Airport M1 Junction

SeaSide

Another big pile up this week heading north

Seems to happen every couple of weeks.

This time they had to cross out the paint from the last crash before marking this one.

What is it that sets this place apart?

SuzyS1972

IMO it's down to the fact that people have not passed driving tests before getting into a car and do not have a clue how to treat a motorway
I travelled from Coolock to Balbriggan tonight and was amazed at the stupidity os some drivers.

The overtaking lane was full and the inside lane you are meant to drive in was empty.

Some eejit at the top of the traffic in the overtaking lane was doing only about 50kph and wouldn't move over to let traffic pass.
People get annoyed , tail gate and frustrated and sadly thats how accidents happen.

I think for some reason tho the M1 just seems to be the worst over any other motorway so I agree with you there ?

Wishbone Ash

SeaSide wrote:

Another big pile up this week heading north

Seems to happen every couple of weeks.

This time they had to cross out the paint from the last crash before marking this one.

What is it that sets this place apart?

Are you referring to the airport junction with the M1 Eastbound/Westbound (i.e. the main airport roundabout) or the M1 Eastbound/Westbound intersection with the M1 Northbound/Southbound?

SuzyS1972 wrote:

it's down to the fact that people have not passed driving tests before getting into a car

Did you pass a driving test before getting into a car Suzy? If you did, you are probably unique.

SeaSide

Northbound on the M1 between the exit for the airport and the northbound on ramp again on the M1

RuggieBear

i think the part of the M1 northbound between the M50 exit and the Airport exit is lethal.

I saw a truck coming off the M50 exit and heading straight across 4 lanes...the the truck nearly took out a rangerover but the truck driver managed to swerve back just in time and just took out the wingmirror of a range rover. I was in a taxi about 40 yards back and thought i was going to see someone die.

Branners

the planners put too many exits beside each other there on the M1
another cock-up as usual

plus bad driving doesn't help

Wishbone Ash

Probably caused by:

1. Inattentive northbound motorists driving on the left lane and then discovering that they should be in the centre lane and the ensuing problems caused by late lane changing.

2. Northbound traffic coming off the M50 on the left slip road and trying to get into the centre lane before running out of road.

3. Airport bound traffic trying to merge into the left lane.

4. The weird phenomenon whereby ordinary decent drivers appear to switch off part their brain approaching an airport as they think about flights, time, parking etc. instead. Some of the worst driving i experience is within the airport itself.

5. General poor driving skills.

SuzyS1972

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Are you referring to the airport junction with the M1 Eastbound/Westbound (i.e. the main airport roundabout) or the M1 Eastbound/Westbound intersection with the M1 Northbound/Southbound?


Did you pass a driving test before getting into a car Suzy? If you did, you are probably unique.

Well no that's not possible is it lol !
I learnt to drive in UK where I did lessons with a driving school and you are NOT allowed out in a car without having passed your driving test unless accompanied by a person who has a full driving licence.

Driving at speeds of 120 kph and being inexperienced is a dangerous game as far as I am concerned.

Just because I am unique doesn't make it right.

FlutterinBantam

Hey ... lets just forget all the theory.

Bad driving manners...Il'l say it again... Bad driving manners.Grinning jackasses who think they own the road are the cause of 80% of road accidents in Ireland.

Once the the mindset of most drivers is, fcuk everyone else,once I get to where I want to go in the shortest possible time, is the norm, then trouble in store!!

So !! simple really..Selfishness,lack of roadmanners, lack of enforcement for offenders make Irish roads what they are, havens for knackers/scummers/jackasses/cowboys who drive as they live, fcuk everybody else just get what you want,and rules!!!!!! What fcukin rules!!!1

Dub13

Thats a strange stretch of road.I cant think of anywhere else were traffic merges from the right...this happens when you leave the M1 northbound heading to the airport,traffic heading south on the M1 into the airport merges on the right.

Dingatron

The overtaking lane was full and the inside lane you are meant to drive in was empty.

Normal daily driving behaviour on the M1

Some eejit at the top of the traffic in the overtaking lane was doing only about 50kph and wouldn't move over to let traffic pass.

Normal daily driving behaviour on the M1

People get annoyed , tail gate and frustrated and sadly thats how accidents happen.

Normal daily driving behaviour on the M1

Anyone see a pattern here? Drive the M1 5 days a week and absolutely nothing I see on the M1 surprises me any more. Merging into traffic seems to have become a game of 'who dares wins' with drivers appearing to think that at all costs no one must get in front of them or they will be scarred
for life. This is of course in traffic travelling at 5-10 miles an hour in a lot of cases. I gave up on the Guards a long time ago after calling them after been run off the road by a northern truck driver at the Gormanstown junction. They said there was little chance of catching him before the Border?

Wishbone Ash

Dub13 wrote:

Thats a strange stretch of road.I cant think of anywhere else were traffic merges from the right...this happens when you leave the M1 northbound heading to the airport,traffic heading south on the M1 into the airport merges on the right.

Here's a pic.



Traffic leaving the airport and joining the M1 Eastbound also merges on the right!



(I think the OP is referring to the M1 proper though! )

Fingleberries

I agree that merging right is stupid, but also with the original poster talking about the M1 proper.

For the most part, it's down to bad driving / bad manners, etc.

If you look at the markings on the ground where the crash took place last Wednesday, it's not at a point where there is an exit or an entrance. It means that someone who is 'in a hurry' and clearly 'more important than other traffic' probably wanted to change lanes and didn't check around them properly.

The level of poor driving in this country is amazing, and on the M1 you see it daily.

• People in the overtaking lane thinking it is a 'fast' lane and if they're driving fast they're entitled to be there.
• People who are genuinely overtaking in the fast lane, and travelling at the speed limit (120km/h) being harrassed by somebody 'in a hurry' doing 150km/h or more - even if there's a line of traffic in the left lane and no room to move back in (and the eeejit at 150km/h still revs up behind the driver, tailgating and swerving to show them in their mirror that there is a car behind them).
• People merging into traffic who insist on driving over the ghost island (the stripped white area) to get into lane quicker than everyone else. Legally speaking the ghost island is the equivalent of a footpath and driving on it is an offence, but people are 'in a hurry' and 'more important than other traffic'.
• Changing lanes without checking mirrors.
• People overtaking through traffic using the 'Herbie' overtaking manouver (like the way Herbie always wins a race coming from the back of the pack in the movies) ... swerve into outside lane to overtake a car, swerve back into the inside lane to undertake the next car, back out to the outside lane again, etc.
• Another factor is that people are ticked off at being stuck in traffic for 40-50 mins and at the first sight of clear road they get a rush of blood to the head because they forgot what anything over second gear feels like.

These are just a few of the daily sightings on our motorways, possibly caused by poor infrastructure leading to lengthy delays. More often than not, it's down to poor driving skills, bad road awareness and general bad manners.

dade

i travel along that stretch every day and i hate it you needs eyes all over your head, you get the people merging in from the N32 (m50 roundabout) and just as they get into lane then there's the traffic coming off the M50, now one lane is marked M1 and one marked airport but still twits take the airport lane and try merge just as they approach the exit.

Same at Whitehall outside the church turning right from the shops in white hall (Collins ave i think) onto the M1 ya get twits in the santry lane force their way in coz they couldn't be bothered getting in line. I mean I'll take the santry lane and move into the M1 if its clear to do so if not i take the long way home but christ all mighty I don't know how may times I've had some cnut just point his car into a 2 foot gap and make it fit.

I think the problem lies in frustration, I took the car to work last week, the trip home was pearse street to swords took over an hour and a half to get home and I was able to use bus lanes for half that trip. people just get sick waiting in traffic especially if they live in one of the satellite towns

Wishbone Ash

dade wrote:

Same at Whitehall outside the church turning right from the shops in white hall (Collins ave i think) onto the M1 ya get twits in the santry lane force their way in coz they couldn't be bothered getting in line. I mean I'll take the santry lane and move into the M1 if its clear to do so if not i take the long way home but christ all mighty I don't know how may times I've had some cnut just point his car into a 2 foot gap and make it fit

dade - are referring to making a right turn onto the Swords Road from Collins Avenue?

If so, you should note that both right hand lanes on Collin's Avenue are designated for turning right onto the Swords Road. Those motorists on you right have bothered getting into line!

Fingleberries

I reckon Dade is talking about the two 'right-turn' lanes from Collins Ave on to the Swords road. The right-most lane leads straight into the M1 Northbound, the one on the left leads into Santry.

The queue in the left is always shorter, because not as many people go into Santry. Many abuse this lane and exercise their God given right to force their way back into the M1 lane after they turn at the lights.

SeaSide

Fingleberries wrote: »

I reckon Dade is talking about the two 'right-turn' lanes from Collins Ave on to the Swords road. The right-most lane leads straight into the M1 Northbound, the one on the left leads into Santry.

The queue in the left is always shorter, because not as many people go into Santry. Many abuse this lane and exercise their God given right to force their way back into the M1 lane after they turn at the lights.

While others lay down their lives to defend their bit of road

Victor

Actually, I got the 142 bus recently (city-Port Tunnel-Drynam-Malahide).

At this point traffic slowed to almost a complete stop for no reason. :rolleyes: Time for a 60km/h variable limit at rush hour to removes the scrunching?

Wishbone Ash

Fingleberries wrote: »

I reckon Dade is talking about the two 'right-turn' lanes from Collins Ave on to the Swords road. The right-most lane leads straight into the M1 Northbound, the one on the left leads into Santry.

The queue in the left is always shorter, because not as many people go into Santry. Many abuse this lane and exercise their God given right to force their way back into the M1 lane after they turn at the lights.

The lanes are marked for turning right but are not designated for a particular destination. A motorist is entitled, therefore, to use either lane and it is not an 'abuse' nor are they 'exercising their God given right'. A lot of traffic coming from the ferries use that route and many of these drivers may not be familiar with what lies beyond.

I take your point though that it may make it more difficult to merge into the right lane approaching the M1. Articulated truck drivers (heading for the M1) would have no option but to use the left lane initially and then both lanes as the trailer would never clear the island otherwise.

T-Maxx

+1 on that Wishbone Ash.

If everyone would be more alert and be aware of road signage and markings - and adhere to it - things would move along a lot smoother.;)

Dub13

What do you make of the lanes on Westmorland street heading onto O'Connell bridge....?Its not very clear and some day their is going to be a smack.

shoegirl

SeaSide wrote: »

Northbound on the M1 between the exit for the airport and the northbound on ramp again on the M1

I have to say that the design of the exist for the airport is extremely poorly designed, if the traffic coming from the city is not so busy you are coming onto a busy road from a relatively slow start and the exit road is too short to build up enough speed to merge safely.

The angle of the airport exit was always very dangerous (esp before the M1 was extended to bypass the Swords bypass), but then again rumour always had it that the reason it was so steep was to ensure that the Coachmans Inn was not by-passed! Not sure how true that one ever was. When it originally opened also the bend used to regularly flood due to poor drainage also.

Reducing the level of traffic on the road by the opening of an exit further north was a good move, however this is very poorly signposted (unless you know where you are going once you get to Airside its pretty much guesswork) and I suspect a lot of people are still using the airport exit to get to the greater Swords area.

johnnyrotten

I use this road often. Its frightning how cars truck come off the M50 at lightning speed and bully their way into the overtaking lane of the M1, What ever happened to gradually changing lanes . these headcases cross 3 lanes in 1 go.
The Motorways in this country need to be policed with a dedicated corp

grahamo

That stretch of the M1 is very poorly planned. You've got people coming up the M1 merging from the right to access the airport and on the same stretch people merging from the left to access the M1 from the M50. Crazy! A lot of the drivers attitudes don't help matters!

Bluetonic

shoegirl wrote: »

Reducing the level of traffic on the road by the opening of an exit further north was a good move, however this is very poorly signposted (unless you know where you are going once you get to Airside its pretty much guesswork) and I suspect a lot of people are still using the airport exit to get to the greater Swords area.

Very bad design to have two slips roads onto and one slip road off the motorway so close together, it brings about too many movements of traffic between lanes in too short a distance, especially traveling at high speeds.

SeaSide

Bluetonic wrote: »

Very bad design to have two slips roads onto and one slip road off the motorway so close together, it brings about too many movements of traffic between lanes in too short a distance, especially traveling at high speeds.

True but the gas thing is that there doesn't seem to be many accidents there. They all seem to be further up. I wonder is it the change in speed limits when people start to speed up only to find traffic suddenly slowing or stopped in front?

Bluetonic

SeaSide wrote: »

True but the gas thing is that there doesn't seem to be many accidents there. They all seem to be further up. I wonder is it the change in speed limits when people start to speed up only to find traffic suddenly slowing or stopped in front?

It's the ripple effect alright, if you could stand on the fly over and watch the brake lights being hit reacting to a movement between the slips I'm sure it would be dramatic by the time it filters back.