N20 Mallow to Rathduff Pilot 2+1 Scheme

marno21 wrote: »

It was just a resurfacing, barrier replacement and drainage addition scheme. I didn't notice anything wrong with the surface before, considering all the traffic chaos it caused over the last 4 months. Not sure if many here drove it at night but it's possibly the most difficult drive I ever did at night with the constant cones and steel barrier along with the narrow twisty lanes for the 4 months.

There were a few depressions and the surface was degrading a little in spots but on the whole it was more than adequate. The main issue was a lack of reflectors on the wire barrier! The works were poorly timed when you consider the mess that is still ongoing just up the road in Buttevant. The disruption was painful at times and the works did appear to persist for an inordinate amount of time on what was a relatively short stretch. It looks like they are ready to move on to the next section in the new year too.

I'd agree with your views on driving through the works in the dark too. I found it quite disorientating at times especially in the rain. The never ending line of cones, varying lane widths and poorly signed junctions made for an uncomfortable drive. Many others made similar remarks to me as well.

Haven't seen notice of works to commence, will they put it off because of the damage to other roads in the county?

cjpm wrote: »

This total waste of money is due to recommence in March. Expect traffic bedlam! The section they are still to do will be ripped out again if the M20 ever gets built.

Does that not tell you something about the probably timeline for the M20?

cjpm wrote: »

Ha. It's not exactly uncommon for a lack of foresight in a government department resulting in a waste of tax payers money is it??

I don't necessarily disagree with you. However in this case I think that, bar some radical change in policy, we aren't going to see the M20 started anytime before 2020. I hope I'm wrong on that though because I think it's a necessary piece of infrastructure.

niloc1951 wrote: »

Just did a Google route plan, Kent Railway Station Cork to Colbert Railway Station Limerick by road.

Via - N20, 99 kms, 1h. 20 mins., without traffic hold-ups.

Via - M8 & R513, 108 kms, 1h. 26mins., without traffic hold-ups.

Google Route Planner

If you flip the direction of that drive, both routes comes out at 1h22m! The reason is the awkward approach into Limerick City from the M20. You can drive directly out from Limerick City to join the M20 at its beginning, but that motorway junction does not allow traffic coming from Cork to exit.

There's not much difference in time in the two routes.

I much prefer the M8+R513 route. Stress free driving on both roads. The N20 is terrible.

marno21 wrote: »

This isn't long off taking a year now, to resurface 7/8km of roadway.

Zero net gain and thousands of collective hours wasted in traffic. If they were any bit smart they would have returned it to WS2 or even WS2 with climbing lanes.

They're after repainting the Rathduff-Blarney section but they've shortened the climbing lanes also, not too sure why

There seems to be a constant drive towards both shortening and removing climbing lanes. It's like the authorities are trying to make traffic worse for no reason.

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

There seems to be a constant drive towards both shortening and removing climbing lanes. It's like the authorities are trying to make traffic worse for no reason.

There also seems to be no policy or standard for how climbing/overtaking lanes merge.
Sometimes it's the climbing lane is directed to merge with the overtaking lane and other times the overtaking lane is directed to merge with the climbing lane.

The natural and safest is for the overtaking lane to merge thus allowing traffic in the climbing lane to have right of way and safely maintain its momentum.

Some where theres a very well payed consulting engineer who's making it up as he goes along..

“Before, as you exited the fast lane on the 2+1 system, both lanes amalgamated into one lane in the centre of the road,” he said. “Now, with this new lining, the fast lane just disappears, leaving motorists with no option but to swerve to the left into what is known as the shoulder lane and back out onto the centre of road again.”

^^^ this is a quote from the article.

Can I just ask, what exactly do they want traffic to do?? If the traffic "amalgamated " into one lane in the centre of the road, who has the right of way??

The whole idea behind climbing or overtaking lanes now is that the faster traffic must merge into slower traffic, not the other way around!
Also, at the end of almost every climbing lane there is at least 6 signs at 200m intervals telling traffic the "fast lane" is ending. If a motorist still has to swerve after all that, they shouldn't be on the road.

It would fit these councillors better to start getting of there arses and get the M20 built, instead of moaning about improvements to the existing road.

What's the story what all the cone being layout out on the Cork side of the N20?