Lifford/Letterkenny Roundabout

gavmcfad

Was hoping someone could enlighten me on this. I didnt post it on Motoring section as i feel more people on this section would know the roundabout in question.

Anyway here goes, I was reading a post on another site about people been in incorrect lane at roundabouts and it got me thinking.....

You know the roundabout on the Derry/Letterkenny road, As you approach Letterkenny from the Manor direction and you wish to travel towards Letterkenny what is the reason for driving in the right hand lane if you are taking the 2nd exit.

Hoping someone can clear this up for me.
Thanks.

muffler

Its the same on all 3 approach roads to the roundabout. Basically you only have 2 exits (there are 3 but you are using one on the approach) so it makes plenty sense for people going to use the first exit to stay in the left hand lane and for people using the 2nd exit to stay in the right hand lane.

gavmcfad

Cheers.
Makes sense when you put it like that.

mrmac

Also, the left hand lane should be used for the first and second junction off a round-about, unless the junction is further than the 12 o'clock position. Otherwise, the right hand lane should be used. I remember being told this from a driving instructor, which was a fair time ago, but I don't think it's changed!

This also applies to the round-about at Tescos in Letterkenny.
If you are coming in from Oatfield, and going onto the Railway Road (community centre, McGinley Motors. etc), then you should be in the right hand lane, as

1. the junction needed is the 3rd one, and
2. the junction needed is past the 12 o'clock position.

I always see people using the left hand lane here, with loads of near-misses!

/open to correction!

homer simpson

mrmac wrote: »

Also, the left hand lane should be used for the first and second junction off a round-about, unless the junction is further than the 12 o'clock position. Otherwise, the right hand lane should be used. I remember being told this from a driving instructor, which was a fair time ago, but I don't think it's changed!

This also applies to the round-about at Tescos in Letterkenny.
If you are coming in from Oatfield, and going onto the Railway Road (community centre, McGinley Motors. etc), then you should be in the right hand lane, as

1. the junction needed is the 3rd one, and
2. the junction needed is past the 12 o'clock position.

I always see people using the left hand lane here, with loads of near-misses!

/open to correction!

Thats spot on, well from my understanding of roundabout anyways! But you always have to take note of the arrow markings on the road too as sometimes these can contradict the rules of the road,

Up until recently that roundabout (station roundabout) was arrowed for left lane Pearse road only, and the other 3 exits were right lane!

I don't think there are any arrows on the Manor roundabout? maybe there is now since they retarred the road but as muffler says it makes sense for it to be one lane for each exit but usually when the traffic build up people tend to "fly" up the left lane to take the second exit.....dam annoying!

Technique

gavmcfad wrote: »

Was hoping someone could enlighten me on this. I didnt post it on Motoring section as i feel more people on this section would know the roundabout in question.

Anyway here goes, I was reading a post on another site about people been in incorrect lane at roundabouts and it got me thinking.....

You know the roundabout on the Derry/Letterkenny road, As you approach Letterkenny from the Manor direction and you wish to travel towards Letterkenny what is the reason for driving in the right hand lane if you are taking the 2nd exit.

Hoping someone can clear this up for me.
Thanks.

On this particular roundabout, a lot of drivers take whichever lane has the least traffic. :mad:

stephendevlin

Technique wrote: »

On this particular roundabout, a lot of drivers take whichever lane has the least traffic. :mad:

Its 2 lane traffic after it.... whats the problem?????:rolleyes:


1st lane is for left and straight on ...
2nd lane is for straight on or last exit...

Termonator

Everyone seems to have their own interpretations of roundabout rules which leads to all the near misses.

See response to query from RSA here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055998652&page=1

Some go by the 12 O'Clock rule, others by left lane for 1st and 2nd exit, right lane for all others unless otherwise marked or signed.

Essexboy

Coming from Letterkenny the road marking (in huge lettering!) say left-hand lane for 1st exit (Derry) and right-hand lane for 2nd exit (Lifford).
The same logic, applied to traffic coming from Manor, gives left-hand lane for Lifford and right-hand lane for Letterkenny.

irlpic

Unfortunatly the law and insurance companies do not use logic or common sense. They strictly abide to rules and regulations.
If the Manor entry has no road surface arrows or lettering, i would follow the default rule of roundabouts - left hand lane for 1st 2 exits and right hand lane for all other exits.
This way your ass is covered in the event of an accident.

GoldenGreen

irlpic wrote: »

Unfortunatly the law and insurance companies do not use logic or common sense. They strictly abide to rules and regulations.
If the Manor entry has no road surface arrows or lettering, i would follow the default rule of roundabouts - left hand lane for 1st 2 exits and right hand lane for all other exits.
This way your ass is covered in the event of an accident.

Funny I was going to post earlier and say that the rules of the road state that the left lane for the 1st exit and the right lane for all other exits. This is what I learned when doing my test 15 years ago and was in the rules of the road back then as per the pic in this post on the motoring section:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69073657&postcount=76

But on looking up the current rules of the road, think it on page 110, there is no mention of the number of exits just states that if turning left or going straigh on its the left lane you use and if turning right its the right lane you use.

Looks like there is lots of confusion out there on this and I can understand why.

Perfer the system of counting exits myself but will not be doing that anymore.

Durnish

When did Co Donegal get its first roundabouts? Twenty or thirty years ago?

muffler

Durnish wrote: »

When did Co Donegal get its first roundabouts? Twenty or thirty years ago?

The roundabout in Lifford has been there from around the mid '70's.

Funny little story about that. At a council meeting shortly after the roundabout was opened some of the councilors were claiming that it wasn't safe and in his reply the county engineer stated that he had the unfortunate distinction of being involved in the first accident on it

Durnish

ah, I wondered. We used to wonder how Donegal people did driving tests if there were no roundabouts.
Maybe this is why roundabout lore is not rooted in the subconscious. just not natural.

PattheMetaller

I had this conversation with my instructor in the run up to my advanced driving test. He was adamant that on a major roundabout, left hand lane for the first two exits irrespective of the second exit being past 12 o'clock.

If a motorist was entering the roundabout on the right hand lane coming from Derry, he/she should exit onto dual carriageway on right hand lane i.e. do not cut across lanes while on the roundabout

homer simpson

PattheMetaller wrote: »

I had this conversation with my instructor in the run up to my advanced driving test. He was adamant that on a major roundabout, left hand lane for the first two exits irrespective of the second exit being past 12 o'clock.

If a motorist was entering the roundabout on the right hand lane coming from Derry, he/she should exit onto dual carriageway on right hand lane i.e. do not cut across lanes while on the roundabout

Yeah spot on, beleive it or not i was watching a program i had recorded on sky plus months ago last night..... low and behold on comes an ad from the RSA, showing people how to use roundabouts...

Like others have said its left lane for 1st exit or straight on, Right lane for turning right....

Essexboy

homer_simpson wrote: »

Yeah spot on, beleive it or not i was watching a program i had recorded on sky plus months ago last night..... low and behold on comes an ad from the RSA, showing people how to use roundabouts...

Like others have said its left lane for 1st exit or straight on, Right lane for turning right....

This ad is based on roundabouts which have 3 exits but they never deal with roundabouts which have only 2 exits and there are several of these in Donegal. Apart from this one, there others at Bridgend, Tullyearl and the Bundoran Bypass just to pick some at random.

muffler

Essexboy wrote: »

This ad is based on roundabouts which have 3 exits but they never deal with roundabouts which have only 2 exits and there are several of these in Donegal. Apart from this one, there others at Bridgend, Tullyearl and the Bundoran Bypass just to pick some at random.

Fair point

henke

I think if a roundabout has only two exits (3 roads approaching it altoghether) and has two lanes approaching the roundabout it would make sense that the right hand lane is the correct lane for the second exit, otherwise what is the point in two lanes approaching a roundabout which has two exits

Termonator

MichaelM1987 wrote: »

I think if a roundabout has only two exits (3 roads approaching it altoghether) and has two lanes approaching the roundabout it would make sense that the right hand lane is the correct lane for the second exit, otherwise what is the point in two lanes approaching a roundabout which has two exits

If three roads approaching then surely there are also three exits unless coming from a one way road:)

henke

Termonator wrote: »

If three roads approaching then surely there are also three exits unless coming from a one way road:)

Yeah good point your right but not counting the road your approaching in there are two other exits and you would assume the right hand lane is for the second of these exits, but as you say there are three exits so the right hand lane would also be for exiting on the road you approach on also

GoldenGreen

we got to remember though that the counting exits rule is no more. Take for example the Station round about in letterkenny and the road coming from Oatfileds into that round about.

In the past with counting exits the left lane would have been for people travelling to the shopping center (exit 1) and out the derry road (exit 2) and the right lane would ahve been for Pearse Road (exit 3) and up the port road towards main street (exit 4).

But now the left lane is for the shopping center, derry road (all left turns) and the pearse road (straight on), and the right lane is for up the port road towards main street (right turn).

The road has been recently re-painted that was too, shame they dont put up a road sign at the side of the road too as you can never seen the painting on the road as there is always cars stopped on top of the painting. Causing a bit of confussion this past few days.

henke

GoldenGreen wrote: »

we got to remember though that the counting exits rule is no more. Take for example the Station round about in letterkenny and the road coming from Oatfileds into that round about.

In the past with counting exits the left lane would have been for people travelling to the shopping center (exit 1) and out the derry road (exit 2) and the right lane would ahve been for Pearse Road (exit 3) and up the port road towards main street (exit 4).

But now the left lane is for the shopping center, derry road (all left turns) and the pearse road (straight on), and the right lane is for up the port road towards main street (right turn).

The road has been recently re-painted that was too, shame they dont put up a road sign at the side of the road too as you can never seen the painting on the road as there is always cars stopped on top of the painting. Causing a bit of confussion this past few days.

Since when has this been in place. I was always sure the right hand lane was correct for the Pearse Road (exit 3).

Also I was tought the 12 o'clock rule and this is this case straight on (Pearse Road exit 3) is past the 12 o'clock position so I would have thought it was right hand lane. Must look carefully at the road marking next time I'm on the roundabout.

GoldenGreen

MichaelM1987 wrote: »

Since when has this been in place. I was always sure the right hand lane was correct for the Pearse Road (exit 3).

Also I was tought the 12 o'clock rule and this is this case straight on (Pearse Road exit 3) is past the 12 o'clock position so I would have thought it was right hand lane. Must look carefully at the road marking next time I'm on the roundabout.

They re-tarred the road a few weeks ago and painted it last week and only really noticed the new system late one night when there were no cars about. its going to cause a lot of problems, seems a really stupid system now we have one lane for 3 exits and one lane for one exit, does not distribute the traffic evenly and will cause more tail backs onto the mini round about at oatfields and there will be more cars in the left lane, as the shopping center exit is usually overflowing and block cars getting onto the round about. Oh well I am sure the powers that be have all our best interests at heart :rolleyes:

Termonator

GoldenGreen wrote: »

They re-tarred the road a few weeks ago and painted it last week and only really noticed the new system late one night when there were no cars about. its going to cause a lot of problems, seems a really stupid system now we have one lane for 3 exits and one lane for one exit, does not distribute the traffic evenly and will cause more tail backs onto the mini round about at oatfields and there will be more cars in the left lane, as the shopping center exit is usually overflowing and block cars getting onto the round about. Oh well I am sure the powers that be have all our best interests at heart :rolleyes:

I only realised this at the weekend. Was coming from Oatfields and the left lane was backed up to Aldi, went up the right hand lane only to see the new markings coming to the roundabout.

Can see this being flouted in the coming months as shopping centre will be jammed with shoppers from here on in and people will use the right lane for the Pearse road regardless so beware.

Actually thought it ran smoothly enough as it was prior to the new markings.

mrmac

Re: Approach to Tesco round-about, from Oatfields.

I just came across this thread, thanks to another similiar thread.

Please be very careful at this round-about, as people seem confused as to what the road markings actually mean.

The R250 was always the designation for the road out of Letterkenny, towards Newmills. According to my Garmin Sat Nav, the designation starts at Gleneeny House, and continues across Pearse Road; also, when you get to the round-about at the new Dunnes Stores, you'll see a sign post saying "R250 Glenties", again supporting the route.

Therefore, nothing has actually changed, and the lanes remain the same as they always where.

Left lane, exist 1 & 2 - Right lane, exist 3 & 4.


Edit: as this thread specifically refers to the Lifford/Letterkenny round-about, please post any comments re. the Station round-about in the other thread: LINK HERE