New M3/N3 - tolls...?!

burger1979

meercat wrote: »

Burger
2 speed traps so far
gatso van in car park of county club catching city bound traffic opposite school. Last week
traffic corps in turn off ,on left ,1/2 mile before workhouse,northbound. Today 11oclock
gps n53 29.558'
w06 31.459'

what times of the day was the county club at? i travel early in the morning at about 6 and dont see that much in the car park of the county club? is it to catch people driving through kilbeggan at more than 50kms?

meercat

Another gatso van this morning 8.15 at oblate fathers,beside old speed camera,Dublin bound between Navan and tara na ri pub
Adelcrowsmel. it was in county club about. 11 am last Tuesday. I have seen it there on previous occasions. It can't use car park as it's locked up at night
perhaps someone will open thread specifically for locations on old n3.

stomprockin

I Leave Around the 6:30 mark and thankfully no sight of any speed checks yet.
Does this mean there trying to get motorest to use the m3?

adelcrowsmel

Thanks for that meercat, it puts my mind at ease, I go through about 6.30 in the morning so hopefully it couldn't get into the carpark at that stage. I might have been done by that other one this morning though - I'd say I was just over the limit by the time I came into range - but here's hoping!!!
stomprockin do you travel navan to dunshaughlin old N3? If you do did you not pass the one at Dalgan House/"oblate fathers,beside old speed camera" this morning, it was definitely there at 6.15 or so and then meercat saw it after 8?? I don't think they are trying to get people to use the M3, they are just trying to catch a few people out on the old road to make a few bob!!

meercat

Adelcrowsmel
just passed that van again
it's a Cavan reg transit
it's not a gatso
were off the hook
the others were ,for sure

adelcrowsmel

Thanks a mil for posting that meercat and letting me know - I'm happy now:D:D

stomprockin

adelcrowsmel wrote: »

Thanks for that meercat, it puts my mind at ease, I go through about 6.30 in the morning so hopefully it couldn't get into the carpark at that stage. I might have been done by that other one this morning though - I'd say I was just over the limit by the time I came into range - but here's hoping!!!
stomprockin do you travel navan to dunshaughlin old N3? If you do did you not pass the one at Dalgan House/"oblate fathers,beside old speed camera" this morning, it was definitely there at 6.15 or so and then meercat saw it after 8?? I don't think they are trying to get people to use the M3, they are just trying to catch a few people out on the old road to make a few bob!!

I go from Dunshaughlin to Dublin on the N3. If i do see any ill post here

meercat

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055956009
another gatso van further in on n3

Dubh Geannain

meercat wrote: »

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055956009
another gatso van further in on n3

I think that's referring to the Navan road in the Phibsboro/Cabra area

meercat

Quick heads up to van drivers
passed through both tolls today in a van and was only charged 1.30 in the automatic lanes. I was charged 2 euro in automatic lanes last week. Don't know if it was just me being lucky but if the cost stays at 1.30 I will consider using m3 more regular. I will get back next week with more info

gipi

Something that I spotted today as I travelled from Blanchardstown to Navan.

As we all know, learner drivers can't use motorways, so have to use the regional roads.

The M3 is signposted as starting at the Littlepace/Clonee exit, so a learner cannot continue on the main road and must turn off.

If the learner wants to go to onto the old Navan Rd (the R147), as far as I can see, they will have to go through Clonee, through Dunboyne onto the Summerhill Rd, and join up with the new road from Maynooth which eventually links to the R147 just before the Garden Centre.

Coming from Navan, I reckon learners have to do this trek in reverse - R147 to Dunboyne & Clonee before rejoining the N3 between Clonee and Blanchardstown.

Wonder how many learner drivers are aware that they can't use the old Clonee Bypass any more?

(I was an L-plated biker up to last summer which is why this interested me!)

meercat

Thanks gipi,noticed this myself but learners don't have to go through dunboyne. There is a new roundabout outside Clonee that takes you onto old n3 at bracetown.cheers

Stark

They don't have to go through Clonee either; they can use Damastown Walk to bypass Clonee:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3856154

alanajane

I notice there are very few, 1, signpost for Trim on the M3. I grand cause I know where I going but tourists for example coming from the airport could easily miss the 1 signpost, go through toll and then have to join old road anyway at Dunshaughlin. Minor I know.....

greendom

alanajane wrote: »

I notice there are very few, 1, signpost for Trim on the M3. I grand cause I know where I going but tourists for example coming from the airport could easily miss the 1 signpost, go through toll and then have to join old road anyway at Dunshaughlin. Minor I know.....

The cynic in me thinks that is the intention. I suppose they could argue that the Dunshaughlin junction is closer to Trim than the Dunboyne one.

stomprockin

Speaking of Signposts, on the First exit off the M3 before the Toll its Signposted for dunboyne and Ratoath. But why not Dunshaughlin aswell?
or maybe it is but have not seen it?

alanajane

screams of ching ching to me, get as many as possible throught the toll (troll bridge), maybe this thread should be moved to the conspiracy theory posts...while i here where or what is Damastown? Never heard of it before, i thought it was typo for Adamstowns when I first saw it? Apologies to all Damastowners..:o

gipi

stomprockin wrote: »

Speaking of Signposts, on the First exit off the M3 before the Toll its Signposted for dunboyne and Ratoath. But why not Dunshaughlin aswell?
or maybe it is but have not seen it?

Can't remember if it says Dunshaughlin, but I know it definitely doesn't indicate that it's an alternative (i.e. non-tolled) route to Navan/Kells!

It's the same on the recently opened M7 to Limerick - unless you know that the non-tolled road to Limerick goes through Mountrath and look for the sign for it, you will end up on the tolled motorway. Think there's similar on M4 heading for Enfield...

At least the M1 northbound exit before the toll does mention Drogheda - although it doesn't indicate Dundalk!

Thanks stark and meercat for the alternatives to Clonee/Dunboyne - I wasn't aware of the new roundabout to Bracetown and I don't know the roads in the Damastown area! Neither route is signposted though!

DougL

gipi wrote: »

Think there's similar on M4 heading for Enfield...

Nope, there's a detailed sign on the M4 showing the alternate route via Kilcock for all towns on the N4 all the way to Kinnegad. If I remember correctly, it was a few months before that sign was put up after the M4 was finished.

_Kaiser_

alanajane wrote: »

screams of ching ching to me, get as many as possible throught the toll (troll bridge), maybe this thread should be moved to the conspiracy theory posts...while i here where or what is Damastown? Never heard of it before, i thought it was typo for Adamstowns when I first saw it? Apologies to all Damastowners..:o

Well Damastown (to me) is primarilly the big IBM plant that you get to by taking the Clonee exit after the shopping centre (heading outbound), and turning right at the top of the slip road, cross the bridge over the N/M3 and go through the next set of lights at the other side.

There's also a fairly big housing estate if you went left at the top of the slip road - I presume this is Damastown itself?

Stark

The housing estate is "Littleplace" I think. Don't think there is an actual residential area called "Damastown", I only know of "Damastown Industrial Estate" where IBM resides.

gipi

Sagastipean wrote: »

Nope, there's a detailed sign on the M4 showing the alternate route via Kilcock for all towns on the N4 all the way to Kinnegad. If I remember correctly, it was a few months before that sign was put up after the M4 was finished.

Thanks for that - actually travelled that route yesterday, and saw the brown information sign. As you correctly said, it wasn't there when the road opened first (I know because I missed the exit and had to pay a toll...grrr!). Wasn't it the local towns that campaigned for it (and might have paid for it too?!).

gipi

Re Damastown, I think that's the name of the townland - don't think there was ever a village with that name in the area.

Similar to Bracetown, just outside Clonee - it's another townland name which has been built up with industrial estates in recent years.

Dubh Geannain

Discussed previously in this thread and now it's come to fruition:
State paying €110,000 a week to Toll road operators

Quelle surprise.. :rolleyes:

The money is being paid because the NRA guaranteed a certain number of vehicles would use each privately-funded road when they opened.

Because the numbers have not always been reached, the roads authority has had to make up for the loss of tolls. And unless traffic volumes in the Limerick Tunnel and on the M3 motorway improve, the NRA faces the prospect of paying more than €5.7m in 2011 to the private operators.

What we had here was a win win situation for the toll operators. Nice gig if you can get it.

Edit: Forgot the link: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/state-paying-euro111000-a-week-to-toll-road-operators-2672986.html

PauloMN

A week? :eek: Holy fook!

Stroke Politics

Ching ching! Ching ching!

The whole M€ thing smelled bad from day 1, looking forward to the tribunal.....

meercat

Dubh Geannain wrote: »

Discussed previously in this thread and now it's come to fruition:
State paying €110,000 a week to Toll road operators

Quelle surprise.. :rolleyes:



What we had here was a win win situation for the toll operators. Nice gig if you can get it.

Edit: Forgot the link: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/state-paying-euro111000-a-week-to-toll-road-operators-2672986.html

i think if they reduced the tolls the volume would increase
i drive a small van
€2 each toll
€4 each way

thats €8 a day
€40 per week
€2000 a year just to get to work(without diesel)
theres a lot of earning on two grand
no way would i pay that to save 15 minutes per journey

i suppose there is no incentive to lower the toll if they are getting paid irrespective of the volume of traffic

Dubh Geannain

meercat wrote: »

i think if they reduced the tolls the volume would increase
i drive a small van
€2 each toll
€4 each way

thats €8 a day
€40 per week
€2000 a year just to get to work(without diesel)
theres a lot of earning on two grand
no way would i pay that to save 15 minutes per journey

i suppose there is no incentive to lower the toll if they are getting paid irrespective of the volume of traffic

My Dad is in the same situation and I know countless others with that drive the likes of Citron Berlingos, VW Golf Vans, Almera Vans etc. A lot of the time they're not even being used commercially. Anyway, the majority of these people I know, including my Dad avoid the tolls.

On a couple of occasions when I haven't been in too much of a hurry and found I haven't got change for the toll I've decided to take the scenic route. Most times I've done this, to my dismay, as I exit prior to the Kells toll gate so too does an articulated truck which sits happily in front of me for the remainder of the journey. :rolleyes:

Access

i reckon we would have enough time to have a game of street football on the carriageway due to the lack of actual cars on it day to day...

all meet up at 7pm, just need someone to shout "car" each time we need to pause and move out of the way of a passing car!

JustAddWater

meercat wrote: »

ii suppose there is no incentive to lower the toll if they are getting paid irrespective of the volume of traffic

Not a chance! I'd bet there's a poxy upwards only clause in the toll so they only increase too...

Shower of chancers, the government should tell them to fook! If they want more cars, lower their price end of

The NRA saying that the payoff meant they got a cheaper road built is a pure copout as the road cost €1bn anyway! That was expensive!