Motorway Closures

Eircom_Sucks

recently i was comming back from ashbourne to finglas on the M2 motorway and they were carrying out roadworks and basically it was all closed from ashbourne to finglas and had to be re-directed through kilshane to the back of the airport to get back into finglas , yes first world problems i know

my question is what if somebody was having a medical emergency or a baby and family were to drive them to hospital etc , what happens when time is of the essence and these works were going on , how would you react to this ??

happens alot on the M50 at like 11 or 12 at night when sliproads are closed etc , personally its shocking for this to be going on , i get they need to be doing works but to close a whole motorway or slip road , can they not do 1 lane at a time or something and at least leave it open should anybody have these issues

pjordan

I have a certain sympathy and appreciation for your frustration but...

Firstly, there is always and alternative route. It might take a bit longer but such closures are usually flagged in advance.

Secondly, lane closures might seem more logical to you but logistically, for overnight works, a full closure at ramps is probably easier achieved and more effective (and safer for those carrying out the works)

Thirdly, in comparasion to the situation on UK motorways where contraflows are frequently utilised, this might seem illogical. But I'd say that is dictated by volume of traffic which even at night in UK is likely to clog alternative routes and I've also seen full UK closures (Last summer coming down the M1 into London I'd planned to go the M25 out to Essex but entire section of M25 closed so had to go round the NCR instead - a bit slower certainly but got there eventually albeit about 1/2 hour later)

Eircom_Sucks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611297#Comment_120611297

i came onto the M2 at the Pillo hotel and no road signage up ( well not at the time i went onto it ) only when i got down to the ashbourne turn off was it notified of road closure all the way to finglas , thank go i didnt have any medial issues were time is of the essence , these things happen to some folk and hope the closures never cause any deaths

Cookiemunster

Local emergency services will be well aware of road closures and alternative routes.

Eircom_Sucks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611648#Comment_120611648

missing what i'm saying

what if you're wife or family member needed urgent care and you thought you needed to go asap and no time to wait for an ambulance , and you were caught in this closures etc

Kimbot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611686#Comment_120611686

Well then you have no choice but to follow the diversions just like everyone else. Roads need to be closed from time to time and slight diversions are part of that.

magicbastarder

"it was all closed from ashbourne to finglas" - i thought they were just doing the couple of km nearest the M50?

they did that stretch recently northbound, didn't know if they were doing any further north than that. it hardly needed it anyway? seems like a massive waste of money.

Seth Brundle

Given that those closures are well into off-peak hours, can you quantify the extra time needed to follow the diversion?

Eircom_Sucks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611745#Comment_120611745

well i came off at ashbourne and drove down the old N2 and wanted to come on opposite coldwinters and no signs at all , until i hit that small roundabout heading onto the motorway , so had to turn back and head up to kilshane cross and head the back of the airport back into finglas , prob extra 20 mins

i should point out i originall came off at 9 mile roundabout to head onto the M2 motorway and could not access in the direction of Finglas , so had to take the diverted route back up to the Pillo Hotel

Eircom_Sucks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120611713#Comment_120611713

was all the way to finglas

waste of money if you ask me as i use that road a few times a week and no issues so no idea why the upgrade , prob to spend the budget before it's gone

Covidhaveago

Random aside: I remember a few years back going through the Fermoy toll NB late one night and being directed to exit motorway at the next junction as the road was closed for works. Came back online onto the Fermoy-Mitchelstown section, cheeky sods.

plodder

When I lived in Germany 25 years ago they used to (and still) have a permanent network of diversion signage. They are small plates attached to regular signs with codes on them like U1, U2 etc (U is the initial letter of the German word for diversion). So, many if not all stretches of motorway between any two junctions would have a diversion route already mapped out in case the motorway is blocked by an accident or for maintenance. All they need is one or two temporary signs telling you to follow the U1, or U20 or whatever. They'd also call the information out on the traffic reports on RDS radio. I don't think RDS was ever used for that here. We also setup something similar to the UK system of diversions with coloured shapes on signs. Could be wrong, but I'm not aware of that ever being used either. I've never seen or heard it being used.

Chris_5339762

They do have them on the M50.

https://www.tii.ie/news/press-releases/new-m50-emergency-diversi/

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120637404#Comment_120637404

Those oddly shaped yellow signs and symbols on the M50 signs are exactly that, diversion routes in the event of road closures/accidents etc., No?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120638289#Comment_120638289

Bah, should have refreshed before posting

plodder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120638289#Comment_120638289

Yeah, they're the ones I was referring to. I've seen them, but never heard anything about them or how to use them. Why are there two different symbols on that sign in $hifty's post, for example? There's no date on the press release either.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120638698#Comment_120638698

Two different routes, depending on where you're going and what the diversion is. I've never actually heard it but the premise is that they'll announce "closure of M50 between junction X and junction Y, please follow all [black diamond]/[black circle] diversion routes etc.". The diamond one might only skip a couple of exits while the circle one stays off for 5 or 6.

Pete_Cavan

Was looking for a thread to post this and couldn't find a proper M1 thread so this seemed like the best place.

https://consult.fingal.ie/en/consultation/temporary-closure-m1-southbound-between-junction-5-and-junction-4-and-m1-northbound-between-junction

TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF M1 SOUTHBOUND  

 BETWEEN JUNCTION 5 AND JUNCTION 4   

AND  

M1 NORTHBOUND BETWEEN JUNCTION 6 AND JUNCTION 7 

 

An application has been received from Swarco UK & Ireland Ltd. on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland for permission to temporarily close for the purpose of installing Variable Message Signs. It is proposed that the road will be closed at the below dates and times: 

 

Thursday 1st February 22:00pm - 05:00am Friday 2nd February 

Monday 12th February 22:00pm – 05:00am Tuesday 13th February 

Tuesday 13th February 22:00pm – 05:00am Wednesday 14th February 

Monday 19th February 22:00pm – 05:00am Tuesday 20th February 

Tuesday 20th February 22:00pm – 05:00am Wednesday 21st February 

 

Permitted working hours shall be between 10pm and 5am. No works shall take place on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays. 

cantalach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121601743#Comment_121601743

Those VMS signs really are so useful. The other day, I was wondering what was making it so hard to see much further than 100-200 metres. The VMS signs came to the rescue with a helpful explanation that the nebulous stuff was called “fog”. The next day it was very cold and, again, the VMS solved the mystery - the cold was caused by “freezing conditions”. I really don’t know how we managed to drive for so long without VMS. It’s worth every cent of the tens of millions being spent on it.

_Kaiser_

What I've found a lot anytime I've been diverted off a motorway (take the M8 for example) is that you'll have no advance warning until maybe 2km beforehand and when you find yourself being corralled onto the exit ramp, you'll quickly be left to your own devices after the initial turn, hoping the car ahead might have a better clue or that another sign will appear at some point!

The most dangerous example I came across was northbound in Tipperary late one night. Rounded a bend to find a set of headlights in my face and a Garda standing in front of his car waving traffic onto the exit. Luckily there was little to no traffic and I was paying attention or it could have been messy.

Chris_5339762

I had the same at Banbridge on the A1. Absolutely no warning at all, apart from a U-turn with bollards that took you on the ON RAMP and back up onto the junction. And then a 20 mile detour.