M7 - Naas/Newbridge Bypass Upgrade [Junction 9a now open]

BuzzFish

Drove past at 22:30 last night and a lot of activity on the south bounds lanes. Good to see them working into the night on the current work. Lets hope that continues through the main construction phase to get it done as fast as possible.

Jimmy Bottles

Is the 60kph limit still in place with average speed cameras?

rameire

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

Is the 60kph limit still in place with average speed cameras?

no, all done and clear

dubred

Jimmy Bottles wrote: »

Is the 60kph limit still in place with average speed cameras?

Nope, it went over the weekend.

marno21

Deedsie wrote: »

I have been sitting on the N7 for the last 50 minutes. How do people do this everyday. Any word on when construction might start?

In fairness the delays seem to be worse on Fridays, although no reported incidents on the N7 between Red Cow and the M9 junction.

Construction is almost certain to start in 2017, although we haven't had any recent more specific details.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

regedit

I thought I read somewhere that they were starting in April 2017?

spacetweek

regedit wrote: »

I thought I read somewhere that they were starting in April 2017?

They are, yea.

gilly0512

After this morning I give up, 1.5 hours to get from Junction 11 to the M50, and nearly three hours to get to work, will three lanes make that much of a difference? Also while it's going off topic, this is what happens when you live in a country where a proper road infrastructure and proper public transport are never given the funding that they deserve.

Idbatterim

That is totally insane. Surely there has to be a better alternative route for when traffic is ridiculous?!

benny79

gilly2308 wrote: »

After this morning I give up, 1.5 hours to get from Junction 11 to the M50, and nearly three hours to get to work, will three lanes make that much of a difference? Also while it's going off topic, this is what happens when you live in a country where a proper road infrastructure and proper public transport are never given the funding that they deserve.

I feel your pain it use to take me 50 mins to get to Dublin in the mornings from Athy leaving at 7am... It now takes an hour an 20 mins just from the start of this year! the volume of traffic is insane even when you pass the ball in naas and it becomes 3 lanes... Its got so bad I just go the back roads in the mornings now...

Does anyone know for definite when work is starting?? god only knows what traffic will be like then... Im actually seriously considering learning how to go on a motor bike...

road_high

benny79 wrote: »

I feel your pain it use to take me 50 mins to get to Dublin in the mornings from Athy leaving at 7am... It now takes an hour an 20 mins just from the start of this year! the volume of traffic is insane even when you pass the ball in naas and it becomes 3 lanes... Its got so bad I just go the back roads in the mornings now...

Does anyone know for definite when work is starting?? god only knows what traffic will be like then... Im actually seriously considering learning how to go on a motor bike...

I actually think the roadworks won't have a huge impact. It's already so bad and crawling that really what difference would it make once two lanes are maintained and open at all times?

rameire

Im only using the M7 1 day a week to Dublin which is the Friday, its not worth it any other day when leaving just before 7am.
thankfully coming from Athy, I can go a few different routes, one is over the hills through Dunlavin to the N81. the others go through Kilcullen, and either through Naas or off to Kill.

as for using a Motorbike, I used to do that, was great having the freedom of zipping though everybody sitting in slow traffic, the journey was never over 60 minutes.
the only thing with a bike is you will need a high cc'd bike as the distance and constant high speed would take its toll on a smaller bike, in addition, you will spend a good bit more on tyres and servicing on a bike compared to a car.
I was changing the tyres twice a year on the bike costing me 700 in total compared to the cars 240

road_high

gilly2308 wrote: »

After this morning I give up, 1.5 hours to get from Junction 11 to the M50, and nearly three hours to get to work, will three lanes make that much of a difference? Also while it's going off topic, this is what happens when you live in a country where a proper road infrastructure and proper public transport are never given the funding that they deserve.

How far are you commuting from? 3 hours is insane, I couldn't do that! Working from home an option at all? You'd be wrecked just travelling.

Idbatterim

if the situation is this bad, could they designate one of the new lanes during peak hours, for buses only? have it service areas directly like Sandyford, leopardstown, dundrum shopping centre or wherever a large amount of commuters are going.

This route sounds so bad, that you probably could get people of of the car with an express bus...

AugustusMinimus

Idbatterim wrote: »

if the situation is this bad, could they designate one of the new lanes during peak hours, for buses only? have it service areas directly like Sandyford, leopardstown, dundrum shopping centre or wherever a large amount of commuters are going.

This route sounds so bad, that you probably could get people of of the car with an express bus...

Considering there is already an under utilised train line hitting almost all population centres served by the M7, I'm not sure what a bus lane will do.

Idbatterim

Considering there is already an under utilised train line hitting almost all population centres served by the M7, I'm not sure what a bus lane will do.

bring them where they actually want to go i.e. dundrum,sandyford and leopardstown I am assuming, the rail line is no use for these employment centres...

Walter2016

Here's an alternative to skip the M9 bottleneck.

Check aa roadwatch route planner first. If dark red is showing beyond the m9 junction go for plan b

https://www.theaa.ie/routes/#/r/

Plan b

Coming from m7 before Newbridge. Turn off at Newbridge, go over motorway, take 1st exit towards Athgarvan along by curragh.

At primary school and ramps, vere left towards Athgarvan inn. Go straight through lights and continue along for 1.5km to Newbridge rugby club. 100m past the rugby club turn left and continue all the way to end of this stretch (past lidl warehouse) down to pzifer. Turn right onto Naas road and continue til end and rejoin M7 at Naas north.

This route takes 12-14 minutes even on Monday morning. A clear motorway takes 6 minutes. (yes I've timed it)

At the least, you get past the M9 bottleneck.

marno21

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Considering there is already an under utilised train line hitting almost all population centres served by the M7, I'm not sure what a bus lane will do.

The rail line until last week terminated at a station well outside the city centre in an area most people don't want to go

If DART Underground was built they could get off at St Stephens Green and use the Luas to get to Sandyford, that option is not there st present

AugustusMinimus

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Considering there is already an under utilised train line hitting almost all population centres served by the M7, I'm not sure what a bus lane will do.

Idbatterim wrote: »

bring them where they actually want to go i.e. dundrum,sandyford and leopardstown I am assuming, the rail line is no use for these employment centres...

If there was a bit of joined up thinking, they could build a bus station at parkwest station with direct on ramps to the M50. Then commuters could park at any of the stations west of the M50, get the train to Parkwest and then pick up a but that will be able to go directly to the "satellite" business parks.

benny79

Deleted User wrote: »

If there was a bit of joined up thinking, they could build a bus station at parkwest station with direct on ramps to the M50. Then commuters could park at any of the stations west of the M50, get the train to Parkwest and then pick up a but that will be able to go directly to the "satellite" business parks.

Good idea but if this did happen you would be hit with 2 charges 1 for train & then 1 for the bus... Cause public transport is a pure rip off... like if you commute to Dublin park at red cow, get luas etc you have to pay to park, then pay for the luas.. the train is a bit out of the way for me 20 min walk to train station (if I drive you have extra charge of paying to park) then 20/30 min walk from Heuston so if you get bus or luas there's another charge thats 3 in total a day... Some people say get the yearly train ticket cause of the tax back etc but its the extra hassle.. get to train station and back + the extra charges... The powers at be dont take this into account hence why traffic is so back...

Solution- A long way off and may never happen but I think a underground tube.. its proven to work and especially as Ireland been a small country.. I lived in Australia for 2 years and the tube was brilliant! cheap, regular and went everywhere I never felt the need for a car! works in London too....and most of all takes traffic off the roads..

gilly0512

road_high wrote: »

How far are you commuting from? 3 hours is insane, I couldn't do that! Working from home an option at all? You'd be wrecked just travelling.

I'm commuting from Kildare Town to Clonskeagh, had it easy for years as I had a job in Tallaght where I worked shifts, and most of the time my commute was a maximum of 40 mins. Now it's anything from 2 to 3 hours, the M7 is insane in the morning, M50 is not great either (I actually think the M7 is worse than the M50) and then Dundrum can be awful as well. Going home it's not much better, I honestly wouldn't have taken this job had I known how bad it would be, but I will start taking the train in the new year as a test, as it couldn't be anywhere near as bad as driving. I'm actually of the opinion now that when the widening of the M7 is complete, that the M50 will just grind to a halt, as you will now have traffic from the M7/N7 hitting the M50 a lot quicker in the morning, although the widening should help massively with going home in the evening, as hopefully the daily tailbacks from Kill/Johnstown to Junction 11 will be a thing of the past.

road_high

gilly2308 wrote: »

I'm commuting from Kildare Town to Clonskeagh, had it easy for years as I had a job in Tallaght where I worked shifts, and most of the time my commute was a maximum of 40 mins. Now it's anything from 2 to 3 hours, the M7 is insane in the morning, M50 is not great either (I actually think the M7 is worse than the M50) and then Dundrum can be awful as well. Going home it's not much better, I honestly wouldn't have taken this job had I known how bad it would be, but I will start taking the train in the new year as a test, as it couldn't be anywhere near as bad as driving. I'm actually of the opinion now that when the widening of the M7 is complete, that the M50 will just grind to a halt, as you will now have traffic from the M7/N7 hitting the M50 a lot quicker in the morning, although the widening should help massively with going home in the evening, as hopefully the daily tailbacks from Kill/Johnstown to Junction 11 will be a thing of the past.

That's not even that far...I'd thought you were coming from much further when I read this!
Doubt the train could be any worse. What's Kildare, 30 mins into Heuston. Not sure what bus you'd get from there though to Clonskeagh...

spacetweek

[Deleted User] wrote: »

If there was a bit of joined up thinking, they could build a bus station at parkwest station with direct on ramps to the M50. Then commuters could park at any of the stations west of the M50, get the train to Parkwest and then pick up a but that will be able to go directly to the "satellite" business parks.

That idea was floated years ago, but I haven't heard anything in a while.

spacetweek

Deedsie wrote: »

Tell me to mind my own business but you could:
Drive to Newbridge train station, ppt train to Pearse, 15 minute walk to Stephens Green Luas stop to Clonskeagh? 15 to 20 mins.

I know it's a pain in the arse i would pick that a thousand times ahead of sitting in chronic traffic congestion.

You could get a fold up bike? Cycle from Pearse or Grand Canal Dock station to clonskeagh. Fresh air and exercise is better than sitting stationary in a car for 3 hours.

Next year gilly will also have the possibility of using the new luas to go Heuston->OCS->clonskeagh.

_Kaiser_

Idbatterim wrote: »

bring them where they actually want to go i.e. dundrum,sandyford and leopardstown I am assuming, the rail line is no use for these employment centres...

Spot on..

As with Dublin Bus, the obsession with dumping people in An Lar needs to end.

A sufficiently sized P&R facility at say Citywest (and Blanch, Liffey Valley, Swords), with a direct two-way corridor between them running frequent buses/trams/DARTS/whatever to the major business parks on the outskirts (Sandyford, Blanch/Mulhuddart etc) would do wonders.

road_high

Don't the Dublin Coaches (green) go to/from Dundrum now as well, linking with the Red Cow and their services to Kildare etc?

Walter2016

gilly2308 wrote: »

I'm commuting from Kildare Town to Clonskeagh, had it easy for years as I had a job in Tallaght where I worked shifts, and most of the time my commute was a maximum of 40 mins. Now it's anything from 2 to 3 hours, the M7 is insane in the morning, M50 is not great either (I actually think the M7 is worse than the M50) and then Dundrum can be awful as well. Going home it's not much better, I honestly wouldn't have taken this job had I known how bad it would be, but I will start taking the train in the new year as a test, as it couldn't be anywhere near as bad as driving. I'm actually of the opinion now that when the widening of the M7 is complete, that the M50 will just grind to a halt, as you will now have traffic from the M7/N7 hitting the M50 a lot quicker in the morning, although the widening should help massively with going home in the evening, as hopefully the daily tailbacks from Kill/Johnstown to Junction 11 will be a thing of the past.

If "clonskeagh" means beaver row, then train to heuston and bus 145 to donnybrook church. About an hour.

If you could start at 10am and finish at 6, it would be a doddle to drive.

_Kaiser_

Walter2016 wrote: »

If "clonskeagh" means beaver row, then train to heuston and bus 145 to donnybrook church. About an hour.

If you could start at 10am and finish at 6, it would be a doddle to drive.

Yes and no. By 9/10am the bulk of the traffic has cleared alright but in my experience the evening rush (on the M50 and N7 to Naas) doesn't die off till closer to 7 at this stage

Friday evenings are worse again.. might as well wait til 7:30/8pm most weeks.

Walter2016

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Yes and no. By 9/10am the bulk of the traffic has cleared alright but in my experience the evening rush (on the M50 and N7 to Naas) doesn't die off till closer to 7 at this stage

Friday evenings are worse again.. might as well wait til 7:30/8pm most weeks.

Nothing a nice cold pint in ashtons can't fix!