M50 Blanchardstown Exit Muppetry

Wibbler

I need to get this off my chest:

I have the misfortune of having to travel the M50 northbound on my evening commute home and my blood pressure is suffering from having to deal with muppets and chancers on the approach to the Blachardstown exit.

The merge from to N3 to M50 northbound slip causes the traffic on the M50 northbound to back up to the where the toll plaza used to be, mostly because of chancers who use the lanes for the exit to the N3 to 'get ahead', have to force themselves back into the mainline. The resulting chaos causes knock on ripples down the line which really wedges up the traffic and further encourages the behaviour.

It's quite amazing to see it happening and it's going to cause an accident, because traffic in the outer of the two exit lanes, has to steer around multiple eejits who are stopped in the lane waiting for someone to let them back into the queue.

BluntGuy

Yes, I always knew you'd have that variety of selfish eejit who thinks the auxillary lane is just a device for them to overtake everybody...

I hope they're caught doing it and fined, because it's not what the auxillary lane is for and it's a danger to all road users, especially the idiots who feel it's acceptable for them to do it.

Random

The road markings are still misleading though aren't they? Do they still have the thicker line (which would suggest just the left most lane is the sliproad lane) in the wrong place?

While it annoys the hell out of me, how does someone using the 2nd lane from the left to get ahead and try move back into the 3rd lane from the left further up cause traffic chaos? Surely the chaos is already there anyway?

Wibbler

Random wrote: »

The road markings are still misleading though aren't they? Do they still have the thicker line (which would suggest just the left most lane is the sliproad lane) in the wrong place?

While it annoys the hell out of me, how does someone using the 2nd lane from the left to get ahead and try move back into the 3rd lane from the left further up cause traffic chaos? Surely the chaos is already there anyway?

Yes, the road markings are misleading, or at least at odds with the signage on the gantries. It's typical of sloppiness we see in Ireland when it comes to our roads.

As far as the chaos I mentioned is concerned:

Traffic will always slow in a lane into which traffic is merging, especially when the merging is *forced* rather than part of the expected traffic movements. The stop-start nature of the traffic flow causes a ripple effect down the queue of vehicles, which end up delaying everyone. Do this at several places along the auxiliary lane and everyone in the mainline suffers. All those small delays add up. Couple this with trucks stopped and straddling lanes in a 100km/h zone (while they wait for a 40 foot gap to open up to let them in) and you can see the potential for annoyance and accidents.

By the way, once the traffic on the M50 passes the point where it is no longer possible to merge in from the auxiliary lane, it immediately speeds up, in spite of the merging of slip road traffic further along from the N3 to M50 northbound. This is what I find particularly annoying about the whole thing. The majority are held up for anything up to 30 minutes, by the actions of a few selfish motorists.

Ice_Box

More changes to the M50 layout will happen next Wednesday or Thursday (12th or 13th of November). Hopefully this will improve things a bit.

andrewh5

BluntGuy wrote: »

Yes, I always knew you'd have that variety of selfish eejit who thinks the auxillary lane is just a device for them to overtake everybody...

I hope they're caught doing it and fined, because it's not what the auxillary lane is for and it's a danger to all road users, especially the idiots who feel it's acceptable for them to do it.

Surely you mean undertake? As for getting caught, when was the last time you actually saw the Garda Traffic Corps patrolling the M50? They are too interested in targeting speeders on the N11 which changes speed limits about 4 times.

Wibbler

andrewh5 wrote: »

Surely you mean undertake? As for getting caught, when was the last time you actually saw the Garda Traffic Corps patrolling the M50? They are too interested in targeting speeders on the N11 which changes speed limits about 4 times.

There's a very entertaining thread over on Motoring on the subject of undertaking. Best not to start one here :-)

Danbo!

Random wrote: »

The road markings are still misleading though aren't they? Do they still have the thicker line (which would suggest just the left most lane is the sliproad lane) in the wrong place?

The road markings are misleading because the M50 reverts back to a 2 lane road after the N3 exit. Once this section is upgraded the leftmost (auxiliary lane) will head up the slip road to Blanchardstown. The lane second from the left will continue on the M50 northbound. So in a few months time, the road markings will be correct, but until then you will have people in the lane they think they should be in (the driving lane), suddenly realise they are about to leave the M50 and change lanes quickly.

veryangryman

In all probability, does anyone think that the extra lanes will make a difference at rush hour, once finished? I mean like will we be able to travel the 100KMph that we dream of?

Whens the upgrade finished as matter of interest? As it is, i avoid avoid avoid tolled section of M50. If i want to drive around a dangerous narrow road filled to brim with traffic, i aint paying a ****ing toll for the privelege

Heroditas

veryangryman wrote: »

In all probability, does anyone think that the extra lanes will make a difference at rush hour, once finished? I mean like will we be able to travel the 100KMph that we dream of?

Whens the upgrade finished as matter of interest? As it is, i avoid avoid avoid tolled section of M50. If i want to drive around a dangerous narrow road filled to brim with traffic, i aint paying a ****ing toll for the privelege

I think it will work. The M50 between the Blanch exit southbound and the N4 exit is always fine nowadays. The N4 exit is completely finished and is always ok. The only time it's bad is due to the traffic backed up all the way back from the Newcastle junction to the M50 .... it happens sometimes!

Remember that there is a huge amount of work being done to the N/M roads feeding into the M50 and the work on them is also affecting the traffic on the M50 itself. Once it's all done, I reckon we'll see an improvement - as in, the bottlenecks will move closer into the city centre where the roads are narrower or single lane, instead of forming on the orbital route (M50) itself.

Wibbler

noblestee wrote: »

but until then you will have people in the lane they think they should be in (the driving lane), suddenly realise they are about to leave the M50 and change lanes quickly.

I take your point, one which Random made above, but which I missed. It goes some way to explaining why so much traffic needs to force itself back into the mainline, but I still think that many motorists are abusing the situation to the detriment of others.

Regardless of the positioning of the thicker line, both the overhead signage on the gantries and the other lane markings (M3 written on the road in big white letters) clearly indicate that the lane second from the left is also part of the approach to the exit slip. The slip itself is two lanes and I expect it to stay that way. The third lane on the mainline at this point will be accommodated on the outside where they have replaced the wide central median with a concrete divider.

whosedaddy?

Ice_Box wrote: »

More changes to the M50 layout will happen next Wednesday or Thursday (12th or 13th of November). Hopefully this will improve things a bit.

let's hope so. Traffic should be moved to two new inner lanes from after Blanch all the way to just before the M1...
But because there is still no free flow at the far side, my cynical prediction is that it won't change that much.

And lets wait for the chaos when they split the lanes at Blanch similar to the current Finglas layout....

Wibbler

whosedaddy? wrote: »

And lets wait for the chaos when they split the lanes at Blanch similar to the current Finglas layout....

What's the cause of that particular brand of M50 chaos? Surely, the capacity is the same even though the flow is split. Is it down to traffic slowing down on approach or lane hopping?

Heroditas

Wibbler wrote: »

What's the cause of that particular brand of M50 chaos? Surely, the capacity is the same even though the flow is split. Is it down to traffic slowing down on approach or lane hopping?

Lane hoppers. Gobsh1tes insisting on staying in the outside lane until the last possible second, then darting into the inside lane because they realise they won't be able to get off the M50 otherwise.

whosedaddy?

Wibbler wrote: »

What's the cause of that particular brand of M50 chaos? Surely, the capacity is the same even though the flow is split. Is it down to traffic slowing down on approach or lane hopping?

yes, its a slowing down and last minute lane changes.
ppl slow down to read signs. then they get confused where they want to go.

I exit at Finglas in the evenings. The majority of cars that do a last minute merge to the left keep going straight.. ALL cars that do a merge to the right are going straight. I'd say 90% of changing lanes say the last 400m before the split is unnecessary. most cars that exit are sitting in left lane already.

But then the warning signs should be further back as well. and might still not be clear to everyone. ( but that might not be the fault of the signs... )

noblestee

noblestee wrote: »

So in a few months time, the road markings will be correct, but until then you will have people in the lane they think they should be in (the driving lane), suddenly realise they are about to leave the M50 and change lanes quickly.

That happened the first time I used the M50 for a while, fortunately it was a quiet time. Only got caught out the once!

thenobody

Do the big signs and the road markings saying the lane is for the N3 not give it away to you?

People need to pay more attention to the road. Its only cause we are local its seems ****e. If you were driving on it and from another country it would be fine. the overhead signs and road markings are more than enough and are very clear.
Would be better though to get all the irish crap off the signs. That does make the signs far too busy and is completely unnecessary.

Oh and the two lanes for the N3 exit will stay as two lanes for the N3 exit. Second one wont be another M50 lane like someone else said.

BluntGuy

It's simple if you know the rules of the road properly...

The chunky white broken lines indicate that the road is not part of the mainline. This doesn't just apply to the M50, but even small regional roads where a small section of road is "cordoned off", so-to-speak, for left turns.

Random

BluntGuy wrote: »

It's simple if you know the rules of the road properly...

The chunky white broken lines indicate that the road is not part of the mainline. This doesn't just apply to the M50, but even small regional roads where a small section of road is "cordoned off", so-to-speak, for left turns.

And the chunky line is in the wrong place.

It's three running lanes and one slip lane like the rest of the motorway is (will be).

L1011

Random wrote: »

And the chunky line is in the wrong place.

Only until the road north is widened. Its to save having to burn and repaint (leaving the marks of the old lines).