the right lane and continue in that lane towards Avoca. This frees up the left lane completely and allows the traffic from Rathoath to use the left lane and stay flowing into the road towards Avoca without any traffic from Trim/Dunshaughlin blocking it. If you look at the traffic build up on a heavy morning, never a slow down from Trim side, Dunshaughlin side is moderate but Rathoath side is always heavy, even when other two are light.

If people stick to it, it might give a cleaner flow through that roundabout. It is going to get heavy while merging at Avoca but

Loosing the bus lane is fine because it's useless if the bus gets stuck on either of the 3 routes up to the roundabout.

marketty

Lads did ye not get the memo. This stretch of road is being made as painful as possible to 'encourage' you to go through the toll. I gave up about a year ago when they started building Shires. Another tax on going to work of about €50 a month but sure it's an easier life and much less chance of a tip

marketty

Lads did ye not get the memo. This stretch of road is being made as painful as possible to 'encourage' you to go through the toll. I gave up about a year ago when they started building Shires. Another tax on going to work of about €50 a month but sure it's an easier life and much less chance of a tip

Maysa07

Wow, Can't believe i'm only seeing this thread now. I normally take the toll but decided to come down the N3 this morning from Dunshaughlin, and it was a complete disaster! After the fairy house roundabout their were so many cars on the inside lane, I thought they were heading left into shire. Then both lanes merged into one so thought the "zip" system would work but sure enough, no one would let anyone merge, lots of cars blowing their horns, lights flashing etc.. Absolutely chaotic!

I commuting from Dunshaughlin to Dublin this last 25 years, and as other posters pointed out, when im approaching a round about with two lanes, left lane is for left and straight, right lane is for the third exit..

NufcNavan

I never do this road during rush hour but I can imagine the chaos.

The markings on the roundabout are a farce. So are the two lanes merging. The road markings want the right lane to merge into the left yet it's the left that has to merge with the right!

Borderfox

DJB wrote: »

I think the new road markings make sense... if people follow them. On approach from Dunshaughlin, stick to the right lane and when you join the roundabout, stay on the right lane and continue in that lane towards Avoca. This frees up the left lane completely and allows the traffic from Rathoath to use the left lane and stay flowing into the road towards Avoca without any traffic from Trim/Dunshaughlin blocking it. If you look at the traffic build up on a heavy morning, never a slow down from Trim side, Dunshaughlin side is moderate but Rathoath side is always heavy, even when other two are light.

If people stick to it, it might give a cleaner flow through that roundabout. It is going to get heavy while merging at Avoca but

Loosing the bus lane is fine because it's useless if the bus gets stuck on either of the 3 routes up to the roundabout.

They don't make sense and are not legal according to the rules of the road, in this day when they are trying to encourage public transport use the removal of a bus lane to facilitate a multi national company is beyond belief

chewed

Borderfox wrote: »

They don't make sense and are not legal according to the rules of the road, in this day when they are trying to encourage public transport use the removal of a bus lane to facilitate a multi national company is beyond belief

Any idea how many people will be working in Shire when it's fully up and running? I'd imagine it's going to be chaotic on this road in the mornings, especially at the lights to allow workers in from the Dublin side.

GeneHunt

chewed wrote: »

Any idea how many people will be working in Shire when it's fully up and running? I'd imagine it's going to be chaotic on this road in the mornings, especially at the lights to allow workers in from the Dublin side.

Currently I believe there's over 800 working in Shire as part of the construction and going by this article in The Times there will by 400 workers in there when it's fully operational.

A320

A lot of the 400 will be shift workers so probably won't be on the road at peak times.

Colm R

Just noticed the sign at the sign as you exit the roundabout. Something to the effect of:



Bus lane not in operation until Q4 2019.

Borderfox

Which b

Colm R wrote: »

Just noticed the sign at the sign as you exit the roundabout. Something to the effect of:



Bus lane not in operation until Q4 2019.

Which bus lane does that refer to? is it the southbound from fairyhouse down to Avoca or the other direction?
u

Colm R

Borderfox wrote: »

Which b

Which bus lane does that refer to? is it the southbound from fairyhouse down to Avoca or the other direction?
u

Yep, Southbound to Avoca coming from Dunshaughlin/Fairyhouse.


I can't be certain, its on a roundabout so not easy to read. But I think, before it said:


Bus lane temporarily not in operation.


Whereas now it says


Bus lane not in operation util Q4 2019.





It will be Monday before I pass that way again, so I'll have a better look then.

fme

Also with the space they've had to work with on this stretch you think someone might have considered a segregated cycle path. More dangerous for cyclists now with cars undertaking on that inside lane...
Same goes for the new Willows estate outside Dunshaughlin. Two very wide paths, presumably one for cyclists, yet it ends in a sudden high kerb...

Vicxas

Planning at its finest, even with that new estate they could/should have put a path between the estate and the Esso garage, but no the path ends abruptly and you need to walk on the road to it.

Archeron

NufcNavan wrote: »

I never do this road during rush hour but I can imagine the chaos.

The markings on the roundabout are a farce. So are the two lanes merging. The road markings want the right lane to merge into the left yet it's the left that has to merge with the right!

Even the arrow painted on the road looks like it had to have its neck broken to point the way they wanted.

CUCINA

It's getting tiring now, as well as dangerous, having to play this cat-and-mouse game at the Avoca merge..can anyone say definitively who has right of way?

The left curving arrow on the outside lane would suggest that people in this lane should yield to those merging from the inside lane. Those in the left lane might might therefore assume that they have right of way.

They say that the essence of good driving is having consideration for other road users but this section of roadway really puts that to the test.

Lately, I have been sticking to the inside lane, then being ultra aware of what the driver in the other lane is doing as the merge approaches. More often than not, those in the outside lane tend to accelerate to get ahead of me. If I was like-minded, then we'd have a coalition of the unwilling, as they say on Radio Nova!

GeneHunt

I don't travel this road during rush hour but I can imagine the chaos at those times. Even when I am on the road especially at the fairyhouse roundabout, it's blood boiling, If you follow the current layout, you get undertaking, or cut off by someone not going around the roundabout but going straight through it. I hate the current layout, but I'm looking on the bright side it will only be for another year (I HOPE). Once the Shire plant is up and running, with the construction complete, the bus lane is to be reinstated.

rizzee

GeneHunt wrote: »

Once the Shire plant is up and running, with the construction complete, the bus lane is to be reinstated.

We will still get people using the bus lane then unfortunately :mad:

Borderfox

CUCINA wrote: »

It's getting tiring now, as well as dangerous, having to play this cat-and-mouse game at the Avoca merge..can anyone say definitively who has right of way?

The left curving arrow on the outside lane would suggest that people in this lane should yield to those merging from the inside lane. Those in the left lane might might therefore assume that they have right of way.

They say that the essence of good driving is having consideration for other road users but this section of roadway really puts that to the test.

Lately, I have been sticking to the inside lane, then being ultra aware of what the driver in the other lane is doing as the merge approaches. More often than not, those in the outside lane tend to accelerate to get ahead of me. If I was like-minded, then we'd have a coalition of the unwilling, as they say on Radio Nova!

Driving down it today the inside lane has the straight arrow before Avoca so that lane has right of way

GeneHunt

rizzee wrote: »

We will still get people using the bus lane then unfortunately :mad:

Unfortunately you are quite right, but I think, there's less A#$eHol€s that will try that more. :rolleyes:

CUCINA

I see that they are now (finally) erecting street lighting from Avoca to the M3 access roundabout...some good news at last for this contentious stretch of road.

Hopefully, when/if the bus lane is re-instated, they will do away with A) the "left only" lane at four-horses roundabout and the "merge-to-the-left" road marking at Avoca.

Speaking of Avoca, different subject I know, but it never ceases to amaze me how the car-park is always full there, especially at week-ends. Was there twice and just can't see what the big attraction is...

chewed

CUCINA wrote: »

Speaking of Avoca, different subject I know, but it never ceases to amaze me how the car-park is always full there, especially at week-ends. Was there twice and just can't see what the big attraction is...

I have to agree with you. It's nice to go there once in while, but can't see the big appeal myself. Very overpriced food and tat!