Dublin & Belfast rush hour traffic queries

Asdfgh2020 · 01-01-2023 02:24PM #1

I'm intending to take a car ferry from either Larne (P&O) or Belfast (Stena) in February. The ferry departure time is 12pm, I'm in the south east and think that to arrive at either location 1 hour in advance of departure I'll have to allow 5 hours for the trip i.e. leave home at 6am. I'm fairly familiar with Dublin rush hour/M50 delays etc. In non rush hour times, I can get to Red Cow Rbt/Interchange in 1 hour 40mins and be at Dublin Airport in 2 hours, however if I arrive at the Nass Rd M9/M7 at around 7:30am, how long would it take to get to the M1 north of Airport? 1/2 hour, 45 mins or 1 hour?

Assuming that I get to north of the Airport by 8:30am, is 2.5 hours sufficient to get to either Larne of Belfast port? Google Maps estimates the trip to be 2.0 hours. but given the time that I will likely hit the outskirts of Belfast which will be say 10am, what will traffic be like on a typical week day? Will I get to Belfast Port or Larne within an hour of say from the Musgrave Park area. Google maps says yes but I'm not sure how much it takes into account typical commute times and delays?

Any advice is welcome.

loyatemu · 01-01-2023 03:00PM

if you put the actual time into google it will factor in average traffic conditions for the time of day.

mct1 · 01-01-2023 03:29PM

I think you've got it about right. We used to do this trip from Wexford town a couple of times a year though it'd be faster now with the Enniscorthy bypass. Say 4 1/2 hours for the drive, including a stop on the way, and an extra 30 minutes should allow for unforseen tailbacks on the M50. The Belfast end was never a problem - even though you go through the city it's mostly flyover/ bypass / motorway. No harm to arrive a bit early and wait in the car queue, or they might let you on.

That's Stena by the way, Larne is about 20 minutes further but a shorter stop should cover that.

Vic_08 · 01-01-2023 07:59PM

Belfast is quick to get through, particularly northbound, outside of the typical 7.30-9am rush hour.

Unless there is a big saving my preference would be Stena, the ships are much nicer.

If Stena, make sure you go to the correct terminal, it is Victoria Terminal 4 for the Cairnryan ferry.

Dublin & Belfast rush hour traffic queries

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