New motorway signs up already...

oddiot · 28-08-2009 06:45PM

mackerski wrote: »

Forgot to mention this - the M32 is the shortest by quite a wide margin.

Yes, it even made it on to the 'pathetic motorways' site, which even has a scan of a map that actually labelled the stub as M32.

http://pathetic.org.uk/secretive/m32_ireland/maps/

mackerski · 28-08-2009 08:30PM

oddiot wrote: »

Yes, it even made it on to the 'pathetic motorways' site, which even has a scan of a map that actually labelled the stub as M32.

http://pathetic.org.uk/secretive/m32_ireland/maps/

It is, of course, not unique in this.

Wild Bill · 28-08-2009 09:20PM

Interesting map here of the Dept of Transport website:

http://www.transport.ie/uploads/documents/news/CwayTypeMid2009.pdf

The very latest picture - but spot the missing motorway!

Wild Bill · 28-08-2009 09:21PM

tech2 wrote: »

Was the inner lane free?

Occasionally.

Steviemak · 28-08-2009 10:58PM

Wild Bill wrote: »

The very latest picture - but spot the missing motorway!

Sloppy mistake

G_R · 28-08-2009 11:11PM

I'm not seeing it

i never was good at spot the difference/wheres waldo etc

deiseman21 · 28-08-2009 11:15PM

athlone - ballinasloe

G_R · 28-08-2009 11:17PM

deiseman21 wrote: »

athlone - ballinasloe

aha, so there it is. thanks

Tech3 · 29-08-2009 02:28PM

Farmers angry at being forced off new motorways

RECLASSIFYING roads as motorways will increase traffic snarl-ups and put pedestrians at risk by forcing farmers to drive heavy farm machinery through busy town centres, farmers claimed last night.

The problem is particularly acute in Arklow, Co Wicklow, where yesterday's redesignation of the Arklow bypass as a motorway has now forced farmers to drive through the busy town, with its narrow main street and a sharp junction particularly difficult to negotiate.

Local farmer James Hill said it is particularly galling as the bypass was originally built to relieve this problem, but now its designation as a motorway means farmers have no choice but to travel through the town again.

Clogging

He hauls grain to a Glanbia depot in Inch and like many other farmers around delivers straw to a mushroom compost operation near Gorey, all of which will now involve clogging up the busy town.

There is also a lot of farm traffic to and from Co Wicklow to Irish Country Meats in Camolin and to marts in Co Wexford, while some farmers have farm holdings on both sides of Arklow that they have to travel between all the time.

"In the past we could just sit into the hard shoulder on the bypass, and it was safer and quicker for everyone, this is going to cause huge problems," Mr Hill, who is IFA county chairman for Wicklow, said.

"You look at that tragedy in Avoca a few years ago, where two girls were killed by a long agricultural vehicle, and you can see it's not suitable to have to drive wide machinery through a busy town with unsuitable streets."

They have also been told they can rent a lorry and apply for special permits if they want to move a combine harvester or other equipment.

"That's a glib answer that shows no understanding of farming at all. You have to apply for a permit in advance, and get a garda escort, how can farmers do that when their work is dependent on the weather?" Mr Hill added.

It was also "mad" to be designating short stretches of the N11 as a motorway which then turned into a dual carriageway and then a single track road, because people ended up confused about what rules applied where, and this contributed to making it a very dangerous stretch of road, he said.

The National Roads Authority defended the decision to reclassify these roads as motorways despite the problems it caused farmers. "We have designated these as high quality motorways ... It might be a little less convenient, but there's no change to access. The motorway declarations were made on the basis there was alternative access," it said.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/farmers-angry-at-being-forced-off-new-motorways-1872834.html

Wild Bill · 29-08-2009 03:36PM

The N11 - my road most traveled! And the only National Primary where the farmers insist (dual or single sections) on driving their contraptions outside the hard should. Which is deadly dangerous even on a HQDC spec road. The farmer problem on its own more than justifies the re designation. :mad:

Redsoxfan · 29-08-2009 03:41PM

As I drove on it yesterday, and listened to a piece on the re designations on The Last Word, I wondered why the Collooney-Sligo stretch on the N4 wasn't included? Is it because it begins and ends with roundabouts? Or is it the alignment or curvature? The junctions are grade separated.

Chris_533976 · 29-08-2009 03:52PM

The NRA say they dont want random bits of motorway floating around miles from the rest of the network. That explains why that Sligo section wasnt done, explains Dunkettle - Carrigtwohill and the Ballincollig bypass, all of which are motorway standard. The NRA say it also explains the Waterford bypass, but that is more or less connected to the M9.

Wild Bill · 29-08-2009 03:56PM

Sound like sensible people those NRA chaps! (At least compared to many of their critics)

Tech3 · 29-08-2009 03:58PM

Redsoxfan wrote: »

As I drove on it yesterday, and listened to a piece on the re designations on The Last Word, I wondered why the Collooney-Sligo stretch on the N4 wasn't included? Is it because it begins and ends with roundabouts? Or is it the alignment or curvature? The junctions are grade separated.

Yeah it should be fine for redesignation, I reckon whenever the N17 will be getting 2+2 and Sligo is bypassed by HQDC then it will probably be redesignated. We will probably never see this in our lifetime though.

BigMoose · 29-08-2009 04:20PM

Wild Bill wrote:

The N11 - my road most traveled! And the only National Primary where the farmers insist (dual or single sections) on driving their contraptions outside the hard should. Which is deadly dangerous even on a HQDC spec road. The farmer problem on its own more than justifies the re designation.

I completely agree. I drive Rathnew/Wicklow to Dublin every day, twice many days and the tractors are often not in the hard shoulder. It's incredibly dangerous esp on dark winter evenings when you can hardly see them. I could never understand why they were allowed to drive like that on such a road. Drove past a tractor today on the M11 stretch so shows what they think of the redesignation. At least this one was in the hard shoulder... That said, I've seen a good few on the M50 and no one seems to stop them.

Amtmann · 29-08-2009 04:25PM

The M8 Glanmire bypass is 120 km/h southbound, 100 km/h northbound. A sensible decision in my opinion.

Steviemak · 29-08-2009 05:17PM

Furet wrote: »

The M8 Glanmire bypass is 120 km/h southbound, 100 km/h northbound. A sensible decision in my opinion.

What is the reason for this do you think? I would have thought that the up hill northbound section is safer and more suitable for 120km. Going downhill especially on those bends 120km really is the limit.

Wild Bill · 29-08-2009 05:18PM

Furet wrote: »

The M8 Glanmire bypass is 120 km/h southbound, 100 km/h northbound. A sensible decision in my opinion.

Why is going down the hill safer than going up the hill?

Amtmann · 29-08-2009 05:31PM

Southbound is uphill; northbound is downhill. Sightlines are superior when your heading uphill, southbound towards Cork.

Gunth · 29-08-2009 05:32PM

I find this strange that there are different speed limts for north and south bound cars. As you head southbound there is quite a big hill to climb before you arrive at the Dunkettle Interchange so to say that nothbound is all uphill compared to southbound is not entirely true. At least it is 120km/hr in one direction which is great rather than 100km/hr for both directions.

Furet, did they give a reason for this decision?

Steviemak · 29-08-2009 05:38PM

Furet wrote: »

Southbound is uphill; northbound is downhill. Sightlines are superior when your heading uphill, southbound towards Cork.

How is it uphill from the top of Glanmire to sea level at the tunnel

Obviously going northbound there is a downhill section but it is pretty straight and not as windy as the downhill sections southbound.

29-08-2009 05:40PM

Gunth wrote: »

Furet, did they give a reason for this decision?

Is it a decision or a cockup! :pac:

Anyone know for sure?

Wild Bill · 29-08-2009 05:59PM

Furet wrote: »

Southbound is uphill; northbound is downhill. Sightlines are superior when your heading uphill, southbound towards Cork.

I'm here trying looking at a map from all angles and am in a state of shocked confusion :eek:

Starting at the intersection of the N25 and N8 (not sure what the junction is called), do you not start off towards Dublin (northbound) by going up a long winding road, now the M8?

Flummoxed is what I am

Amtmann · 29-08-2009 06:02PM

Steviemak wrote: »

How is it uphill from the top of Glanmire to sea level at the tunnel Obviously going northbound there is a downhill section but it is pretty straight and not as windy as the downhill sections southbound.

Okay. When you come out of the tunnel and head for Dublin, certainly you are going up hill. But this is a steady, gradual climb with good sightlines. However, about 4km before the Glanmire turnoff (junction 18), the road northbound swerves and you go pretty rapidly downhill. This is the downhill section that makes it unsuitable for 120 km/h, along with the junction 18 turnoff.
On the other hand, when you bypass Watergrasshill and enter the Glanmire Bypass southbound you go up that hill, which again is quite steep. However, the sightlines are better than the northward drive. When you have reached the acme of this hill, then sure, you go down a gentle, steady slope towards the Lee.

Wild Bill · 29-08-2009 06:06PM

Not very often on that road but the hill between the Acme and the Lee is the only one imprinted on my memory bank!

Chris_533976 · 29-08-2009 07:08PM

Is that for definate or have they just not put 120kmh signs on the northbound run yet?

Keep an eye on it for us

Stark · 29-08-2009 07:09PM

Furet wrote: »

Okay. When you come out of the tunnel and head for Dublin, certainly you are going up hill. But this is a steady, gradual climb with good sightlines. However, about 4km before the Glanmire turnoff (junction 18), the road northbound swerves and you go pretty rapidly downhill. This is the downhill section that makes it unsuitable for 120 km/h, along with the junction 18 turnoff.
On the other hand, when you bypass Watergrasshill and enter the Glanmire Bypass southbound you go up that hill, which again is quite steep. However, the sightlines are better than the northward drive. When you have reached the acme of this hill, then sure, you go down a gentle, steady slope towards the Lee.

Interesting. I would have thought that southbound would be unsuitable for 120km/hr as well as the road does curve quite a bit as you're going downhill. I always feel far more comfortable doing 100km/hr northbound than southbound on the Glanmire bypass anyway.

Carawaystick · 29-08-2009 07:48PM

Chris_533976 wrote: »

The NRA say they dont want random bits of motorway floating around miles from the rest of the network. That explains why that Sligo section wasnt done, explains Dunkettle - Carrigtwohill and the Ballincollig bypass, all of which are motorway standard. The NRA say it also explains the Waterford bypass, but that is more or less connected to the M9.

The N25 section with the 120 limit is about a km from the M8. The south ring road should have been made Motorway to the Tougher junction, with the intention of joining it to the M22 when the roundabouts get removed.
Then you'ld have no big gaps between Motorways.

Steviemak · 30-08-2009 03:50AM

Stark wrote: »

Interesting. I would have thought that southbound would be unsuitable for 120km/hr as well as the road does curve quite a bit as you're going downhill. I always feel far more comfortable doing 100km/hr northbound than southbound on the Glanmire bypass anyway.

The northbound section is definitely more comfortable at high speed. I tend to speed on the southbound carriageway by virtue of the fact it is a bendy downhiller and struggle to hold the lane at 120km. But i guess I won't have to worry about speeding on that section anymore. Happy days:D

Wild Bill · 30-08-2009 07:29AM

I used to drive to Cork regularly; back in the days when down the N11, New Ross, Waterford, Youghal was the quickest way from SE Dublin. Even though you had to go through Arklow, Enniscorthy and Waterford. The alternative in the early 1990s was to spend an hour getting to Newlands Cross before the journey even started.

Now an hour brings you to Portlaoise and it's 90 minutes from there (Abbeyleix permitting) to the Glanmire Road thanks to the new motorways.

Anyone know how long it takes to do the trip from Bray to Cork via the South East these days?

New motorway signs up already...

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