Ridiculous driving on the N7

BrianD3

I have only recently driven on the upgraded N7 with 3 lanes each way. Great road but it's just bizarre to see how empty the inside lane is after millions have been spent upgrading this road to a 3 laner.

I've read compliants about this from posters here before and thought they might be exaggerating but now I see they weren't. When I drove on it it was fairly quiet I was in the inside lane and mostly had empty road as far as I could see ahead of me while there were many muppets hogging the middle lane at 70-80 km/h. Several trucks in the middle lane too. I will admit to "undertaiking" many cars but I won't undertake a truck.I know there has been debate recently about what exactly constitutes "undertaking". IMO cruising along in the left lane passing vehicles in the middle lane does constitute illegal undertaking.

The Gardai should be out on that road pulling over the middle lane hogs. I forsee a big pileup if something isn't done.

The Brits complain about middle lane hogs on their motorways but I've never seen anything as bad on a UK M-way as I've seen on the N7 here.

Drax

Yep. Some crazy-assed driving on that road. A few keep left signs on gantries might make a difference. Or a advert campign. Only we will have to wait for that pile-up first before that happens. Only yesterday I came along it and still middle lane hogs all the way. Ejits.

Idleater

Drax wrote:

Yep. Some crazy-assed driving on that road. A few keep left signs on gantries might make a difference. Or a advert campign. Only we will have to wait for that pile-up first before that happens. Only yesterday I came along it and still middle lane hogs all the way. Ejits.

Better be careful if there is a pile up. We wouldn't want to drive up the inside lest we be caught undertaking crashed cars...

it would be undertaking because those being undertook (???) would not be travelling in queues would it not?

L.

Wishbone Ash

nereid wrote:

it would be undertaking because those being undertook (???) would not be travelling in queues would it not?

It would be 'overtaking on the left'. There is no such thing as 'undertaking' in motoring terminology.

those being undertook (???)

'Undertaken'??

Anan1

I agree completely. All I can recommend is that you always use the horn when undertaking. Apart from the safety aspect (ensuring that they know you're there), it may in the long run get it through to these people that they're in the wrong lane.

whippet

it's all about enforcment really .. then people will take note.

I was on the m4 recently, pottering along at about 100kph in the driving lane, i was in no rush.

i could see a fiesta sitting in the overtaking lane about 1km ahead of me, i kept my speed but soon caught up on it, there was no real traffic on the road.

I eased off the throttle but wasn't going to brake as there was a car behind me, I was about level with the fiesta when I see a Cop bike in the rearview mirror .. approaching fast .. expecting the bike to ignore this traffic offence .. but no .. the blue lights came on.

I looked at the other driver .. a thirty something female ..who nearly jumped out of her seat at the sight of blue lights. I anticipated her having to move to the left lane to pull in so eased off a bit more, when she tugged on the steering wheel with no indicator and forced me to jam on. She then proceeded to potter along infront of me obvlious to the fact that she had been pulled over.

it took about another km before the garda on the bike driving along side her pointing to the hard shoulder with the blues and twos on could convince her that she was the offender.

I would have loved to be earwigging on that conversation !!

Hobbes

Anan1 wrote:

I agree completely. All I can recommend is that you always use the horn when undertaking.

It is extremly dangerous to sound your horn on the Motorway unless you absolutly have to.

AndrewMc

BrianD3 wrote:

I have only recently driven on the upgraded N7 with 3 lanes each way. Great road but it's just bizarre to see how empty the inside lane is after millions have been spent upgrading this road to a 3 laner.

I've read compliants about this from posters here before and thought they might be exaggerating but now I see they weren't. When I drove on it it was fairly quiet I was in the inside lane and mostly had empty road as far as I could see ahead of me while there were many muppets hogging the middle lane at 70-80 km/h. Several trucks in the middle lane too. I will admit to "undertaiking" many cars but I won't undertake a truck.I know there has been debate recently about what exactly constitutes "undertaking". IMO cruising along in the left lane passing vehicles in the middle lane does constitute illegal undertaking.

The Gardai should be out on that road pulling over the middle lane hogs. I forsee a big pileup if something isn't done.

The Brits complain about middle lane hogs on their motorways but I've never seen anything as bad on a UK M-way as I've seen on the N7 here.

Assuming we're talking about the same place, the middle lane is where the huge overhead signs tell them to be. Left-hand land is only ever marked as the place where the next exit is, while middle and right lanes are marked as "Dublin" or "Limerick".

As far as I can tell the left-hand lane is intended to be a continuous merging lane sort of thing, giving people as long as they need to get into or out of the main driving lane in the middle. Works quite well, I reckon.

Anybody else think this is the intention?

Lex Luthor

I hate 3 lane carraigeways/motorways. There is always that uncertainty about who has right of way to the middle lane, which is why most people hog the middle lane because they have a choice then whether to go inside or outside.

If I am in the outside lane and there is a car on the inside lane, I am always hesitant moving to the middle lane in case the car on the inside is thinking of moving out to the middle. Even more hesitant if a truck is there.

Even number of lanes is always safer IMO.

Wishbone Ash

AndrewMc wrote:

Assuming we're talking about the same place, the middle lane is where the huge overhead signs tell them to be. Left-hand land is only ever marked as the place where the next exit is, while middle and right lanes are marked as "Dublin" or "Limerick".

As far as I can tell the left-hand lane is intended to be a continuous merging lane sort of thing, giving people as long as they need to get into or out of the main driving lane in the middle. Works quite well, I reckon.

Anybody else think this is the intention?

On the M1 nothbound near the airport the lanes are given destinations also. So much for keeping to the left on a motorway!

dubred

AndrewMc wrote:

Assuming we're talking about the same place, the middle lane is where the huge overhead signs tell them to be. Left-hand land is only ever marked as the place where the next exit is, while middle and right lanes are marked as "Dublin" or "Limerick".

As far as I can tell the left-hand lane is intended to be a continuous merging lane sort of thing, giving people as long as they need to get into or out of the main driving lane in the middle. Works quite well, I reckon.

Anybody else think this is the intention?

I certainly agree that this is the impression given by the road signs, and this contributes to the problem. I think it is part of the overall driver education problem, there might be references to 3-lane roads in the upcoming revised edition of the ROTR as there are revised guidelines about roundabouts refered to in another thread, but how many fully licensed drivers will ever see a copy of the new ROTR when it is published, much less read it. I think the majority of drivers are driving according to the ROTR as they were when they learned to drive, and it's not that long ago that we didn't have motorways and the only roundabout was in Walkinstown. Mandatory refresher lessons maybe, 1 or 2 every 5 years?

Just my 2c.

fletch

Lex Luthor wrote:

If I am in the outside lane and there is a car on the inside lane, I am always hesitant moving to the middle lane in case the car on the inside is thinking of moving out to the middle. Even more hesitant if a truck is there..

I've seen a lot of near misses on the N4 outbound with situations exactly like what you describe.

R.O.R

Wishbone Ash wrote:

On the M1 nothbound near the airport the lanes are given destinations also. So much for keeping to the left on a motorway!

Inside lane on the M1 in your photo is now a slip road to the M50. Although even if they changed the standard signs to flashing neons you'd still get people veering on to the main carriageway at the last second.


M50 has a similar set up near Tallaght in both directions, but as the inside lane (slip road) has always been like that (I think), everyone knows what to do. Change confuses most drivers as they don't pay attention.

Idleater

Wishbone Ash wrote:

It would be 'overtaking on the left'. There is no such thing as 'undertaking' in motoring terminology.

Thanks W_A_, always on hand to bail me out...

On the plus side, I managed to get about 7 cars out of the "OVERTAKING" lane into the empty "DRIVING" lane this afternoon, without me resorting to overtaking them on the left like I normally do (on the bike). I was very polite, and gave them a thank you wave when they moved across.

Of course, 2 km later, I could see them in my mirrors all back queuing behind each other in the "OVERTAKING" lane again.

L.

fletch

nereid wrote:

I was very polite, and gave them a thank you wave when they moved across.

I've started to do that too(well flash my hazards in the car) in the hope that they may realise that they weren't meant to be in the outside lane in the first place.

Lex Luthor

fletch wrote:

I've seen a lot of near misses on the N4 outbound with situations exactly like what you describe.

I thought the N4 was only 2 lanes?

fletch

Lex Luthor wrote:

I thought the N4 was only 2 lanes?

There's a small section from the M50 junction to the Lucan exit that is 3 lanes....

Anan1

Hobbes wrote:

It is extremly dangerous to sound your horn on the Motorway unless you absolutly have to.

Although not perhaps quite as dangerous as having one of these clowns change lanes into you.

Pherekydes

fletch wrote:

I've seen a lot of near misses on the N4 outbound with situations exactly like what you describe.

Yes, a lot of them crossing the hatched markings just after the Foxhunter, and many of them at the last possible moment.

A problem is that the third (LH) lane on the N4 and the M1 are part of the exit lanes/slip road, but on the M7 they are not.