M6 - Athlone to Ballinasloe

Delta Kilo

I passed it at around 4:30 today and it was still there!

On a slightly different note, I think there needs to be a major ad campaign about motorway etiquette. On the way to Athlone, some guy in a blue focus was pulling out of the emergency lane, no indicator, nothing, just pulled out in front of oncoming traffic, causing a guy in an Audi A4 to just veer out into the overtaking lane. Further ahead another guy was hogging the overtaking lane for about 5 kilometers! Coming home, a guy pulled into emergency lane on mobile phone, further on a guy pulled out of emergency lane, as I passed him he was adjusting his Sat Nav!:mad: Have people a brain in between their ears anymore?

Carawaystick

I suppose I'll get killed for pointing out it's not a motorway and it's a hard shoulder not an emergency lane....

But yes there are idiots doing idiotic things.
But there's no legal reason not to stop on the hard shoulder, as long as you don't park during the times specified at the start of the single yellow line - Until it becomes Motorway that is....

Tech3

I gathered some information re the steel barrier.

In short H2 barriers are the European norm for central medians up to 7.5m in width. These are available in steel or concrete. It is up to the contractor which type of H2 barrier can be chosen for the scheme not the NRA. Therefore Gort-Crusheen could be a concrete H2 barrier if the contractor decides to do just that.

Hope that helps

flazio

*sigh* Just as the 306 gets moved, a Ford Focus ends up in a ditch further up the road in it's place.

KevR

tech2 wrote: »

I gathered some information re the steel barrier.

In short H2 barriers are the European norm for central medians up to 7.5m in width. These are available in steel or concrete. It is up to the contractor which type of H2 barrier can be chosen for the scheme not the NRA. Therefore Gort-Crusheen could be a concrete H2 barrier if the contractor decides to do just that.

Hope that helps

Thanks for the info!

Galway-Ballinasloe could well get steel because the carriageways are laid out seperately, just like Athlone-Ballinasloe and unlike any scheme which got a concrete barrier.

I hope we don't see steel on too many more schemes..

flazio wrote: »

*sigh* Just as the 306 gets moved, a Ford Focus ends up in a ditch further up the road in it's place.

Saw that this morning, although didn't get a proper look. Was it in a ditch as in a crash or was it just pulled off the hard shoulder onto the verge (for safety reasons by the owner)?

Could it be that these people are running out of fuel? Or are they pushing their cars too hard on the motorway causing breakdowns?

Fozzie Bear

Drove this yesterday on my way home from U2 in Croker on monday. It was pouring rain for most of the journey, visability terrible and idiots with no lights on or just their parking lights. Other fools doing crazy speeds or driving too close to the car in front. Accidents just waiting to happen.

Anyway it had stopped raining by Athlone sun was shining and all in I drove Dublin to Ballinasloe in just over an hour. Considering the conditions that was pretty impressive especially when you consider it took nearly that lenght of time again to get from Ballinasloe to Oranmore. Not too many people were heeding the 100kmph speed on the new section.

I can remember it taking nearly 3 and half hours to drive it not that many years ago. Absolutely fantastic job cannot wait to see it completed all the way to Galway city.

veryangryman

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

Anyway it had stopped raining by Athlone sun was shining and all in I drove Lucan to Ballydangan in just over an hour. Considering the conditions that was pretty impressive especially when you consider it took nearly that lenght of time again to get from Ballinasloe to Oranmore. Not too many people were heeding the 100kmph speed on the new section.
.

God i love the irish for exagerations. Fixed that for you above. Bad enough ye guys are claiming to be reaching Dublin from Athlone in an hour without doing Ballinasloe.

Next thing youll tell me youll be able get Dub-Galway in 90 mins when the last bit of motorways finished

Incidentally, if you do happen to be not lying, you broke the speed limit. Thankfully, the fuel companies fine you for this through inefficient fuel usage and more need to top up at the pumps

Sponge Bob

veryangryman wrote: »

Next thing youll tell me youll be able get Dub-Galway in 90 mins when the last bit of motorways finished

I once did Dub Galway in 2 hours flat before there were any motorways

The M4/M6 from the M50 to Galway will be just under 120 miles so 90 mins will hardly be tearing the arse out of it .

veryangryman

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I once did Dub Galway in 2 hours flat before there were any motorways

Can you narrow down what part of Dublin/Galway? Dublin implies o Connell Street and Galway implies Eyre Square in my book.

M50 or Douhiska Roundabout dont.

Carawaystick

veryangryman wrote: »

Can you narrow down what part of Dublin... Dublin implies o Connell Street

Do you work for Dublin Bus?

Dublin city extends to very close to Palmerston, while Roscam and Douisce are in Galway city.
cars can't drive on all of O' Connell st in Dublin anyway.

Fozzie Bear

veryangryman wrote: »

God i love the irish for exagerations exaggerating

Fixed that for you.

veryangryman wrote: »

Bad enough ye guys are claiming to be reaching Dublin from Athlone in an hour without doing Ballinasloe.

Who are "Ye guys" exactly??

It was actually Dublin to Athlone by the way. Typo on my behalf as I was posting on the Ballinasloe motorway thread and simply typed the wrong town.

veryangryman wrote: »

Next thing youll you'll tell me youll you'll be able to get Dub-Galway in 90 mins when the last bit of motorways motorway is finished

Fixed that for you. Again.

And no I will not be telling you anything.

veryangryman wrote: »

Incidentally, if you do happen to be not be lying, you broke the speed limit.

Lying? Excuse me but who the hell are you to accuse me of lying? You are very brave sitting at a keyboard typing that. Face to face I'm betting you are not half as brave. If I broke the limit so what? You have never done the same, you will no doubt tell us.:rolleyes:

veryangryman wrote: »

Thankfully, the fuel companies fine you for this through inefficient fuel usage and more need to top up at the pumps

I can't decide if you are just an internet bully or some sort of eco freak. Inefficient fuel usage? Fuel companies fining me? I mean WTF are you on about!


You appear to be a pedantic, petty, angry, needlessly arsey bully who thinks trying to pull apart my post makes you look knowledgable and smart to others. Instead you look like an idiot who cannot spell and has a primary school level grasp of grammer and manners.

Chris_533976

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

You appear to be a pedantic, petty, angry, needlessly arsey bully

Mods will probably end up probating you for that, but I must give you kudos on that insult

Delta Kilo

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

You appear to be a pedantic, petty, angry, needlessly arsey bully who thinks trying to pull apart my post makes you look knowledgable and smart to others.

Hence his very apt username!

I agree with what you are saying, Fozzie, btw.

?Cee?view

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

You appear to be a pedantic, petty, angry, needlessly arsey bully who thinks trying to pull apart my post makes you look knowledgable and smart to others. Instead you look like an idiot who cannot spell and has a primary school level grasp of grammer and manners.

I am a pedant, and thus feel perfectly entitled to state that the word is spelled "GrammAr" and not "GrammEr".:D

Just pulling your leg:D - I completely agree with what you're writing.

On average, I manage Galway (Kingston Road) to Dublin (Smithfield, near the Four Courts) in two and a quarter to two and a half hours. I've often done it in two hours and five or ten minutes, and not in the dead of night. When the motorway is done the whole way, an hour and a half should be easily manageable.

And yes, I regularly break the speed limit....and I sleep soundly and am guilt free. However, I break the speed limit on the motorway, overtaking the morons who've overtaken me on narrow dangerous roads, or by speeding through towns, where I'm one of those annoying people who stick rigidly to the speed limit.

Maybe this attitude to driving comes from having the cop on to recognise that towns/villages etc. are inherently more hazardous than motorways, and a recognition that the implication (by that ridiculous quango the RSA and others) that there is an equivalence in applying speed limits in both situations is merely pandering to goverment propaganda that distracts from the perilous state of most of our roads, and the gross neglect of driver training in Ireland.

Now all I have to do to enjoy the new motorway is avoid VERY ANGRY MEN who I'm sure will be sitting in the overtaking lane, blood boiling, telling the rest of us (ye!) what to do!

Sponge Bob

churchview wrote: »

Now all I have to do to enjoy the new motorway is avoid VERY ANGRY MEN who I'm sure will be sitting in the overtaking lane, blood boiling, telling the rest of us (ye!) what to do!

One does get morons in the fast lane nailed on 120kph figuring nobody is allowed to pass them and refusing to pull in .

Fortunately the current wheels is a dark blue mondeo so when I see them and give them the beams they normally remember that 'drive as far to the left as possible ' bit of the rules of the road they once read .

Once I pass them I don't care what they think. The licence is still null points .

D.L.R.

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

You appear to be a pedantic, petty, angry, needlessly arsey bully who thinks trying to pull apart my post makes you look knowledgable and smart to others. Instead you look like an idiot who cannot spell and has a primary school level grasp of grammer and manners.

"Pedantic" is a great word, here's another great word : "hypocrite". And another: "irony"

I don't want to have to sift through meaningless posts about fecking spelling corrections, please knock that crap off. This is a transport forum.

veryangryman

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Mods will probably end up probating you for that, but I must give you kudos on that insult

Why? Guy is breaking speed limit on a regular basis.. well done to him. I'll give him a call to congratulate him next time. He'll no doubt pick up the phone somewhere between Athlone and Ballinasloe on the M6 in rush hour while working on his gammAr.

As for justifying this by your license being null points... Well I congratulate you on that too, but must mention that just because you don't get caught don't make it right.

Pedantic and arsey? The nerve

kaizersoze

Now now ladies.....

....Step away from the handbags!:P

?Cee?view

Sponge Bob wrote: »

One does get morons in the fast lane nailed on 120kph figuring nobody is allowed to pass them and refusing to pull in .

Fortunately the current wheels is a dark blue mondeo so when I see them and give them the beams they normally remember that 'drive as far to the left as possible ' bit of the rules of the road they once read .

Once I pass them I don't care what they think. The licence is still null points .

I can't understand why some informative signs can't be put up on the Motorways. Surely it wouldn't be difficult to run a "keep left" campaign, supplemented by permanent signs. Train drivers on the concept of the overtaking lane. We've been told on the new Athlone to Ballinasloe stretch how cheap it will be to change the spped signs in late August, so surely a few signs aimed at improving driver behaviour wouldn't be too much?

While they're at it, what about some signs telling people to dip their headlights? Many seem to think it's just not necessary on Motorways or HQDCs.

There hasn't been a lot of joined up thinking in providing modern infrastructure in Ireland. If state of the art roads are provided, users have to be trained how to use them properly, and that very much includes people who already have their full licence. The RSA, NRA, government etc., can't just presume that anything other than a minority will take the trouble to educate themselves on how to use these new roads properly. I genuinely think that most overtaking lane hoggers aren't malevolent or on a crusade - most probably just have no clue that they're doing anything wrong.

serfboard

churchview wrote: »

Surely it wouldn't be difficult to run a "keep left" campaign, supplemented by permanent signs. Train drivers on the concept of the overtaking lane. <snip>

If state of the art roads are provided, users have to be trained how to use them properly, and that very much includes people who already have their full licence. The RSA, NRA, government etc., can't just presume that anything other than a minority will take the trouble to educate themselves on how to use these new roads properly. I genuinely think that most overtaking lane hoggers aren't malevolent or on a crusade - most probably just have no clue that they're doing anything wrong.

Back in the mists of time, there was a television ad campaign called "keep left, pass right" (just looked for it on youtube but couldn't find it). And that was back in a time when we had no DCs (apart from Naas, maybe). I've been wondering why they don't show that ad again. As well as for information purposes, 'twould be a great old piece of nostalgia to show classic cars on almost empty roads :rolleyes:. Okay - an updated version of the ad, so.

I presume this would be an RSA campaign? Would they be the people we should be talking to/about?

Sponge Bob

serfboard wrote: »

, 'twould be a great old piece of nostalgia to show classic cars on almost empty roads :rolleyes:.

Mark 2 Ford Asscarts are not wuite 'classic' , not even the RS2000

I presume this would be an RSA campaign? Would they be the people we should be talking to/about?

Exactly, they do not answer their emails neither

KevR

What's going on??

Stuck in a huge tailback at the Ballinasloe end. Not moving at all.

Alun

serfboard wrote: »

Back in the mists of time, there was a television ad campaign called "keep left, pass right" (just looked for it on youtube but couldn't find it). And that was back in a time when we had no DCs (apart from Naas, maybe). I've been wondering why they don't show that ad again. As well as for information purposes, 'twould be a great old piece of nostalgia to show classic cars on almost empty roads :rolleyes:. Okay - an updated version of the ad, so.

I presume this would be an RSA campaign? Would they be the people we should be talking to/about?

I've only been in Ireland since 2001, and I remember seeing a TV ad campaign along those lines, so it's hardly that far back in the mists of time. I think it was around the time I first arrived, so 2001-2002 or some time around then, but I've not seen it recently.

kaizersoze

KevR wrote: »

What's going on??

Stuck in a huge tailback at the Ballinasloe end. Not moving at all.

Thats the freely moving traffic you mentioned over on the Galway board.:p

KevR wrote:

But then again, people feared the Athlone-Ballinasloe motorway would result in tailbacks at Ballinasloe with everyone arriving there quicker. That hasn't really happened, in fact I think traffic has improved slightly.

Welcome to the new bottleneck.

Very bad today. Backed up to Kilbegly overbridge at times today. That's 2km up the motorway and about ~7km from Ballinasloe.

?Cee?view

Imagine what the bottleneck will be like when the Motorway gets the whole way to Galway!

Time for me to get out and dust down the motorbike!

kaizersoze

In fairness it's an exceptional weekend (races, bank holiday, etc) but normal peak time traffic does back up more than it used to. Off peak traffic on the N6 does move but trying to get onto it from local roads is painful.

KevR

I think there was a car broken down on the link road earlier which caused the long period with no movement. Breakdown was eventually moved to the hard shoulder and traffic got going again. There was such a build up of traffic though which made it slow the rest of the way to Galway.

Breakdown + Races + Bank Holiday = Nightmare! 2 and a half hours to get home and that was with no delays in Galway City..

Delta Kilo

KevR wrote: »

I think there was a car broken down on the link road earlier which caused the long period with no movement.

It was probably the crowd selling strawberries moving their wagon. They moved the one they had on the old stretch onto the linkroad today.

I was just thinking after looking at the tailbacks today, how are they going to divert the traffic away from Ballinasloe when the Fair is on in October?

The only way I could think of was closing the Athlone-Ballinasloe stretch again and send people out the tuam road to Ballyforan and back in through Ahascragh, which is how they normally do it.

L1011

there was already a strawberry wagon on the link road thursday evening when i came back from a days calls in galway... Managed to get from the clifden road and out to oranmore in ten minutes due to the guards prepping traffic restrictions for the end of the days races!

Delta Kilo

MYOB wrote: »

there was already a strawberry wagon on the link road thursday evening when i came back from a days calls in galway...

Could have been yesterday evening when it was moved. I didn't see it there yesterday.

I don't think an accident had much to do with the traffic situation either way. I followed the jam from the other end of Ballinasloe and it was just caused by the volume of cars that had to slow down. All it takes is someone to press the traffic lights at Portiuncula and by the time all of the cars have slowed down, stopped and sped up again, you have a pretty big tail back.