M6/4 Motorway Galway to Dublin (for discussing completed sections)

L1011 · 17-11-2009 9:44pm

veryangryman wrote: »

As for the motorist who keeps taking the overtaking lane despite the obvious tailback in the left lane (you know who you are), Im not lettin you in so get stuffed

That attitude is EXACTLY what causes the queue to be stop start :rolleyes:

You refuse to let someone in who is perfectly entitled to be there. They have to stop. Someone else has to come to a stop to let them in = entire queue comes to a stop.

If you let them in at running speed, the queue doesn't slow down.

17-11-2009 10:21pm

Her is an example of how Merge in Turn works in the UK, it should be simple to replicate here!

murphaph · 17-11-2009 10:30pm

They don't need "merge in turn" signs here in Germany at all because the "zip merge technique" is required by law. It definitely keeps traffic moving and keeps delays to a minimum for everyone.

Chris_533976 · 17-11-2009 10:35pm

I usually try to do zipper formation when I'm driving, but it can get messy when I let the one car in in front of me that I'm supposed to and a second chancer tries to force his way in.

17-11-2009 10:39pm

I find it very difficult to do any form of zipper merging here when everyone jumps into the left lane and stops!

Sponge Bob · 17-11-2009 10:42pm

Deleted User wrote: »

I find it very difficult to do any form of zipper merging here when everyone jumps into the left lane and stops!

Needs rule of road and advertising and edumacation of same.

Needs standardisation of road signs at all road works where zip merging may take place .

Needs camera inside the 200m 'zip zone' and 6 points automatic for queue jumpers

17-11-2009 11:15pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Needs camera inside the 200m 'zip zone' and 6 points automatic for queue jumpers

When zip merging is done correctly, it's almost impossible to queue jump more than one or two cars, few would bother.

veryangryman · 17-11-2009 11:15pm

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Needs rule of road and advertising and edumacation of same.

Needs standardisation of road signs at all road works where zip merging may take place .

Needs camera inside the 200m 'zip zone' and 6 points automatic for queue jumpers

Does it not make sense though that changing lanes or "zip merging" is a dangerous activity in busy traffic? Not enough people know how to zip properly so this makes it even more dangerous

Get in line and stick the hazards on if your last in the queue. What could be simpler? Its the quickest and safest way of going.

I love the way the "expect delays" signs show when the works start but not when they are due to end. No deadline for completion? Hardly a civil service job this, what do you think folks?

L1011 · 17-11-2009 11:24pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Does it not make sense though that changing lanes or "zip merging" is a dangerous activity in busy traffic? Not enough people know how to zip properly so this makes it even more dangerous

Its not unsafe. Its only unsafe when ignorant drivers refuse to let people in.

veryangryman wrote: »

Get in line and stick the hazards on if your last in the queue. What could be simpler? Its the quickest and safest way of going.

And its BY FAR not the quickest way!

Zip merging is the quickest way of clearing two lanes in to one, there is a massive body of research from institutions such as the AA (when they had a traffic research division) and the IAM to back this up.

17-11-2009 11:27pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Get in line and stick the hazards on if your last in the queue. What could be simpler? Its the quickest and safest way of going.

This is very dangerous, as the end of the queue can sometimes extend beyond the roadworks signs or be very close to the first sign! traffic is forced to merge at high speed and stop very quickly!

Much safer if traffic stays in lane and merges at a low speed at the end of the line where the lane is closed.

Sponge Bob · 17-11-2009 11:41pm

veryangryman wrote: »

Does it not make sense though that changing lanes or "zip merging" is a dangerous activity in busy traffic? Not enough people know how to zip properly so this makes it even more dangerous

Nope, it is merely a function of the low standard of driving here and compo culture.

Eveyone in the UK knew how to do it 20 years ago , one lane closes in 800m and everybody gotta zip out of it in an orderly fashion at the end , here the c**nts think they have a right of way for being in a lane already and the rest barge in . Needs sorting formally now we have lots of 2 lane road .

KevR · 18-11-2009 12:10am

Carawaystick wrote: »

I don't know what all the people are giving out about the N6 at Athlone about. In dry good conditions in a non-jalopy there is no reason why it's unsafe to drive at 120kmh.

I presume you mean the Bypass? If so, I also don't understand what the fuss is about. Most 100kmh roads in this country are of worse standard than the Athlone Bypass. I can't think of many 100kmh roads which are better quality (the M50 is the most obvious one which springs to mind).

I definitely don't consider the Athlone Bypass to be dangerous. Some of the junctions are a bit crap if you want to turn right at the top of the ramp (not from a safety point of view, more that you often have to wait ages for a chance to pull out). A safety concern I do have is turning left at the top of J9 coming off Eastbound when two lanes form, this is not a huge safety concern and doesn't affect the mainline (i.e - speed on the mainline).

I do think the slips at Monksland are way too short and they should have been lengthened with the M6 tie in but that's not the end of the world either. If someone starts to slow down a bit in the mainline to exit here, anyone directly behind just moves into the overtaking lane. And if people are coming along on the mainline and see someone is about to join from this junction, they just pull out into the overtaking lane. From what I have seen, everyone does this so the junction is not a huge problem (it's not ideal though!).

Signage does need to be replaced too.

Before the Bypass was connected to M6 at both ends it was very common for people to really speed on this road as it was the only decent overtaking opportunity for ages. People would be 'racing' to get ahead of any slow drivers before they got to the end of the Bypass. This doesn't really happen anymore which is good.

The Athlone Bypass is not of the same quality as our brand new Motorways but it still a very decent section of Dual Carriageway which I think is perfectly safe with a 100kmh speed limit.

Carawaystick · 18-11-2009 12:24am

"Merge in turn" is fairly ambiguous though, when I saw it first in Scotland I thought you were to merge as you went around a corner like at the southern end of Westland Row from Lincoln Place in Dublin. ZipperMerge or merge in sequence is better.

It's like those little signs that say "do not pass" I'd be thinking how am I gonna get where I'm going if I cant pass the sign...

18-11-2009 1:25am

Carawaystick wrote: »

"Merge in turn" is fairly ambiguous though, when I saw it first in Scotland I thought you were to merge as you went around a corner like at the southern end of Westland Row from Lincoln Place in Dublin. ZipperMerge or merge in sequence is better.

It's like those little signs that say "do not pass" I'd be thinking how am I gonna get where I'm going if I cant pass the sign...

The Welsh version has a diagram of cars "zipping" in line.

oddiot · 19-11-2009 9:34pm

Some photos taken at the end of August en route from Athlone to Ballinasloe (soon to be Ballinafast

).

Amtmann · 20-11-2009 12:55am

Nice shots oddiot!

The M6 wikipedia page needs a major overhaul with lots of new images. I suggest using the M8 page as a template. Also, when the G-B scheme opens in December, will the M6 be the longest motorway in the country?

KevR · 20-11-2009 1:11am

I don't think it will be the longest continuous stretch because of the Athlone Bypass (that'll still be the M1 won't it). But I think the 2 sections of M6 added together will make it the longest motorway (for the time being).

I'm hoping to get some pictures of Athlone-Ballinasloe in operation from some overbridges after my Christmas exams are over in a few weeks. Will get some of Galway-Ballinasloe also and update the Wikipdia page. I should probably put some more up to date photos of construction on there now because I do have them..

Slightly off-topic but Sponge Bob mentioned in another thread that the M6 has been opened to emergency vehicles between Galway and Loughrea because the N6 is impassable at Craughwell and the obvious detour on the R348 is flooded/blocked also.

antoobrien · 26-11-2009 5:25pm

KevR wrote: »

Yikes! One of the drainage pits on the Westbound carriageway of Athlone - Ballinasloe is full with water and overflowing a bit into the hard shoulder. Hopefully we won't get too much more rain in the next day or two because the main carriageway could end up with a couple of inches of water at this spot.

This was originally posted the week before the floods. Does anyone know how the A-B stretch of M'way is standing up to the conditons over the last 10-14 days?

17-12-2009 11:38am

OK not exactly the M6 but the old N6.

I've noticed that there has been a lot of recent activity on the old N6 between Athlone and Ballinasloe, at every junction they have erected new poles for signage.

It looks like they are going to wait for the M6 to fully open before downgrading the N6 to the R446 (I think), will it be next week or will they wait 'till January.

KevR · 20-12-2009 11:22am

I see someone tested the armco barrier on Athlone-Ballinasloe Westbound shortly after the R446 overbridge.

I wonder how long it will take them to repair the barrier...

kaizersoze · 20-12-2009 10:13pm

KevR wrote: »

I see someone tested the armco barrier on Athlone-Ballinasloe Westbound shortly after the R446 overbridge.

I wonder how long it will take them to repair the barrier...

That happened about a month after it opened and it's still not sorted.
It was leaning over into the eastbound carriageway but it now looks like someone tied a chain onto it and pulled into a semi-upright position. Looks worse now. Very battered.

L1011 · 21-12-2009 5:37pm

spacetweek wrote: »

Actually, you are supposed to have fog lights on all the time. It's been proven abroad to be safer. That's why they have signs that ask you to do it.

HEADlights. You're supposed to have your HEADlights on at all times. NOT your fog lights!

NEVER use your fog lights except in fog!!!

Stark · 21-12-2009 5:42pm

This might be a good time to clarify that it's dipped headlights that they recommend to have on all the time. Just in case someone with a poor level of understanding is reading

kiwipower · 22-12-2009 12:23pm

spacetweek wrote: »

The dates in the IT article are the fantasy ones from the NRA site. They are all estimates from project kick-off and are never adjusted as time goes on.

Actually, you are supposed to have fog lights on all the time. It's been proven abroad to be safer. That's why they have signs that ask you to do it.

That really annoys me - why did they get a priest out to bless it? Is this the middle ages? I don't want to see that nonsense any more.

Sorry to say but fog lights are NOT suppose to be on at all times. The lights you are talking about are special daylight lights (and this by the way acourding to RSA is due to come into Ireland.) I also agree that it is much safer to have lights on during daylight hours. I follow the practice of Western Australia and drive with my dipped headlights on at all times.

Fog lights come under axillary lights and are subject to similar rules to high/full beams and as such should be dipped or turned off when there is on comming vehicles except for during foggy conditions. As per AA roadreport "Fog lights should be TURNED OFF when not driving in fog affected areas."

kiwipower · 22-12-2009 4:29pm

Deleted User wrote: »

[OT]

Good, do you have any links to that news? I also drive with dipped lights on all the time, just have to replace the bulbs more frequently [/OT]

btw not used the new road yet, may be some time before I need to go to Galway.

I also go through bulbs like no bodies business! I have a 2year old FORD. have replaced 4bulbs in that time! 2went together in the dark just last month when I was on my first night in Donegal! :eek::(
Unfortunatly I dont have a link for news on daytime drive lights. Last winter I had enough with the roads and drivers in this country and went off the deep end on a massive rant and emailed the RSA giving out about drivers driving in fog with NO lights on and driving on clear nights with fogs ON. I also had a big rant at them about the poor conditions of the roads (ie lack of cats eyes and the general poor condition compared with the Great and Holly NZ.) They were good enough to email back about the lights and mentioned that the Daytime drive lights would be getting phased in over the next few years.:D

mackerski · 24-12-2009 3:36pm

crapmanjoe wrote: »

Its probably a fair guess that alot of people in Connacht would have never driven on a motorway before!

I noticed myself when driving on the road for the first time yesterday morning that the standard of driving was alot poorer than on the M4 motorway part - people seemed to think its quite fine to chug along at 80k on the outside lane of the motorway :mad:

No excuse - the keep left rule has been with us for a long time and it was even the subject of TV ads in the 80s. And yet I know all about the outside lane hogging you describe.

Let's see if it works.

antoobrien · 24-12-2009 4:33pm

crapmanjoe wrote: »

Its probably a fair guess that alot of people in Connacht would have never driven on a motorway before!

I noticed myself when driving on the road for the first time yesterday morning that the standard of driving was alot poorer than on the M4 motorway part - people seemed to think its quite fine to chug along at 80k on the outside lane of the motorway :mad:

You'd want to take more notice of what's going on the the M4 then, because they're as poor there as anywhere. The amount of times that I've seen people drive on the left 10/20 kmph faster than someone in the outside lane is frightening (and it happens on every Motorway/DC I've been on).

Roryhy · 24-12-2009 5:01pm

antoobrien wrote: »

You'd want to take more notice of what's going on the the M4 then, because they're as poor there as anywhere. The amount of times that I've seen people drive on the left 10/20 kmph faster than someone in the outside lane is frightening (and it happens on every Motorway/DC I've been on).

If there's room in the left lane to drive past the car in the overtaking lane then i see no problem with that move, its the car in the overtaking lane thats in the wrong IMO. I've often thought about this, what do the rules of the road say? Surely if you're driving along the motorway at 120kph, left lane, and come up behind a car in the overtaking lane doing 100kph, then there's no problem in shooting on by. I think theres a rule that says no overtaking on left but from my point of view thats not overtaking, theres no lane change etc. If it was illegal then technically someone on a 4 lane road, driving in lane 4 at 60kph, could hold the whole road to ransom because is would be illegal to drive by, surely not.

Roryhy · 29-12-2009 7:17pm

Aidan1 wrote: »

Have driven this road a few times now - for the most part it's excellent, but there are a small number of places where the surface is less than ideal. There's a stretch in the driving lane just after the scheme commences heading west where there's a distinct ridge about 1-1.5m in from the yellow lines for a bit. It almost looks like the surface is lifting. Then again, run flats tend to amplify everything, so I'm probably overstating it.

The improvement to journey times and safety are incredible. I started to drive to Galway less than 10 years ago, and it took over 3.5hours pretty much all the time. Now it is an easy cruise that takes 2 hours (door to door in my case). It's good to see the emergency access provisions too - there are long sections between junctions on this scheme.

Oh, and Roryhy, please read the rules of the road. In this country we drive on the left and overtake on the right.

So if someones in the overtaking lane driving at 80kph with no traffic in the left lane, what in your opinion is the appropriate action to take?

29-12-2009 7:51pm

Roryhy wrote: »

So if someones in the overtaking lane driving at 80kph with no traffic in the left lane, what in your opinion is the appropriate action to take?

[OT]
Note their number and report them for dangerous driving! :mad:

[/OT]

M6/4 Motorway Galway to Dublin (for discussing completed sections)

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