Two lane road = dual carriageway?

If it has a central reservation it is a dualler, if it doesn't it isn't.

Does't matter if there's a central reservation or not, keep left unless you're overtaking. It's more than a decade since I lived in Galway but I traveled that road daily for a number of years and I presume the Tuam road junction (it was a roundabout in my day) and the Menlo Roundabout haven't moved any closer together which makes them about 2km apart. 200m before the roundabout is more than enough to be getting in lane for the roundabout unless there's tailbacks.

From Google Maps it doesn't look like a dual carriageway since there is no central divide, it's just a single carriageway road with dual lanes.

In either case you are required to stay left unless road markings/signs say otherwise or traffic conditions dictate.

galah wrote: »

Speed limit is 50, no central reservation ( just a white line separating the oncoming lanes). Hence the slight confusion.

I dont see why i should drive on the left if i clearly want to be in the right hand lane, and i'm not going slow (all presuming it's not a dual carriageway, i learnt how to drive on motorways etc properly, never fear!) - and if it isnt a dual carriageway then undertaking does not apply, and people on the left could go even faster if they wished.

There's no road markings, but obviously signs indicating which lane to take for which exit at the roundabout.

It doesn't matter what's dividing the road or how many lanes it has if there's no other traffic keep to the left most lane till you need to move over, this could be 1m from the roundabout with no other traffic or several hundred metres if there is.

galah wrote: »

However, if the general consensus is to keep left, i'm happy with that (even if i learnt this differently abroad, but that's ok, i can adapt )

Each country has it's own traffic laws so you obey the ones for the country your driving in not the one you learned in, or else there'd be a lot of head on collisions when people travel in countries which drive on the opposite side of the road.

galah wrote: »

Speed limit is 50, no central reservation ( just a white line separating the oncoming lanes). Hence the slight confusion.

I dont see why i should drive on the left if i clearly want to be in the right hand lane, and i'm not going slow (all presuming it's not a dual carriageway, i learnt how to drive on motorways etc properly, never fear!) - and if it isnt a dual carriageway then undertaking does not apply, and people on the left could go even faster if they wished.

There's no road markings, but obviously signs indicating which lane to take for which exit at the roundabout.

However, if the general consensus is to keep left, i'm happy with that (even if i learnt this differently abroad, but that's ok, i can adapt )

I don't know where you learned to drive but in this country there is no such rule. The law here says you must drive in the leftmost lane where possible. The law here also says you cannot pass on the left (a.k.a. 'undertake') except under certain specifically mentioned circumstances such as slow moving traffic queues, or traffic indicating to turn right or you turning left immediately after passing. The law on passing on the left applies to all types of road, motorway, dual carriageway, single carriageways (such as the road under discussion).

As others have said, kept left but switch lanes close to the roundabout if you intend turning right.

Its not a dual carraige way. It also comes under the 50kph speed limit

Left lane going towards motor park & dunnes right lane for menlo park & headford road

I would have thought that the same rule should apply in this situation as in any case where there are two lanes leading into a roundabout.

And in that case you could have the left lane "undertaking" the right lane in certain traffic volumes, for a distance back from the roundabout.

galah wrote: »

well I'm glad it's not clear cut - means I asked a valid question :P

So maybe move onto a different scenario - two lanes, but IN town (for example, Merchants Road in Galway, or along the Quays in Dublin (if memory serves me right) - would you always be obliged to drive on the left? And you can't be faster in the left lane than the right lane? I would think not...

Same would apply in my eyes to Bothar n dtreabh - just because it looks like a dual carriageway, doesn't mean that it is - technically it's still another inner city road with an inner city speed limit, two lanes leading to two different directions (after a while, granted).

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1964/en/si/0294.html#zzsi294y1964a17

The legislation doesn't distinguish between "inner city roads" and any other type of road - the same rules apply.

Basically - keep left until you have a need to move right.


On the Quays in Dublin, or along Merchant's Road, you generally have slow moving traffic, which is an exception covered in section 19-4-c below.
If you drive on these roads at a quiet time (for example I've often had reason to drive along the Quays in the early hours of the morning), then legally speaking you are obliged to keep in the left lane, except when overtaking or moving out to turn right.

Obligation to drive on the left and to use traffic lanes
17.—(1) A driver shall drive as near to the left hand side of the roadway as is necessary in order to allow, without danger or inconvenience to traffic or a pedestrian, approaching traffic to pass him on his right and overtaking traffic to overtake him on his right.

Overtaking
19.—(1) A driver shall not overtake (or attempt to overtake) if to do so would endanger, or cause inconvenience to, any other person.

(2) A driver shall not overtake (or attempt to overtake) unless he can clearly see a portion of the roadway which—

(a) is free from approaching traffic, pedestrians and any obstruction, and

(b) is sufficiently long and wide to permit the overtaking to be completed without danger or inconvenience to other traffic or pedestrians.

(3) A driver shall overtake on the right and shall not move in towards the left until it is safe to do so.

(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (3) of this bye-law, a driver may overtake on the left—

(a) where the driver of the vehicle about to be overtaken has signalled his intention to turn to the right and the driver of the overtaking vehicle intends, after having overtaken, to go straight ahead or to turn to the left,

(b) where the driver of the overtaking vehicle intends, after having overtaken, to turn left at a road junction and has signalled this intention,

(c) in slow-moving traffic, when vehicles in the traffic lane on the driver's right are moving more slowly than the overtaking vehicle.

(c) in slow-moving traffic, when vehicles in the traffic lane on the driver's right are moving more slowly than the overtaking vehicle.

One of the biggest slip ups in Irish motoring law. Really needs to be re-written especially with 3 lane roads now the norm.

slimjimmc wrote: »

It seems we're more the norm rather than the exception. Passing on the inside is generally prohibited in fast moving traffic in many countries, apparently even in some US states.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtaking#Overtaking_on_the_inside

Its certainly against the code in most US States. I know a number of people pulled for it over there.

And the UK makes note of congested traffic, queuing etc. I believe Germany even has an allowed speed differential in the clause.

Here, some people take the line that if they are doing the limit (say on a Motorway) and traffic to their right isn't, then the traffic to their right is 'slow moving' Which although is correct it flies in the face of the common sense of what the law is trying to say.

I'm not saying legislate for every eventuality, but it should be sharpened up.

galah wrote: »

So if I am behind someone, and need to move lanes to pass them out and move back into the same lane then, this would be over or undertaking. But if I am in a lane and someone else is in another lane, I am merely continuing at the same speed, and if the person in the other lane is slower, it does not affect me.

Undertaking is what you do with a hearse.
Any time you passing someone who is travelling in the same direction then it's overtaking. Whether you pass on the left or right, and whether you actually changed lanes is irrelevant.

galah wrote: »

Otherwise everyone would have to be going at the speed of the slowest person in any lane, which would cause massive tailbacks (I know there's the argument that slow moving people should always be on the left, but what is considered "slow"? For some people, the speed limit is too slow...)

If someone isn't overtaking, then they shouldn't be in the right hand lane (unless of course they're approaching a right hand turn - and then one of the exemptions mentioned in the legislation comes into play). The speed they are travelling at is irrelevant; fast or slow, you should only occupy the right hand lane when overtaking. If someone is overtaking (assuming only two lanes), then it's going to be impossible to pass them on the left.
If the road is so congested that there's slow-moving traffic in both lanes, then there's an exemption in the law for that.

galah wrote: »

At the end of the day the whole thing is probably moot anyway, as nothing is really ever enforced here...(in Germany, you will also be prosecuted for tailgaiting for example, they can measure the relative distances to other cars etc).

(Firstly, congratulations on being the rare Boardsie who correctly uses "moot point" - seeing people post about "mute" points drives me daft ).
The final part of your post is the key point really - there's no enforcement here of anything other than speed (and even that is enforced very loosely). If lane discipline was properly enforced, then it would never be possible for anyone to "overtake" on the left.

People get annoyed and upset about people not understanding the rules of the road - but given how shockingly bad the behaviour of a large number of drivers tends to be, is really shouldn't be surprising that people get confused as to what the actual rules of the road actually are!
If you see enough people continually doing the wrong thing, and not being pulled up for it, then its natural that some people will assume that there's nothing wrong at all.

I have to commend galah for asking the question rather than doing what many drivers do and assume he's right and stubbornly stick to his guns.

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

You must not overtake when

• You are in the left-hand lane of a dual carriageway or motorway when
  traffic is moving at normal speed.
  

ironclaw wrote: »

Seems to be a reiteration of the 'do not pass on the left' rule. It makes sense that if you're overtaking traffic while in the left lane then you must be passing on the inside otherwise you'd have moved into the lane on your right in order to get by.
Still doesn't mean it's legal to pass in the left-hand lane of other road classes except in the specified circumstances.

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

Fine, direct us to the legislation that prohibits this.

S.I. No. 182/1997 - Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations, 1997

Drive on Left
9. Save where otherwise required by these Regulations, a vehicle shall be driven on the left hand side of the roadway in such a manner so as to allow, without danger or inconvenience to traffic or pedestrians, approaching traffic to pass on the right and overtaking traffic to overtake on the right.

S.I. No. 332/2012 - Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012

“(5)(a) A driver (other than a pedal cyclist) may only overtake on the left—

(i) where the driver of the vehicle about to be overtaken has signalled an intention to turn to the right and the driver of the overtaking vehicle intends, after overtaking, to go straight ahead or turn to the left,

(ii) where the driver of the overtaking vehicle intends, after overtaking, to turn to the left at the next road junction and has signalled this intention, or

(iii) in slow-moving traffic, when vehicles in the traffic lane on the driver’s right are moving more slowly than the overtaking vehicle,

Now it's your turn. Please direct us to the direct us to the legislation that allows it.