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Galway drivers, worst in Ireland?

kinetic

I drive over a thousand miles a week all over and can safely say Galway drivers are the most ignorant,dangerous,stupid and careless missinformed users on the roads!

I was in Dublin all day driving all around town, on the M50 and not a problem.

But as soon as i get onto the dual carriage way at Oranmore and head for Salthill,its fxxxing bedlam.They cant use roundabouts, red lights dont seem to count for the first 5 seconds of going red in Galway.Indicators are a luxury must not use item, and general bad behaviour and aggression is the norm.

I would go asfar as to say that they would not last a week in London ,New York or any other town or city.

Why are they so bad here?

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workaccount

Bass Cadet wrote: »

I saw this happen almost in slow motion yesterday at the galway clinic roundabout. Some guy was just in blissful ignorance, picking his nose, slowly turning around the roundabout and proceeded to cut right accross the lane nearly colliding into the car on the inside (old woman who nearly had a heart attack I'd say) and exited the roundabout, no indicator, still picking his snout, blissfully unaware that he was being a complete w*nk"R...I laughed

Sorry but can you explain this differently - I don't get it!

workaccount

galwayguy22 wrote: »

I hate on normal roundabouts when I'm in the right lane taking the third exit, and someone else is in the left lane taking the second exit. We both pull off at the same time, by they ALWAYS drift into my lane mid roundabout. Forcing my to slow down otherwise we'd have a crash.

Sorry can you explain this differently - I don't get what your saying exactly.

Cheers.

galwayguy22

Not 15 minutes ago at the Skerritt roundabout some WOMAN (wouldn't you know it) was in the right hand lane, I was in the left, me going straight ahead, her "presumably" going right.

But no, she decided to cut right across me to also go straight just as we approached the exit.

You may only use the right hand lane to go straight when:

The left hand lane is only for turning left, or is blocked* or closed
where directed by a Garda

*Blocked can mean where there is a cue of cars all indicating to turn left, you can then use the right hand lane to go straight.

I've also attached a pretty picture to illustrate this, taken from Rule of the Road website.

galwayguy22

workaccount wrote: »

Sorry can you explain this differently - I don't get what your saying exactly.

Cheers.

As you can see from the attachment, the IDIOT crosses over to my lane as he is going straight.

Imagine both of us are side by side entering the roundabout and then he/she drifts over onto my lane half way round.

axiom32

what should i do? this is based on incident just today at peak traffic hours

i'm coming down thomas hynes road towards roundabout, heading for salthill direction along seamus quirke road.

a/ i go into righthand lane go onto roundabout and whilst on it cross over into lefthand lane to join the traffic coming from the bridge, which blocks any traffic coming out of the hospital heading up TH road or going towards the bridge.

b/ i go into righthand lane go onto roundabout and with right indicator on proceed around then before 4th exit indicate left and exit onto seasmus quirke road. I proceed to drive on with traffic to my left merging into my lane.

Now i think im right with option B, as instructed, so the next driver who wishes to play a game of chicken and keep drivin up my left while the road narrows be my f**kin guest

kinetic

What did i start here?
At least its not just me who realises how out of date galway drivers are.

Mrs OBumble

Ardent wrote: »

I don't really care if it's outdated or not, just whether or not it's correct. If it's no longer correct, why is still being published by the RSA?

The RSA's most recently published version (linked to earlier) only gives advice about what lane to use when entering "classic" (four exits, all evenly spaced) roundabouts. There is no useful advice about what lane to use when entering many real-world roundabouts that are not configured like this.

FWIW, I'm not even convinced that the two approaches are incompatible. It really doesn't matter what lane someone enters a roundabout in. What does matter is how they leave it.

From a roundabout, as with any other piece of road, you can only turn left if either 1) the lane you are in is marked for turning left, or 2) you're in the left lane. In the absence of road markings, no matter where you enter the roundabout, you need to get into the left lane to leave it. This involves a lane-change if you enter in the right lane, Usually you've plenty of time and space for this if you're taking exits EITHER 3+ or right-of-straight-ahead. Sometimes you haven't, though (eg Cemetery Cross, from Bohermore into Tuam Rd), and in these cases it would be best to enter in the left land. The "rules" that we're referred to aren't really rules at all, just guidelines to help work out which lane is likely to be easiest for you and most efficient given the volume of traffic. The rules that really matter are the ones for changing lanes (http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/good-driving-practice/changing-traffic-lanes.html), and also for overtaking on the left (http://www.rulesoftheroad.ie/rules-for-driving/good-driving-practice/overtaking.html).

Remember, too, that the site I've linked to above is called "rules of the road", but only the parts where is says "must" are laws. The rest are good-practice guidelines which need to be intelligenly applied to every situation you come across.

?Cee?view

It really doesn't matter what lane someone enters a roundabout in. What does matter is how they leave it.

OMG, is the statement above a windup?

I'm tempted just to say I give up. I wrote of an accident that I saw last Saturday where the drvier used your logic above (entered in right lane and took first exit to the left) and knocked a motorcyclist, but that wouldn't happen to you because you've passed your test and have 20+ years driving experience :rolleyes:

I'll write in more detail later is response to this. In the meantime I'm considering meditation so that I can learn to be calm and aware enough on the roads to avoid people for whom lane discipline "doesn't matter".

JohnCleary

Wonder how the people of Galway would get on with this yoke:

Robbo

JohnCleary wrote: »

Wonder how the people of Galway would get on with this yoke:

ScumLord

galwayguy22 wrote: »

As you can see from the attachment, the IDIOT crosses over to my lane as he is going straight.

Hate that but I wait at a roundabout like Hamilton on the starting grid. You have to get off the line quicker than the other guy just to maintain your part of the road.

cL0h

04KY wrote: »

You shouldn't indicate to go straight ahead.

Do you mean straight across the middle of the roundabout?

In any case you are dead wrong.
You always ALWAYS use your left indicator after you pass the exit before the one you are taking.
The rules are absolutely clear about that.

If you are like the typical driver in Galway then you also don't indicate right when taking a third, fourth or fifth exit.

The problem is that someone waiting to get onto the roundabout has no idea what exit you are intending to use and has to wait until you are gone until they can enter the roundabout.

This causes traffic!

Sure there are complex situations that people can't agree on but the main problem is people who don't understand the basics.

?Cee?view

cL0h wrote: »

Do you mean straight across the middle of the roundabout?

In any case you are dead wrong.
You always ALWAYS use your left indicator after you pass the exit before the one you are taking.
The rules are absolutely clear about that.

If you are like the typical driver in Galway then you also don't indicate right when taking a third, fourth or fifth exit.

The problem is that someone waiting to get onto the roundabout has no idea what exit you are intending to use and has to wait until you are gone until they can enter the roundabout.

This causes traffic!

Sure there are complex situations that people can't agree on but the main problem is people who don't understand the basics.

Mrs OBumble

churchview wrote: »

It really doesn't matter what lane someone enters a roundabout in. What does matter is how they leave it.

OMG, is the statement above a windup?

I'm tempted just to say I give up. I wrote of an accident that I saw last Saturday where the drvier used your logic above (entered in right lane and took first exit to the left) and knocked a motorcyclist, ...

Nope. Not a wind-up. A very considered opinion in fact.

The problem with your accident on Saturday was indeed a lack of lane discipline. The car-driver clearly did not check mirrors, indicate, and check the blind-spot before changing lanes and then taking the exit.

I totally agree that s/he should have been in the left lane to start with - but s/he could have made this same mistake whether she entered at the exit immediately before OR several exits earlier in which case s/he should have been in the right lane anyway.

?Cee?view

JustMary wrote: »

Nope. Not a wind-up. A very considered opinion in fact.

The problem with your accident on Saturday was indeed a lack of lane discipline. The car-driver clearly did not check mirrors, indicate, and check the blind-spot before changing lanes and then taking the exit.

I totally agree that s/he should have been in the left lane to start with - but s/he could have made this same mistake whether she entered at the exit immediately before OR several exits earlier in which case s/he should have been in the right lane anyway.

If she was in the correct lane (the left lane) she would have been in front of or behind the motorcyclist as they would in the same lane. She would therefore not have to exercise extra caution while incorrectly changing lane.

Your only interest here is in trying to win pointless arguments isn't it rather than actually giving a damn about road safety isn't it? Be honest.

I'm off on my holidays this afternoon. I won't look at this thread until I return because frankly at this stage it's (you're) just irritating, so you can treat the question in the paragraph above as a rhetorical question.

To those who are actually interested in road safety, have a safe weekend. Practise defensive driving and keep an eye out for the JustMarys of this world. If she doesn't get you on the road, she'll get you at your PC by raising your blood pressure

JustMary - try your "enter the roundabout in any lane stunt" at Oranbeg coming from Dublin. The guards are quite regularly there "pulling" people who use the left lane to turn right towards Galway. But wait...I forgot...if they pull you they'll be educated in your rules of the road and have to let you off

galwayguy22

JustMary wrote: »

Nope. Not a wind-up. A very considered opinion in fact.

The problem with your accident on Saturday was indeed a lack of lane discipline. The car-driver clearly did not check mirrors, indicate, and check the blind-spot before changing lanes and then taking the exit.

I totally agree that s/he should have been in the left lane to start with - but s/he could have made this same mistake whether she entered at the exit immediately before OR several exits earlier in which case s/he should have been in the right lane anyway.

You cannot stop mid roundabout and wait for an opportunity to cross into the "correct" lane if you are in the wrong, you have to go all the way round, and by doing so traffic will have to yield to you and this will create the opening.

You say it could have happened if from her perspective she was taking the third exit for example, then she would have been correct to be in the right hand lane.
But the fact that she would have been coming around the roundabout, would have meant that Mr Motor bike would not have entered the roundabout because she had right of way.

The accident happened because they both entered the roundabout at the same time(presumably), motor bike in left lane (correct), her in right hand lane(wrong).

?Cee?view

[quote

The accident happened because they both entered the roundabout at the same time(presumably), motor bike in left lane (correct), her in right hand lane(wrong).[/quote]

Presumed correct.

and +1 to the rest of your post.

Now I really am off on my holidays! Bye!

aoraki

churchview wrote: »

...try your "enter the roundabout in any lane stunt" at Oranbeg coming from Dublin. The guards are quite regularly there "pulling" people who use the left lane to turn right towards Galway.

Oh god, please tell me this is true, I would pay a days wages to see that happening. Every time I am at that particular roundabout coming from Dublin, queuing in the right lane to take the third exit, I watch numpty after numpty sail past me on the left hand side, and then proceeding without a care in the world all the way around the left lane of the roundabout to take the 3rd exit. It has happened EVERY SINGLE TIME.

If I live to see just one of these numptys pulled over by the guards for doing this then i can die happily... I think I would have to seriously restrain myself from pulling over and pointing at the offending driver, saying "HAH!"

Bass Cadet

aoraki wrote: »

Oh god, please tell me this is true, I would pay a days wages to see that happening. Every time I am at that particular roundabout coming from Dublin, queuing in the right lane to take the third exit, I watch numpty after numpty sail past me on the left hand side, and then proceeding without a care in the world all the way around the left lane of the roundabout to take the 3rd exit. It has happened EVERY SINGLE TIME.

If you're from Oranmore, you're allowed to take the left lane to drive into Galway, ye have to produce yer passport if a copper stops ya

JohnCleary

Bass Cadet wrote: »

If you're from Oranmore, you're allowed to take the left lane to drive into Galway, ye have to produce yer passport if a copper stops ya

A passport won't tell anyone anything about where you live, only your nationality

KevR

Apologies for bumping a sort of old topic back to the top but I should probably put this here rather than making a new topic.

Was in the Esso service station (Tom Hogan's) on the Ballybrit Dual Carriageway on Saturday getting petrol. While I was filling up this I saw this woman pulling out of the service station. She stopped immediately after she exited the service station and starts looking back along the DC waiting for a gap in traffic so she could pull out onto the main carriageway from a standing position! (Obviously you're supposed to use the slip lane to build up your speed to near 100kmh before you join the main carriageway). Even though I think the standard of driving in Galway is aweful and I'm not shocked by most things anymore but this really did shock me - the idiot could have caused a multi-car pile up!

Anyhow went in and paid for my petrol, then came out, got in my car to leave the service station myself. The car in front of me stopped and did the exact same thing as what I explained above. Two people did this in the space of three minutes! I wonder how many people you would see doing it over a 24hr period if you had a camera there.

Would have made my day if the gaurds had of been around, seen it and done something about it. People like that are a big danger to other road users.

johntreacy

Hi guys
Just wanted to high light the crazy roundabouts in Loughrea and get some opinions.
On the by-pass approaching from Dublin the road the markings indicate that you should be in the right hand lane which makes sense but then on then on the Galway side while leaving the bypass the markings says that you should be in the left lane, I have seen many people been cut up and road rage kicking in all because the markings make no sense.
Can we really blame people that do their driving test either in the country where there are no roundabouts or that have done it years ago and then take these markings as the correct way to do things and use the same steps when they get into the city.

Bass Cadet

KevR wrote: »

Was in the Esso service station (Tom Hogan's) on the Ballybrit Dual Carriageway on Saturday getting petrol. While I was filling up this I saw this woman pulling out of the service station. She stopped immediately after she exited the service station and starts looking back along the DC waiting for a gap in traffic so she could pull out onto the main carriageway from a standing position! (Obviously you're supposed to use the slip lane to build up your speed to near 100kmh before you join the main carriageway). Even though I think the standard of driving in Galway is aweful and I'm not shocked by most things anymore but this really did shock me - the idiot could have caused a multi-car pile up!

Exact same happened me, on saturday aswell!...exiting after filling up and some eejit in a Saab actually stops and looks behind to see a gap in traffic...unbelievable but unfortunately very believable when driving in galway. another one I've noticed aswell are people who think they have to stay on the slip lane all the way to the end of the slip lane even though they've built up enough speed and are safe to join the main carriageway long before that. They usually end up having to stay in the hard shoulder because they've missed their chance to join the carriageway safely

galwayguy22

Not being a native of Galway and only living here 3 months or so, I've found myself starting to shout at people when they do wrong. I'd normally just mumble under my breath at these kinds of people but there are so many in Galway it's made me into a mentalist.

I can't believe there are so many people who while approaching a roundabout are in the normal, left lane, INTENTIONALLY get into the right hand lane to go straight on. And I mean it happens more than 60% of the time. It's absolutely unreal.

If the road approaching the roundabout has two permanent lanes, and the road exiting the roundabout has two permanent lanes, then by all rights you can use the right hand lane to go straight.

But when both roads have one lane, and the entrance to the roundabout is divided in two, it just boggles the mind to see people go out of their way to get on the right hand side of the road / lane to go straight.

My shouting may morph into driving after these idiots, dragging them out of their cars and beating the living **** out of them.

But fortunately I drive back home south every two weekends where I find my inner peace again in the company of knowledgeable drivers.

Das Kitty

When I was living in town this became sport to me. It happened every second day on the way from the Tuam road to town, and I only passed there once a day.

I find beeping helps, technically I'm doing it right as I'm warning them of danger (more likely my foot up their arse than anything) but it doesn't half help to alleviate the fury.

Stopping instead of using the slip-road is bad, but is it against the rules of the road?

kinetic

And did you ever notice here in Galway if you beep some clown for jumping lights or driving dangerously and almost hitting you...THEY BEEP BACK!!!!!

Only in Ireland.

KevR

Das Kitty wrote: »

Stopping instead of using the slip-road is bad, but is it against the rules of the road?

Not sure if stopping itself is an offence, although I'm sure it could classed as dangerous driving. But in order for these people to join the main carriageway from a stopped position at the edge of the service station they had to drive across the 'merging traffic median'* paint markings on the road. It definetly is against the rules to do this - it's the same if not worse than driving across a continous white line. You have to drive to where there is a broken white line before you can cross onto the main carriageway.

*Not sure of the correct word for this but here's a picture of what I mean:

paulhannon

Drivers in this town are a ****ing disgrace!
Examples:

Breaking red lights! The increase of this over the last few years is unreal, and i mean not just as they've turned red but i've actually seen drivers just wait for a gap and proceed!

The amber filter arrows that allow you to proceed left with CAUTION out in westside across from Dunnes: The next **** that beeps me for stopping when they are changed to RED (which means STOP) is getting knocked out!

Cars coming out off the roaches stores car park (you know the road i mean?) in the left lane trying to turn right, while your in the right lane to also turn right, effectively overtaking you to do so! 4 cars in a row did that last night!

SO many cars with no headlights on at night not due to maintenance but due to having no brain! (and even if you try to make them aware of this they look at you as if you're mental)!

Slow drivers, I mean proper ****ing slow, 20kph and always breaking for NO reason!

Guys driving right up my ass on a dual carrige way, even when i myself am already at 100kph and in the left lane! Before you ask, no it's not boy racers, it'll be some clean cut office looking dude in some under powered A4 thinking his 1.6 engine is a Goliath of a machine! Im the one in the "boy racer" car

Also Pedestrians:
Walking out in front of cars without looking and then looking shocked at you because you nearly knocked them down! Look before you walk GOB****ES! Also, i just dont get people who walk out on the road and cross really slowly, giving car drivers a dirty look if they're beeped out of the way, I'm no longer going to slow down for these people.

One morning while coming down taylors hill (slow drivers heaven that road) some woman walks right out on to the road without looking causing me to hit the brakes hard. She steps back and gives me the finger! so i roll down the window to ask her what her problem is "you nearly knocked me down!" she says, me: "you walked out on the road! what do you expect!!??"

Oh and have you ever driven in NUIG? Everyone there happily walks out in front of the cars never once looking around them to see if its safe, but as soon as they come to one of the two zebra crossings they stop and look at it all confused! (Now in fairness I've seen quite a few cars not even see the zebra crossing and go straight through them)

The Guards nearly caused me to crash once too! They were on the wrong side of the road at the cross roads by the court house coming from Francis street, me making a turn right down in to Francis street only to be met by a marked car with no lights or siren trying to go around a taxi that had stopped at the red light to brake the light and go left!

?Cee?view

paulhannon,

I feel your pain!

I'm applying defensive driving techniques all the time i.e. presume everyone else on or near the road is out to get you.

paulhannon

seriously.....the stupidity makes me wonder how these people don't fall over more!! never mind drive a car!!!