M7 to get a Services Area

Berty

M7 is to get a services area just off the M7 at Birdhill.

See the link to the Nenagh Guardian

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODE/NenaghGuardian/

What do I find funny about this?

420km of a motorway and they are annoucing this as a break. Just 1!!!




Apologies if posted previously.

TestTransmission

Why Birdhill?
So,you travel Limerick to Dublin or Dublin to Limerick and you're gonna stop 10 miles outside of Limerick City?

Idiots

Berty

They are saying that in the DISTANT FUTURE( AKA NEVER ) there will be a motorway from Castleisland in Kerry to Belfast and this will be the breaking point.

The Motorway will also go From Galway through Limerick and non stop to Belfast as well.

Still I agree, Crap location. :rolleyes:

TestTransmission

Berty wrote: »

They are saying that in the DISTANT FUTURE( AKA NEVER ) there will be a motorway from Castleisland in Kerry to Belfast and this will be the breaking point.

The Motorway will also go From Galway through Limerick and non stop to Belfast as well.

Still I agree, Crap location. :rolleyes:

Ohhhh,the good old Kerry to Belfast gold route.lol

Berty

Check out the N52. Probably the craziest road sneaking up through the whole country.

When the M7 opens the old N7 becomes the N52. So you can drive the whole way from Limerick to Dundalk on a crap national road. I used to do it twice a week for 2 years. Horrible.

TestTransmission

I have travelled the N52 Nenagh to Tullamore quite alot over the years,have recently given up doing that as I value my life and my car too much and I'm travelling as far as Roscrea then heading to Tullamore via the N62.

The N52 is possibly one of the most dangerous roads we have in this country

L1011

Berty wrote: »

They are saying that in the DISTANT FUTURE( AKA NEVER ) there will be a motorway from Castleisland in Kerry to Belfast and this will be the breaking point.

The Motorway will also go From Galway through Limerick and non stop to Belfast as well.

Still I agree, Crap location. :rolleyes:

From Galway to Belfast you will pass, by the end of this year:

1: MSA-alike 2mins off junction at Athlone
2: Official MSA online at Enfield
3: MSA-alike at junction at Balbriggan
4: Official MSA online at Lusk
5: Official MSA online at Castlebellingham

Wheres the "non-stop"??

Lim-Belfast will have this at Birdhill (if it gets built), the Esso Ireland MSA at Kill northbound (PP application went in not too long ago. Again its if it gets built) and the three on the M1.

Esel

Why am I checking today's date while reading this thread?

Berty

esel wrote: »

Why am I checking today's date while reading this thread?

No it's grand. It coincides with today's opening of the section of Motorway from Nenagh to Birdhill.

1 year overdue so being April fools suits the opening.

Lex Luthor

I'd still go to Matt Threshers for one of their burgers or their crab claws...

Berty

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I'd still go to Matt Threshers for one of their burgers or their crab claws...

I wouldn't p*ss on him if he was on fire. Refused to serve me because I was on my own one day because I would take up too much room at a table with little return.

He also has a notice on his menu's telling people to remove their children from the premises if they cry and not to come back until they stop.

He even went on the radio trying to defend himself after he refused a pregnant woman who pulled over to try to use the toilets, as pregnant woman frequently need to.

245

Berty wrote: »

I wouldn't p*ss on him if he was on fire. Refused to serve me because I was on my own one day because I would take up too much room at a table with little return.

He also has a notice on his menu's telling people to remove their children from the premises if they cry and not to come back until they stop.

He even went on the radio trying to defend himself after he refused a pregnant woman who pulled over to try to use the toilets, as pregnant woman frequently need to.

+1 - we were treated like royalty there (for about 2 minutes or so) until they realised the group wasn't all American, then we were demoted to unsmiling, begrudging service. I'd say that they considered moving us to a worse table at that point too.

cargo

Berty wrote: »

I wouldn't p*ss on him if he was on fire. Refused to serve me because I was on my own one day because I would take up too much room at a table with little return.

He also has a notice on his menu's telling people to remove their children from the premises if they cry and not to come back until they stop.

He even went on the radio trying to defend himself after he refused a pregnant woman who pulled over to try to use the toilets, as pregnant woman frequently need to.

245 wrote: »

+1 - we were treated like royalty there (for about 2 minutes or so) until they realised the group wasn't all American, then we were demoted to unsmiling, begrudging service. I'd say that they considered moving us to a worse table at that point too.

And I thought it was just me!!! Called in passing on Sunday afternoon for lunch and I can't remember the exact details but i do remember thinking "what a wa**bag. He talked down to loads of clients and the food wasn't even great (+ v expensive). I always thought the place looked lovely from the outside (and it does inside too) so had wanted to call in but I wont be doing it again.

JHMEG

Wow, will be travelling that way tomorrow. Seems Matt Threshers isn't the place to go!

Back on topic, one of the reasons we don't have motorway services is because there are plenty of pubs, shops and petrol stations in towns off motorways that have everything you could want. Several of their owners are back benchers in a well known political party and were successful in lobbying against services.

veetwin

Berty wrote: »

I wouldn't p*ss on him if he was on fire. Refused to serve me because I was on my own one day because I would take up too much room at a table with little return.

He also has a notice on his menu's telling people to remove their children from the premises if they cry and not to come back until they stop.

He even went on the radio trying to defend himself after he refused a pregnant woman who pulled over to try to use the toilets, as pregnant woman frequently need to.

Hopefully when the new motorway opens he won't have as many problems with pesky customers crowding his over-rated pub...from another dissatisfied customer. (with young children!)

Seth Brundle

Call me cynical but who owns this land - a tenner says that they are close to FF!

Berty

kbannon wrote: »

Call me cynical but who owns this land - a tenner says that they are close to FF!

It was a labour councillor who campaigned for the site to be opened. I even voted for him as I live locally.

Lex Luthor

I suppose I've only been in there mid week after 2pm when its quiet and on my own so its obviously a different place at all other times

Looks like now his bad treatment of fmailies will keep them away when times are hard. Its usually these people who keep your place afloat when the bypasses take a lot of your business

Anyone know how the Corbett Court in Cork has been doing the last year?

Owen

1 Petrol Station on the M7. Wonder if they'll have competitively priced fuel. As if!

Berty

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Anyone know how the Corbett Court in Cork has been doing the last year?

The Corbett Court really needs to change its whole outlook.

The Motors Meets section actually meet there recently and the price of the food was high, service was slow and twice they forgot somebodies order.

The Motorway is killing it because it's not just off the motorway like the say(150mtrs in fact the place is 150mtrs from the sign) but its way off the road.

The other Corbett Court is just outside Charleville and doing about the same amount of business.

It should really be a Carvery type business but they are table service and charge around €14.95. They actually do "trucker specials" for €8.99 but's it usually a small sub and some chips.

I see it as been a Mother Hubbards business but believing they are a true fine dining.

Damien360

Do we really need these at all. We are a small country and our motorways run pretty close to the towns that reside alongside.

Take the M1 coming south. Dundalk last exit has service station very close to exit, Drogheda after the bridge is the same. Julianstown/old Drogheda road has 2 apple greens. Then you are in Dublin.

M7 south out of dublin, Naas, Newbridge, Kildare all very close and plenty of choice at every exit. Monasterevin to far from road, Portlaoise and Portarlington exits have serice stops. Bird Hill might as well be in Limerick so no need for that. I missed loads but I do not travel that road much.

M4 west runs close to all the old towns on the old road.

M11 south is a bit sparse but still has a few on the old roads that are close by.

Government could save a fortune with a little bit of advertising. They will have to put up billboards to advertise the upcoming stop and guarnteed lower speed limit passing it, just like the M11 before Bray going south. So why not advertise (big brown signs if you like) to bring buisness into small towns. No need for specific garages to be advertised.

Berty

Why should we have to leave our Motorway system for services? The whole point of the Motorway is to bypass towns and speed up the journey from A to B.

Every other developed country has services on their Motorways. The UK even have Hotel/Motels in theirs along with KFC/McDonals etc, fuel and playgrounds.

I will give you that their Motorways are incredibly longer but the point of the Motorway still stays the same. Services ARE required and not a few minutes away in the town in the old run down stations that some towns along the N7 have.

From Limerick to Dublin you have Dalys Cross (Old and not a nice Deli), Birdhill ( Nothing), Moneygall (Nice Centra), Templeglantine (Nothing), Roscrea (1 Nice Shop off even the bypass let alone miles from the Motorway), Borris in Ossory (two terrible stations and 3 terrible shops), Mountrath (1 Nice Overpriced shop with non branded fuel). After that you are on the M7. So nothing really to write home about there is there?

What the services needs is Fuel, Food, Some Class of QSR, Toilets and even Showers, Picnic area/Playground, Parking for trucks and whatever else people might like.

Forward thinking and future planning is what is needed.

Damien360

Money, money, money.

We are in a recession and cannot afford this. Dublin to Galway in 2 hours.

Cork to Dublin in 2 and a half.

Dundalk to Dublin in an hour.

We are a tiny country.

Fill up car before leaving, take a piss before leaving the house. If you cannot hold it for that long go to the doctor, I diagnose a kidney problem.

cc

Damien360 wrote: »

Money, money, money.

We are in a recession and cannot afford this. Dublin to Galway in 2 hours.

Cork to Dublin in 2 and a half.

Dundalk to Dublin in an hour.

We are a tiny country.

Fill up car before leaving, take a piss before leaving the house. If you cannot hold it for that long go to the doctor, I diagnose a kidney problem.

I take it you've never driven from west cork to Dublin, or Athlone to Rosslare. Not everyone is doing nice jaunts along the interurbans that take less than 3 hours, but by the time I get onto a motorway I'd like the chance to empty my bladder and have a stretch rather than taking an exit and loose time searching for somewhere in a town I don't know.

Seth Brundle

Damien360 wrote: »

Money, money, money.

We are in a recession and cannot afford this. Dublin to Galway in 2 hours.

Cork to Dublin in 2 and a half.

Dundalk to Dublin in an hour.

We are a tiny country.

Fill up car before leaving, take a piss before leaving the house. If you cannot hold it for that long go to the doctor, I diagnose a kidney problem.

1. these pay for themselves. Usually (based on my continental experiences) food/fuel is priced slightly higher but its there without having to leave the motorway and hope that you find something. It can also be marked on a map for tourists giving them more confidence to drive on our inferior road network.
2. If you were to drive from Belfast to Cork city, you will also have to travel the M50 so you could be say five hours driving. If you are going from say Ballycastle to West Cork, how many hours would you have? We have the RSA telling people to take breaks etc. and the NRA reluctantly permitting these along their network. They can only be viewed as a good thing. We are just used to having a crap level of services from our authorities. Now that they are improving don't dismiss them as unnecessary.

Berty

The original media article was reffering to the Motorway which will "eventually" be built stretching from Castleisland in Co Kerry to Belfast.

Not everything has to be attributed to travel times to and from Dublin you know. :rolleyes:

Seth Brundle

There's no chance of a motorway going directly from Kerry to Belfast while we are still paying the bills raised during the last week!
Also the current and forseeable infrastructure goes via Dublin so although you may not like it, that is the reality of it.

Berty

kbannon wrote: »

There's no chance of a motorway going directly from Kerry to Belfast while we are still paying the bills raised during the last week!

It's still part of the infrastructure plan which is why I cannot ignore mentioning it.

kbannon wrote: »

Also the current and forseeable infrastructure goes via Dublin so although you may not like it, that is the reality of it.

You missed my point. I said not everything needs to be attributed to how long it takes to get from Limerick/Cork/Galway to Dublin as it may not be the actual destination so to say we should plan ahead because it takes X amount of time to get to/from Dublin is not helpful to the topic.

I could be going from Limerick to Dundalk or Wexford to Athlone.

Seth Brundle

Yes but we are talking about motorway rest areas and the longest route via DC/motorway that existis in the country (with some breaks) is the A1/M1/M50/N7/M7 which happens to go by Dublin and I pointed out that although people may travel this entire route, that may not be their entire journey.
We wouldn't be discussing a rest stop along the N52 or along a short stretch of motorway!

Lex Luthor

How many people here hae used the motorway stop at the Portlaoise junction?

I've used it once and pass it about 40 times a year.

Berty

Lex Luthor wrote: »

How many people here hae used the motorway stop at the Portlaoise junction?

I've used it once and pass it about 40 times a year.

What Motorway Stop?

Do you mean the Midway? If so 3 restaurants is not really a services area.

Mc Love

Berty wrote: »

Why should we have to leave our Motorway system for services? The whole point of the Motorway is to bypass towns and speed up the journey from A to B.

Every other developed country has services on their Motorways. The UK even have Hotel/Motels in theirs along with KFC/McDonals etc, fuel and playgrounds.

I will give you that their Motorways are incredibly longer but the point of the Motorway still stays the same. Services ARE required and not a few minutes away in the town in the old run down stations that some towns along the N7 have.

From Limerick to Dublin you have Dalys Cross (Old and not a nice Deli), Birdhill ( Nothing), Moneygall (Nice Centra), Templeglantine (Nothing), Roscrea (1 Nice Shop off even the bypass let alone miles from the Motorway), Borris in Ossory (two terrible stations and 3 terrible shops), Mountrath (1 Nice Overpriced shop with non branded fuel). After that you are on the M7. So nothing really to write home about there is there?

What the services needs is Fuel, Food, Some Class of QSR, Toilets and even Showers, Picnic area/Playground, Parking for trucks and whatever else people might like.

Forward thinking and future planning is what is needed.

You must be taking the long route if you are going through Templeglantine Berty

If you mean Toomevara, they have a good texaco station with deli there. and ATM machine.

BTW there is a gatso van parked in Birdhill facing cars heading southbound