Non-Official, Offline Motorway Services in Ireland

Schadenfreudia

L1011 wrote: »

Granny O'Dwyer needs her licence taken off her, and her doctor needs to have his ability to issue medical certs for driving removed from him for not having the balls to deny people.

And this needs to be done due to proper policing in the first place, not after an incident.

Actually Granny is probably in the local cemetery by now along with that other poor sod that hit her.

veryangryman

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Actually Granny is probably in the local cemetery by now along with that other poor sod that hit her.

I smell a sitcom! :pac:

jd

Big Wex fan wrote: »

Don't see the issue here. The M11 service areas are not exactly getting Red Cow junction volumes of traffic.

M11 traffic will increase and the town of Gorey will get bigger. There is heavy local traffic around the Courtown exit, for example.
We are building something for a design life of 30+ years, as I said it's a shame the NRA was not allowed have proper online service stations as part of the motorways when they were designed.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

jd

Patww79 wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

So do I - there is quite a bit of local traffic between Gorey and Courtown, and also Gorey/Courtown on to R741

munchkin_utd

jd wrote: »

M11 traffic will increase and the town of Gorey will get bigger. There is heavy local traffic around the Courtown exit, for example.
We are building something for a design life of 30+ years, as I said it's a shame the NRA was not allowed have proper online service stations as part of the motorways when they were designed.

The junction at Cullenmore may well be one of the quitest junctions on the Motorway network as it doesnt even serve a village let alone a town, so tacking on a service area there is of little conequence.

Adding an Ikea or Liffey Valley/ Blanchardstown centre/ Mahon point onto a motorway causes potential chaos as you are generating extra traffic on the road system drawn to the locations.

But a service area? Thats only used by folks on the road anyhow so on quieter junctions there's little issues with adding one, either related to the mainline road or the junction capacity in itsself.

jd

munchkin_utd wrote: »

The junction at Cullenmore may well be one of the quitest junctions on the Motorway network as it doesnt even serve a village let alone a town, so tacking on a service area there is of little conequence.

Adding an Ikea or Liffey Valley/ Blanchardstown centre/ Mahon point onto a motorway causes potential chaos as you are generating extra traffic on the road system drawn to the locations.

But a service area? Thats only used by folks on the road anyhow so on quieter junctions there's little issues with adding one, either related to the mainline road or the junction capacity in itsself.

I've no issue with the service area at the Cullenmore junction - I'm not sure tacking one on to one of the Gorey junctions would have been a good idea.

OldMrBrennan83

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Carawaystick

There could easily have been one south or north of the Arklow bypass.
South,
in the 2 fields in the middle of this
https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.7719681,-6.186953,775m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
have a left turn exit off the r772 into the service station
Moving the rab exit further clockwise; and having an exit from the service station onto the rab.

mountcisco

An Bord Pleanala has given the go-ahead for an offline service area adjacent to Junction 7 Paulstown on M9

jd

mountcisco wrote: »

An Bord Pleanala has given the go-ahead for an offline service area adjacent to Junction 7 Paulstown on M9

Is there a link to that? I presume the motor factors etc wasn't given permission.

radharc

jd wrote: »

Is there a link to that? I presume the motor factors etc wasn't given permission.

http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/243782.htm

mountcisco

jd wrote: »

Is there a link to that? I presume the motor factors etc wasn't given permission.

Can't see anything about retail except the convenience store area was reduced to 90 sq m and they've got to use the freed up space for play/information area, so looks like motor factor got the go-ahead.

D Trent

Clonshaugh has come out well
https://m.facebook.com/supermacsofficial?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fsupermacsofficial#!/photo.php?fbid=10153376357839879&id=116003279878&set=pb.116003279878.-2207520000.1422467044.&source=54

Schadenfreudia

Driving to Cork from Dub tonight needed fuel, approaching the Cahir junction on the M8 - sign for all services.

As soon as you reach the off-ramp roundabout - no signs whatsoever for which direction the services are in. :mad:

"f**k that" said I (silently to myself) and rejoined the M8 - continued on to Mitchlestown where at least I knew where the nearest pump was.

Pete_Cavan

Carawaystick wrote: »

There could easily have been one south or north of the Arklow bypass.
South,
in the 2 fields in the middle of this
https://www.google.ie/maps/@52.7719681,-6.186953,775m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
have a left turn exit off the r772 into the service station
Moving the rab exit further clockwise; and having an exit from the service station onto the rab.

I dont think motorway junctions like that are suitable for MSAs, they will already have passing traffic which is not using the motorway and will attract more. Junctions where there is only one road leading to and from the junction would be more suitable because anyone other than those going to/coming from the motorway would be going out of their way to get there so it is unlikely to attract much local traffic. J5 on the M8, j14 on the M6 and j8 on the M3 would be ideal places to build MSAs without having to build a new bridge.

munchkin_utd

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Driving to Cork from Dub tonight needed fuel, approaching the Cahir junction on the M8 - sign for all services.

As soon as you reach the off-ramp roundabout - no signs whatsoever for which direction the services are in. :mad:

"f**k that" said I (silently to myself) and rejoined the M8 - continued on to Mitchlestown where at least I knew where the nearest pump was.

I mailed the NRA about a similar junction nearer Portlaoise a few years back, and the answer is that the local council is responsible.

now........
They, the local council, normally made up of local business men and their best chums, were the ones to push to have every town signed as a mecca for shopping and leisure along the motorway with the poxy brown signs.

Isn't it kindof ironic that they got their way that the motorway traffic is directed off the motorway and folks do try to visit their towns, but they are too inept to actually put up a sign on their own patch meaning countless aborted spins to fill their coffers.

hi5

munchkin_utd wrote: »

Isn't it kindof ironic that they got their way that the motorway traffic is directed off the motorway and folks do try to visit their towns, but they are too inept to actually put up a sign on their own patch meaning countless aborted spins to fill their coffers.

Its the parochial mind set, "sure doesn't everyone know where the petrol station is":rolleyes:

Schadenfreudia

hi5 wrote: »

Its the parochial mind set, "sure doesn't everyone know where the petrol station is":rolleyes:

And in the case of Mitchlestown, even though it's not my parish, that was the case with me!

cargo

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/10m-investment-by-topaz-to-create-110-jobs-30971229.html

"The second station, which is located in the Ballacolla region of Co Laois on the M8 motorway, will officially open on Monday with 65 new jobs in place."

This is the one adjacent to junction 3. (beside Manor Stone). It will probably replace the quick trip into Urlingford for a lot of people travelling betwen Cork and Dublin looking for a break.

Chris_5339762

Good news, even though I have my reservations about this being just another Cashel... ie: too small with nowhere near enough parking.

cargo

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Good news, even though I have my reservations about this being just another Cashel... ie: too small with nowhere near enough parking.

It was hard tell while it was been built as there was machinery everywhere and I havent passed in a while.

But now that i think back to the last time i passed there was machines laying parts of the car park and they were a fair bit away from the shell of the building so there should be a fair bit of parking around the back.

L1011

What remains of Josephines is likely screwed now...

munchkin_utd

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Good news, even though I have my reservations about this being just another Cashel... ie: too small with nowhere near enough parking.

seems to have better parking PLUS has the HGVs siphoned off away from car traffic.

heres the general plans from the application file:
http://www.laois.ie/ePlan41/FileRefDetails.aspx?file_number=1497&LASiteID=0

cargo

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Good news, even though I have my reservations about this being just another Cashel... ie: too small with nowhere near enough parking.

Did you get any photos when you were there? Is the parking too small for all vehicles or do you mean just not enough room for trucks?

Geogregor

cargo wrote: »

Did you get any photos when you were there? Is the parking too small for all vehicles or do you mean just not enough room for trucks?

Yeah, pictures would be nice. I really would like to know how these knew offline services look like. Same with Obama Plaza and some others.

Next time anyone drives by could you guys make some effort and take some shots?

Schadenfreudia

Went up and down the N11 today and work is well advanced on the Gorey service area (as it is on the Wicklow - Arklow M11).

Maybe my sense of distance is off but the service area seems much closer to Arklow than Gorey - so why is it not called the Arklow service area?

ofthepass

Schadenfreudia wrote: »

Went up and down the N11 today and work is well advanced on the Gorey service area (as it is on the Wicklow - Arklow M11).

Maybe my sense of distance is off but the service area seems much closer to Arklow than Gorey - so why is it not called the Arklow service area?

It probably is closer to Arklow but it's in Gorey district so I guess that explains the naming.

munchkin_utd

cargo wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/10m-investment-by-topaz-to-create-110-jobs-30971229.html

"The second station, which is located in the Ballacolla region of Co Laois on the M8 motorway, will officially open on Monday with 65 new jobs in place."

This is the one adjacent to junction 3. (beside Manor Stone). It will probably replace the quick trip into Urlingford for a lot of people travelling betwen Cork and Dublin looking for a break.

The official opening happened last Friday the 13th according to topaz facebook site.
https://www.facebook.com/TopazEnergy/photos/a.215111211850056.70903.209407355753775/1016436818384154/?type=1

niloc1951

munchkin_utd wrote: »

The official opening happened last Friday the 13th according to topaz facebook site.
https://www.facebook.com/TopazEnergy/photos/a.215111211850056.70903.209407355753775/1016436818384154/?type=1

I came down that way on Sunday night and noticed the glow in the dark as I passed........................................did't notice and advance signs or signs at the exit for it though.