Bizarre/Illegal things on motorways

SerialComplaint

-Corkie- wrote: »

This was posted in Motors.
http://uk.autoblog.com/2011/07/29/crazy-bmw-driver-causes-bad-accident/

Christ almighty. I'm trying to work out which car he clipped. It looks like he clipped the small car on the middle lane as he squeezed through, which caused it to spin in front of the camera car in the outside lane. Is that right?

SerialComplaint

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Christ almighty. I'm trying to work out which car he clipped. It looks like he clipped the small car on the middle lane as he squeezed through, which caused it to spin in front of the camera car in the outside lane. Is that right?

I think the BMW sideswiped the camera car before being shunted by the camera car into the car in the middle lane which then spun in front of the camera car, I don't think the camera car even hit the car in the middle lane as he was tipped over after hitting the BMW.

ClareVisitor

I was driving along the M25 here in England last weekend around the newly widened Essex stretch (4 lanes) and I couldn't beleive the amount of people out in lanes 3 and 4 for no reason. It was Saturday evening and there was hardly anyone on the roads. These people are so annoying!!

dubhthach

ClareVisitor wrote: »

I was driving along the M25 here in England last weekend around the newly widened Essex stretch (4 lanes) and I couldn't beleive the amount of people out in lanes 3 and 4 for no reason. It was Saturday evening and there was hardly anyone on the roads. These people are so annoying!!

They didn't happen to have Irish plates?

ClareVisitor

ClareVisitor wrote: »

I was driving along the M25 here in England last weekend around the newly widened Essex stretch (4 lanes) and I couldn't beleive the amount of people out in lanes 3 and 4 for no reason. It was Saturday evening and there was hardly anyone on the roads. These people are so annoying!!

Drones!

They're so used to using those lanes during the week when it's busy, it doesn't occur to them to use the left lanes when they're empty. :rolleyes:

ClareVisitor

dubhthach wrote: »

They didn't happen to have Irish plates?

Well I was undertaken by a people-carrier with Meath plates a couple of weeks ago on the M6 around Birmingham. They were obviously just off the boat, there was luggage completely blocking up the back window.

Stinicker

Drove the M7 & M8 to and from Dublin yesterday for the matches in Croke Park. Found three tractors on the N7 Dual Carriage way before Naas i'm not sure if they are legal or not as that part of the road is not Motorway.

On the way down home to Kerry I passed several cars parked on the hard shoulder stopped for no reason, however the worst off all was a woman who appeared to be changing a baby's nappy despite there being a junction less than 200 metres away, like why not drive off the motorway onto the feeder road and do whatever needs to be done and then rejoin it again? What an irresponsible parent it was just shortly after joing the M8 and could they not have stopped at that Portlaoise services place.

rameire

Northbound on the m50 between junction 6 and 5 about an hour ago. A Guy walking along the hard shoulder with a garda motorbike as an escort.

ClareVisitor

ClareVisitor wrote: »

Well I was undertaken by a people-carrier with Meath plates a couple of weeks ago on the M6 around Birmingham. They were obviously just off the boat, there was luggage completely blocking up the back window.

Were you hogging the middle lane!

source

Coming off the N18 today at the Dock Road Interchange in Limerick. Black mondeo came off the roundabout and started heading towards us going up the off ramp. I almost cacked myself. The missus brought the car to a stop and a van stopped beside us, Van driver was pissing himself. I probably would have been laughing too but the idiot was in my lane.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that he reversed back onto the roundabout instead of turning in the two blocked lanes.

ClareVisitor

Deleted User wrote: »

Were you hogging the middle lane!

The fast lane!!

CerebralCortex

source wrote: »

Coming off the N18 today at the Dock Road Interchange in Limerick. Black mondeo came off the roundabout and started heading towards us going up the off ramp. I almost cacked myself. The missus brought the car to a stop and a van stopped beside us, Van driver was pissing himself. I probably would have been laughing too but the idiot was in my lane.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that he reversed back onto the roundabout instead of turning in the two blocked lanes.

Easy enough to do, if you're coming from the city. The mouth of that exit is so wide! It wasn't me btw!

L1011

Woman today making a VIDEO CALL on the M8 (or M7, can't remember precisely where). At least I assume she was from where she was holding the phone and the facial gestures she was making.

Zoney

CerebralCortex wrote: »

Easy enough to do, if you're coming from the city. The mouth of that exit is so wide! It wasn't me btw!

While I think we can still blame the drivers, given how it is turning out, surely some better action needs to be taken here to make the exit less obvious (I mean as a potential route *off* the roundabout). Obviously you can't really screen it as you need to be able to see the cars *entering* the roundabout coming from the sliproad.

Surely only a matter of time before there's a fatal accident due to wrong-way driving on the SRR around there.

Mena

On the way to the Airport today, just after the Toll Plaza Northbound on the M50, I saw a car stopped in the outside/far right/overtaking/fast/whatever you're having lane heading Southbound, with the driver standing next to it making a call.

Was convinced I was looking at a dead man...

mayo23

There is a section of the Cork - Midleton road that has a 120 km/h speed limit and motorway road markings but doesn't have motorway status. Why not??? It has an alternative route (the section that has the 120 km/h limit), so why didn't they give it that status to ban tractors, pedestrians and cyclists from using it? Who thought it would be a good idea to give a dual carraigeway with no restrictions a motorway speed limit

L1011

mayo23 wrote: »

There is a section of the Cork - Midleton road that has a 120 km/h speed limit and motorway road markings but doesn't have motorway status. Why not??? It has an alternative route (the section that has the 120 km/h limit), so why didn't they give it that status to ban tractors, pedestrians and cyclists from using it? Who thought it would be a good idea to give a dual carraigeway with no restrictions a motorway speed limit

NRA doesn't want very short sections of motorway that don't connect with any others (the two bits of the M11 that are isolated are being joined). This is why there's the 120km/h bits of the N25 and N28 left as N road.

The solid H/S here just indicates its a clearway but does obviously make it equivalent to motorway markings.

Mike 1972

mayo23 wrote: »

Who thought it would be a good idea to give a dual carraigeway with no restrictions a motorway speed limit

In the UK dual carriageways have the same speed limit as motorways.

niloc1951

mayo23 wrote: »

There is a section of the Cork - Midleton road that has a 120 km/h speed limit and motorway road markings but doesn't have motorway status. Why not??? It has an alternative route (the section that has the 120 km/h limit), so why didn't they give it that status to ban tractors, pedestrians and cyclists from using it? Who thought it would be a good idea to give a dual carraigeway with no restrictions a motorway speed limit

The Minister thought it would be a good idea, about two and a half years ago, perhaps there was an election in the offing.

120Kmph on non motorway roads certainly is NOT a good idea.

I use that route regularly and share it with 'L' drivers, JCB's, push bikes, tractors, 50cc twist and go's, etc.

There is no alternative route available westbound as the parallel 'old' route requires use of the M8 north of the JLT unless a person heading to Cork City diverts significantly 'off course' via Glanmire village.

Incidentally, my observation is that the majority of traffic travels the 120Kmph section at a more reasonable 100 Kmph-ish.

The Dual Carriageway section of the N25/28 to the west of the city has a similar identity crisis.

L1011

niloc1951 wrote: »

The Minister thought it would be a good idea, about two and a half years ago, perhaps there was an election in the offing.

It (should have been) Cork County Council's doing, not that of a minister.

I can't, however, find the notice in Iris Oifigiuil for it...

jd

It would have been covered under a by-law, I think
eg http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/489662566.pdf

L1011

jd wrote: »

It would have been covered under a by-law, I think
eg http://www.corkcoco.ie/co/pdf/489662566.pdf

Most likely its in the missing second section of that as it ends at Schedule 5 and the index/description says that Schedule 6 has the 120km/h limits in it! There's also a chance they're not bothering to reprint S6 if it hadn't changed since the previous printing maybe.

niloc1951

MYOB wrote: »

It (should have been) Cork County Council's doing, not that of a minister.

I can't, however, find the notice in Iris Oifigiuil for it...

It wasn't a CoCo thing so it probably wont be in An I.O.

Do you not remember a press hullabaloo back then, when The Minister (can't remember who he/she was) announced the reclassification of the 'new' N8 to M'way status, and others plus a plethora of dual-carriageways changed from 100kmph to 120kmph.
I was out of the country when it hit the press here but it seemed like a political stunt (as opposed to sound judgement) to me at the time as I knew that, for example, the 'rest areas' on the 'new' N8 dual-carriageway had not been designed to the M'way standards applicable throughout the rest of Europe.

L1011

niloc1951 wrote: »

It wasn't a CoCo thing so it probably wont be in An I.O.

Do you not remember a press hullabaloo back then, when The Minister (can't remember who he/she was) announced the reclassification of the 'new' N8 to M'way status, and others plus a plethora of dual-carriageways changed from 100kmph to 120kmph.
I was out of the country when it hit the press here but it seemed like a political stunt (as opposed to sound judgement) to me at the time as I knew that, for example, the 'rest areas' on the 'new' N8 dual-carriageway had not been designed to the M'way standards applicable throughout the rest of Europe.

...The N25 and N28 and a small section of N8 (which is now M8) were upgraded to 120km/h by CCC well before the motorway redesignation happened.

It is not a departmental duty to determine speed limits.

corktina

niloc1951 wrote: »

.

There is no alternative route available westbound as the parallel 'old' route requires use of the M8 north of the JLT unless a person heading to Cork City diverts significantly 'off course' via Glanmire village.

.

easy enough to start the Motorway regualtions just north of that slip road which is within yards of the JLT roundabout. Im not convinced that the Motorway starts at that roundabout anyway (id have to go look to be sure) The 120 speed limit doesnt start until North Of Glanmire IIRC

PrzemoF

niloc1951 wrote: »

[..]
120Kmph on non motorway roads certainly is NOT a good idea.
[..]

I was driving on that road for all work days during last 5 years (except my holidays ) and I've not seen single accident on 120 km/h section (it used to be 100 km/h road), but I saw quite a few on 50/100 km/h part ot the south ring. The idea was very good IMHO - there are slip roads, broad shoulder and 2 level crossings.

101sean

Saturday afternoon on the M7 around Monasterevin there was Toyota Landcruiser towing an agricultural triple roller north on the hard shoulder at about 30mph :eek: It was so wide (despite being folded in transport mode) it overhung the solid line by a about 1m and so heavy the LC was down on the bumpstops at the back.

Ignoring the fact it had no rear lights and too heavy for the tow vehicle, WTF was he doing on the motorway when the empty old N7 runs parallel 500m away. Gross stupidity.

mayo23

niloc1951 wrote: »

120Kmph on non motorway roads certainly is NOT a good idea.

There is no alternative route available westbound as the parallel 'old' route requires use of the M8 north of the JLT unless a person heading to Cork City diverts significantly 'off course' via Glanmire village.

The M6 between Ballinasloe and Galway is miles further from the old route than that 120km/h really is ludicrous for a road that allows pedstrians, tractors, etc. It made sense to reduce the limit on the M50, given the high traffic volumes, 4 lanes each way (most Irish people aren't used to them) and relatively short distances between junctions.

MYOB wrote: »

NRA doesn't want very short sections of motorway that don't connect with any others (the two bits of the M11 that are isolated are being joined). This is why there's the 120km/h bits of the N25 and N28 left as N road.

The M11 Bray bypass was a lonely section of motorway for years until the M50 was completed in 2005. Same for the M7 Portlaoise Bypass.

mayo23

Mike 1972 wrote: »

In the UK dual carriageways have the same speed limit as motorways.

Some do, yes. But in the UK, dual carraigeways that have motorway speed limits have some restrictions that motorways have (like no pedestrians, cyclists and invalid carriages). Heres one:
[Embedded Image Removed]


This is the Haddington junction, on the A1 in Scotland. Note the sign showing restrictions and the green direction sign. The speed limits in the distance show 70

L1011

mayo23 wrote: »

The M11 Bray bypass was a lonely section of motorway for years until the M50 was completed in 2005. Same for the M7 Portlaoise Bypass.

Both of them had intent to be joined up with other ones. The N28 and N25 don't

mayo23 wrote: »

Some do, yes. But in the UK, dual carraigeways that have motorway speed limits have some restrictions that motorways have (like no pedestrians, cyclists and invalid carriages). Heres one:

Incorrect. The national speed limit (the old white circle / black line sign) means 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways. 70mph is only used as a sign for "Special Roads" where the national speed limit does not apply. The photo you use there is of a road with Special Road restrictions, other ones include parts of the A55 in Wales and so on.

Even the worst condition 1930s DCs are 70mph unless otherwise posted with a numeric limit. If you drive to Belfast you'll see that the limit changes from NSL to posted 60 on a number of occasions on the A1 for instance.