Do people not know how to use a roundabout

HurlyBurly

I see this every day at the big roundabout for the Portlaoise exit near Midway and it drives me nuts.
People who are taking the 3rd or 4th exits and they stay in the left hand lane all the way round.
It's stupid and it's dangerous and it shows a complete lack of understanding of roundabout driving.

Are people afraid to be on the inside lane, cos they don't want to cross lanes to exit?
It's usually coming from abbeyleix side, going to dublin on motorway, which is the 4th exit ... or coming from portlaoise going to limerick on motorway, which is the 3rd exit... and the driver stays in left lane all the way round
Indicator on or not - it's still dangerous.

Rant over :mad:

contentking

Couldn't agree more mate. Annoys the hell out of me too!

MickShamrock

Most people on the roads here can't drive. Fact.

adser53

Since I moved here from Dublin the missus and I have had countless conversations about how folks down here just cant drive! No countyism intended but jesus christ roundabouts down here are a free for all! Not to mention parking! Especially at tescos, 1 car generally equates to 1.5 spaces. Idiots

mathepac

HurlyBurly wrote: »

... Are people afraid to be on the inside lane ...

outside lane (or R/H lane or offside lane)

moose112

adser53 wrote: »

Since I moved here from Dublin the missus and I have had countless conversations about how folks down here just cant drive! No countyism intended but jesus christ roundabouts down here are a free for all! Not to mention parking! Especially at tescos, 1 car generally equates to 1.5 spaces. Idiots

The parking spaces in tesco are def the narrowest I have ever come across. I drive a transit and fitting in the space is no problem, it's just opening the door hence I go to dunne stores where they proper size spaces.

My dad used to have a disabled parking permit and always complained about how narrow the disabled spacers were there he reckoned the disabled spots in tesco were the same size as a regular parking spot in leister square

elvis jones

adser53 wrote: »

Since I moved here from Dublin the missus and I have had countless conversations about how folks down here just cant drive! No countyism intended but jesus christ roundabouts down here are a free for all! Not to mention parking! Especially at tescos, 1 car generally equates to 1.5 spaces. Idiots

Amazing having lived in Dublin for 10 years in the past i can say the Dubs ain't that hot on the roads themselves.

adser53

Ahh but with so much traffic in the big smoke you never get to move far or fast enough to drive badly

Appleguy

Completely agree.

And il also say that whatever skills people have picked up on the road all go out the window after 1pm on a Friday afternoon.

Mrs Black Hyundai Accent that nearly caused an accident on the Walkinstown Roundabout 20 minutes ago. You need a few lessons before you kill someone. The inside lane on a roundabout is for going right not for going straight.

ILA

elvis jones wrote: »

Amazing having lived in Dublin for 10 years in the past i can say the Dubs ain't that hot on the roads themselves.

Indeed, in fact, I've never heard anyone (other than Dubs themselves) say that Dubs are any good at driving, quite the opposite actually when it comes to rural roads.

We've two issues in this country: not enough driver education/assessment, and too many fecking roundabouts!

adser53

I'm not saying Dubs are better drivers at all, I'm just saying that "per capita" Portlaoise seems to have a larger number of shoddy drivers. who knows though, maybe they're all Dubs that moved down here

And I'm with ILA, there's far too many roundabouts here. Portlaoise has a ridiculous amount and they've put another one up at Texaco now on the Dublin Road!

ILA

adser53 wrote: »

I'm not saying Dubs are better drivers at all, I'm just saying that "per capita" Portlaoise seems to have a larger number of shoddy drivers. who knows though, maybe they're all Dubs that moved down here

As a local, I can say that a lot of other locals equate this to the increase in the number of outsiders moving into the community. However, I don't think any one group can be singled out as there's born and bred locals who are just as bad.

adser53 wrote:

And I'm with ILA, there's far too many roundabouts here. Portlaoise has a ridiculous amount and they've put another one up at Texaco now on the Dublin Road!

This is because any time the Council or Elected Reps talked about "traffic calming", ramps and roundabouts are the only thing the Engineers seem to know about, rather than tightening curbs, rumble strips, etc. like you would see on the continent in France, Germany, Italy, etc.

fififidlesticks

Well thank god I'm not the only one who noticed this! Thought I was having the bad luck of always meeting a bad driver on the roundabout!

OH is sick or me complaining about it... at least now I have someone to rant with!

PS neither from Laois or Dublin! OH just pointed out... not even from Leinster!

HurlyBurly

This wasn't really meant to be a Laois v Dublin drivers debate! I'd imagine it's drivers from all round the country on the roundabout.
And as a nation we're by & large not the best schooled drivers around.

fififidlesticks

Ah ya, just a bit of banter really! I honestly think its the fact that the roundabout is actually an oval is what really confuses people. Time the council stuck up some signs with directions me thinks!

HurlyBurly

I think some of the drivers have been reading this and now just to p*** me off further they've decided to do this madcap driving without ever using indicators.

Going to the 3rd or 4th exit in left lane... use indicators.. nah, why bother... I'm nearly there now anyway.... what's that crash in my rear view mirror... silly laois drivers... never mind... tally ho off to dublin.