How to approach this Roundabout

The design of the roundabout in itself is clear enough to me. The big problem in this country is the perpetual steel shortage to also put signs next to the road, advising which lanes to use or for example a merger of lanes. As half the time you can barely see the road markings due to traffic in front of you.

Having said that: according to Streetview the left lane already had a left-turn only arrow + the text 'CITY' on it in 2019, so it seems like you've been doing it wrong for quite some time. In all those years, did you always have too much traffic in front of you to see those markings?

If there were no road markings then I'd agree with your approach, the left hand lane for the first and second and exits.

But imo the road markings trump the rules of the roundabout. For example the left arrow clearly means "this lane for left turn only" and occurs before the roundabout is entered into.

In theory, cars only turning left should be in this lane. So the car to your right, intending to use their lane to exit the second exit has the full presumption that

1)you're going to use the lane marked left turn only to turn left and take the first exit and

2) they, having used the correct lane to enter the roundabout, are free to proceed into the lane used in order to exit at the second exit.

Of course, they have a duty of care to ensure the lane is clear before they enter it, but also, you entered the roundabout from a lane marked left turn only. So it's 50/50 really imo. Ignoring the lane instruction by you and a lack of care upon entering the lane by them.

Also, you being in the lane continuing on when you should have turned left means they have to slow down to let you pass/before they can enter. Which has a knock on effect on the cars behind them also looking to use the 2nd or 3rd or 4th exit.

This causes traffic and encourages more people to do what you did and say "feck this, I'll use the left lane, the queue in the right is huge". Therefore negating the whole point of the "left turn only" lane and making it useless.

I had a ding-dong with another motorist on a similar roundabout and I ended up calling out the Gardai as he brake-checked me and then was aggressive.

Basically the Garda agreed that I was correctly using the left lane for the first or second exists (as I had remonstrated with the other driver about), except where there are road-markings or other signage to the contrary.

(Edited due to correction)

For some reason my street view is not working properly so I can't verify, but I recently got caught at this junction.

I think the overhead "get in lane" signs guide you into that lane, going in the direction the op was going.

I remember as I wanted to go to blanch shopping centre so I wanted to remain as far left as I could and the signs were indicating that I could stay in the inner lane. Remember this is a junction not a roundabout and the two lanes feed into four lanes plus it's traffic light controlled so traffic from right is removed from equation while you are feeding into the four lanes. (Could even be 5 lanes) .

Anyway it was only when I got to the top of the slip road the markings changed and I had to move into the left lane (sorry edit: the right lane) It was a quiet Saturday morning so grand.

The car that was behind me stayed in the lane I was in (left lane) and also went to blanch 😂

It makes no sense to have one lane purely for left turns and one lane feeding into 4 lanes especially coming off the M50 at peak time the right lane would cause massive tailbacks.

You are in the incorrect lane approaching this roundabout. If you are in a lane with a left turn only arrow, I'm not sure how you think it is OK to proceed straight ahead. The rules of the road state that if you a turning right at the roundabout or taking any exit after the 12 o'clock position, you should be in the right lane. Have a look at the video below that explains this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rsdaSTOkWk

In order to approach this roundabout correctly, you should enter the roundabout in the right lane and continue onto the middle lane below. When on the roundabout, you can follow this middle lane the whole way around to exit towards Blanch (in the right lane). Or you can change to the left lane while on the roundabout (if it safe to do so) and exit towards Blanch in the left lane.

I regularly take that same exit and I constantly see people using the wrong lane. My assumption is they introduced the road markings to free up the left lane and clear the slipway more efficiently. There is frequently a tailback on the N3 towards Blanchardstown and this tailback extends back towards the roundabout and M50 slipway. If people use the correct lanes for entering the roundabout, the left lane will remain clear for people to exit towards Castleknock. Anyone in the left lane who is turning right at the roundabout will be blocking traffic and preventing everyone in the left lane from exiting the roundabout towards Castleknock. Hope this clears things up for you.

if as you say at the top of slip (which only has 2 lanes) you pull into left lane but you ignored the fact this was a left turn only lane and continued straight to go straight to go around the roundabout and head for Blanch, but yet you seem to slag the driver behind you for obeying the lane markings 🤪

eh thats not what you said which is what was confusing

anyway, i see you read your original post and have edited it now to clarify

🤣 🤣

OP is correct, big changes to road markings in the last 6 weeks or so

I'd agree. It's a circulatory junction. But most will still call it a roundabout. Signage on approach has a gap between "3pm & 5pm".

The signage also shows a direct left carriage way @ 9pm and a direct right carriage way @ 3pm. Left says "Dublin, Castleknock", right says "Cavan, Blanchardstown".

So the approach signage suggests the right lane for Cavan & Blanch. The road markings suggest this too and clearly state Dublin + R147 (lane off the approach to the N3 Dublin bound) on the left lane and clearly state N3 Cavan for the right lane. The N3 Cavan itself is from the exit of the circulatory junction, so you are on the N3 before you get to the left turn junction for Blanchardstown - hence you must follow the signs for the N3 Cavan as it is the road you are travelling to albeit for a short distance of about 400m.

Well...

It does have the roundabout signs , but the layout isn't a traditional roundabout.