Would you know people who would be scared to drive to the airport or into cities?

Of course.

I know a lady who hasn't driven into Cavan town since they bypassed it and put a roundabout or two in the way! She'd die quicker than drive to Dublin.

One lady in my postgrad course would only drive a new route herself if her husband did a recee drive first, and she would be in the passenger seat. It didn’t even have to be to a big town, just any unknown destination that she hadn’t been to before. If that wasn’t possible, they would have to rearrange their schedule so that he could drive her to wherever she had to be.

My old pair would no more drive to Dublin than fly to the moon. The last time they drove up to me must have been in 1999. They’d come up as far as Kildare town or Naas, but I would have to meet them there. They never use their free travel passes, but they’re just big homebirds really.

I live out in the suburbs of Dublin, my business partner drives but is heading for his 70's now, stops on dual carrige ways to make sure he's getting the right exit. Scary stuff. i have to plan the routes we take.

If I was to go to Dublin I'd avoid driving in the city centre and get the train or leave the car at the red cow. It's a disaster if you're not used to it. I have no issues getting to the airport or driving around Cork, Galway etc.

I've no problem driving to the airports or in any of the cities and I feel it's quite safe because it's either a motorway with no oncoming traffic or slow moving city traffic. I've had more near misses on some of the country (rural) roads I grew up on.

I dislike the city centre, I'd have to be absolutely guaranteed parking too.

Airport is fine, again if parking is available, set down is so much easier!

I hate the M50 because of all the heavy trucks on it but I don't avoid it.

pgj2015 wrote: »

The problem with driving in Dublin if you are from the country is, you are not used to the heavy traffic, the locals drive too fast and have no patience or manners and very bad road rage, blowing their horns and roaring abuse at other motorist who god forbid make a little mistake while driving around the city.

To be fair, the craziest speeding and tailgating happens on country roads, not in the cities.

I myself wouldn't avoid the city centre but find it a pain as when you don't do it all the time, the amount of lane anticipation and stupid turn restrictions are annoying, especially in Dublin.

i have no problem driving in any city. but dublin is horrible. i avoid it if at all posible.
too much complications and one way streets etc. the biggest problem is that there are no signs that are hepfull to someone who doesnt know the location of all the areas. there are no signs that i could see showing the way to the m 50 or down the m8/7. its all local signs. they have signs for the hospitals and airport etc but none on the way back to help you escape.

you can be driving along and sudenly your in the wrong lane and 50 feet from the turn off and you have to look like a clown trying to move over.

hmmm seems strange to me tbh. When I was learning to drive, in between lessons I'd practice sometimes in the evening/night by driving (from D12 area) into city centre, round by Christchurch, & up Patrick St., Clanbrassil St. and back over the canal towards Harold's cross, terenure & home. No point in learning to drive while avoiding dealing with traffic, but I guess it's different for those who live and commute mainly in rural areas.

The Airport is fine.

Dublin City Center is nuts though. Signs barely exist and GPS is next to useless in the narrow streets. You therefore have to know the lanes etc because if you miss the exact moment and spot to change into one then the person behind you will jump in, cut you off and under no circumstances will they let you back in and concede the one spot advantage they just won in the battle to make it through the next set of traffic lights and save 30 seconds off their 3 hour commute. So you're then facing a 20 minute circuit around a one way system that only civil servants on crack could design to get back and have another go at getting into the same lane.

Screw that. The Dart, Luas, Taxis and Dublin Bus are much better options even though the Dubs are always complaining about them in an effort to get a ****ing multi-billion underground metro system to play with. After the metro it'll be a monorail or something. So don't listen to the spin. Save yourself stress and hassle by using public transportation network in Dublin.

I actively avoided driving in Dublin for the first 10 years of driving just from pure fear.

Then an unforseen event meant I had no choice but to drive into Dublin city centre every day for a month. I was petrified, even though I'd driven for years at that stage. I'd drove in Belfast, Galway, Limerick etc, yet Dublin scared the bejesus out of me.

The first few trips to Dublin were white-knuckle affairs. The fear of being rammed off the road/going the wrong way up one way streets/pedestrians/cyclists/luas/busses/mad taxi drivers...

By the second week I suddenly became one of them. One of those "Dublin Drivers". By the time I'd reach Donnybrook I could out-ar$ehole the lot of them. It did more for my confidence than any rural town driving could ever do. I drive to Waterford every day for work without a second thought, and feel the same about Dublin now. I'm glad I can now drive with confidence everywhere.

My mam won't drive at night, neither will my aunt.