M1 needs 3rd lane

Praetorian wrote: »

I suppose the big problem is that no new projects are starting, and where will the money come from?

There is absolutely no money for new roads after the MUI's are completed. The government are proceeding new roads through the PPP mechanism where the road will be paid back over a period of 30 years on average using toll plazas or shadow tolls. The M1 widening is not top priority either so that will set it back even more. Maybe a decade at least.

Next PPP's to go ahead to construction:
M17/M18 Q4 2010
M11/N7 Newlands X Q4 2011
N11/N25 Q2 2011
Galway Bypass n/a
M20 Cork to Limerick n/a

Those dates are very optimistic too maybe give it +2-5 years for most of them.

Praetorian wrote: »

Yes that's true, but if you consider we're apparently borrowing 400 million per week just to run the country, then what, 200 million? for a long term investment seems like it would be well worth the price. Not to mention it would probably provide 500 jobs for a year. It's a massive bottleneck on what must be the second busiest motorway in the country after the M50.

...not to mention the economic costs in delays - bet a good reason for not upgrading the M1 is that...

...it will make life far too easy for those travelling North to do their shopping!

Regards!

I'm hopeful that the M1/M50 interchange will improve the flow somewhat when completed. A little bit of courtesy for traffic merging onto the M1 from J3 and J4 would go a long way to keeping things moving too.

BrianD wrote: »

Add in bad lane discipline and bad road signage and it's why the jam is there.

Bad lane discipline is the main cause from what I've seen. Particularly in the mornings Southbound it's ridiculous, I once counted 15 cars in the outside lane and 2 in the left lane outside Balbriggan. Surprisingly the traffic jammed about 3km further on. :rolleyes:

scarey stuff out there with 3 lanes almost 4 close calls heading for sallins clane nass road direction tonight crazy merging inside line stuff mad

Here we go, somebody rehashing arguments that were had here months ago.

Why does somebody always insist that because the tunnel is not jammed up with cars too, that there must be something wrong with it?

Similarly, because bus lanes are mostly empty, they should be jammed with cars too?

It is an abuse of the privelege of private motoring that causes all this congestion, both people who drive when they have other options open to them, and people who drive when they clearly have not had the right education to do so properly.

Jamming up the few remaining pieces of road infrastructure available to other forms of transport is not the answer.

Getting the NCT to read the odometers of private cars every year and tax people according to the mileage they drive, would be far better than filling the port tunnel with yet another massive traffic jam.

And car pool lanes are no solution at all. Just an excuse for some selfish private motorists to jump the queue, at the expense of everyone else, particularly public transport users.

No, no, no, no, no, we do NOT have the culture of road craft and respect for the law in this country to facilitate this. When the M50 jams up to the point of not moving, and a truck zooms past in the 'hard shoulder,' the world and it's mother will pile in after it, unquestioned. It already happens. On the M1 last Saturday evening, there was an accident, and everything southbound was stopped for miles, and idiots were not only using the hard shoulder, but they were storming up the inside of lines of stopped cars at 120kph plus. This is beyond danger, this is absolute madness. They should be jailed. What if a car door opened, or a car pulled into the hard shoulder, or as happened, a car was stopped in the hard shoulder in complete darkness with no lights or advance warning?

Too many people propose solutions whereby they might be able to bypass all the other stopped traffic, and thereby not have to queue. Don't you see, if you are entitled to 'skip' the queue, then so is everybody else, and you end up with just another line of traffic jam?

The hard shoulder is the only access emergency vehicles have to clear obstructions and access accidents. You want to fill it up with more cars.

Ah yes, but at the moment, the differential between the cost of public transport and private motoring is negligable, resulting in far too many people choosing the comfort of their own private car rather than sit on a cramped bus or train.

If somebody lives in Swords, and works in Tallaght, or Blanchardstown, or East Point, or finishes work at 8pm, or does shift work, then their car becomes essential, or at least preferable.

If somebody lives in Swords and works nine to five in O'Connell Street, then they have no business driving to work when the Swords Express is available. They have a right to drive in of course, but they should bloody well pay over the odds for it.

How do you differentiate between someone who has a bus service door to door, and somebody whose hours or workplace is a little off the scheduled bus route? Similarly, for some people their cars are working vehicles, i.e. for deliveries, site visits, meetings, etc. So there is a difference between simple commuters, and people whose cars are part of their workplace.

The reason I suggest the NCT reading odometers, rather than additional fuel tax, is because it can be targetted at the private motorist, and then those who need their cars for working reasons, can argue a rebate with their employers or the revenue or whatever.

I have no problem with people's right to drive. I just think they should pay for it, and pay a tad more than the other person sitting in a bus.