Athy to M50 commute time

Mink

I'll have to drive from Dublin side of athy to blanch (for 8.30) a couple days a week for a few weeks. Might be able to change it to 8 but just want to get an idea of how long it would take.

I know m50 northbound usually moves well at that time of the morning but I'm aware m7 can be awful depending on the time.

bduffy

Mink wrote: »

I'll have to drive from Dublin side of athy to blanch (for 8.30) a couple days a week for a few weeks. Might be able to change it to 8 but just want to get an idea of how long it would take.

I know m50 northbound usually moves well at that time of the morning but I'm aware m7 can be awful depending on the time.

It'll be one hour average to M50 alone if you go on the M9 (it's solid from the M7 merge to the Ball most mornings), but you'd save 15 minutes going through Naas from Kilcullen. The M50 flows but slowly.....depending on the day......

Mink

Thanks, so if I leave athy 7am I'd be looking at 1.5hrs to blanch.

Thank god it's only for a few weeks

Delacent

avoid Mondays, very busy from before 6.30am

Fridays are almost always clear but journey back anytime after 4pm Friday is crazy.

Thursdays are probably best overall - mostly fine both ways.

A wet day invariably mean worse traffic.

Mink

In case, anyone is looking for more recent commute times and/or are considering a long term commute to Dublin...

Leaving at 7.05 gets me to Newlands Cross for anywhere between 7.55 and 8.05. Then I'm about another 15 minutes from there to work.

That was driving in snow one morning, torrential rain another, low sun shining in everyone's eyes another day, and a broken down bus and car in the overtaking lane for good measure.

Google maps has taken me a different route nearly each morning I've gone in - quite often up to and through Kilcullen, then by Punchestown and joining the N7 after that to try and avoid Naas/Newbridge.

Hitting M50 on the way home at 16.45-16.55 gets me back in Athy 17.45-18.00 (I don't work Fridays, thank god).

Definitely not a great commute AT ALL but I think I've been worn down by tackling the M4 over the past year, that it just doesn't faze me anymore. It's probably going to be for a few months rather than weeks.

StupidLikeAFox

What's kilcullen like at that time in the morning? Is it quicker to go through there and on to naas?

Mink

Kilcullen's grand that time (7.20-7.40). Generally fly through.

ChewChew

Mink wrote: »

In case, anyone is looking for more recent commute times and/or are considering a long term commute to Dublin...

Leaving at 7.05 gets me to Newlands Cross for anywhere between 7.55 and 8.05. Then I'm about another 15 minutes from there to work.

That was driving in snow one morning, torrential rain another, low sun shining in everyone's eyes another day, and a broken down bus and car in the overtaking lane for good measure.

Google maps has taken me a different route nearly each morning I've gone in - quite often up to and through Kilcullen, then by Punchestown and joining the N7 after that to try and avoid Naas/Newbridge.

Hitting M50 on the way home at 16.45-16.55 gets me back in Athy 17.45-18.00 (I don't work Fridays, thank god).

Definitely not a great commute AT ALL but I think I've been worn down by tackling the M4 over the past year, that it just doesn't faze me anymore. It's probably going to be for a few months rather than weeks.

That's not too bad, Mink. I'd have thought it'd be worse. I was getting out of work at 4 on Fridays and only getting to sallins (coming on the N7 at junction 2 kingswood and off at junction 7 Kill) about 5.15 which was a bit long. Then started leaving the office at 5.15 and home about 5.55/6pm so I think the Friday rush is gone so early now it's nearly worth staying a bit later. Easier said than done! I know. Also, there's a radio station called Dublin City fm and they do a morning and evening traffic programme and it's literally live updates so it's super handy!!!

rameire

103.2fm for dublin city fm, signal only comes in for me 1km before Jn 2 on the M9 when heading northbound.
also @livedrive on twitter, but find in the morning they are slow with the tweets.

I leave Athy at 6.50am, and when school is on, its not worth getting to the M7, its better to come off at Jn2 Kilcullen and follow the route to Naas Jn9 on the N7 or heading past Punchestown.
I find the M7 ok to use on Thursday and Friday's heading to Dublin.

If for some reason the M50 is a no go or the N7 is closed, the alternative that is ok for timing would be to come off at Jn7 N7 go through Straffan, Maynooth and up to Dunboyne.

Heading home on the N7 keep in lane 1 from the Kill exit on Monday to Thursdays, on Fridays, come off at Kill exit.

Mink

I'm finding Google Maps brilliant for watching for congestion, rerouting me etc. It's been quite accurate with estimated arrival times as well.

Luckily I don't work Fridays, everyone down this way has told me avoid N7 on that day at all costs.

Honestly though, and I'll probably be laughed at for this, I think the M7/N7 is a better road than the M4. The issue I've always had with the M4 is that it's so straight and flat, if you are in a regular car then it's extremely difficult to spot brake lights coming on ahead. Coupled with that is rush hour outbound and inbound is heading straight into the sun, which is low and right in your eyes before and after each clock change.

The N7/M7 at least has some bends and hilly bits so you can have a reasonable view of what's ahead. Most of it seems to be at an angle to the sun so it's not always right in your eyes.

Mink

rameire wrote: »

If for some reason the M50 is a no go or the N7 is closed, the alternative that is ok for timing would be to come off at Jn7 N7 go through Straffan, Maynooth and up to Dunboyne.

Yes that road up to Dunboyne, and then M3 onward to M50, is great. The last couple months before I moved south I was using that route (well from Kilcock actually) everyday to get to the M50. It's not a bad road, a little windy at parts but moves very well.

The M4 just seemed to have a crash/incident/break down every other day

Snaffles2014

For the record, 6.10-7.10 from Athy to Blanch, M9 and M7 .... What are Kildare Co Co and NRA at? Naas exits are mental, what are we paying road tax at all for? I know most people are used to it now, but it SHOULDN'T be this bad.

nosilver

Snaffles2014 wrote: »

For the record, 6.10-7.10 from Athy to Blanch, M9 and M7 .... What are Kildare Co Co and NRA at? Naas exits are mental, what are we paying road tax at all for? I know most people are used to it now, but it SHOULDN'T be this bad.

I don't think Kildare CC and NRA (TII now) have many vehicles out on the road at that time and they certainly don't clog the exits up with their vehicles.

Maybe, just maybe you are asking why anything is not being done to alleviate the extra traffic that makes the road network creak at certain times?

And maybe you have not asked or checked for information and instead just go on a rant.

Good advice - check/ask for information before going on a rant for something you haven't the knowledge on.


btw - information is on this forum, M7 upgrade threads in the "roads and infrastructure" forum on TII website and on Kildare CC website. It has also been in the national press and local press and preparatory works have already commenced.

Skibunny77

I think anyone who regularly uses the N7 is entitled to the occasional rant!! Anyway, reading this with interest. Looking at a job in Dublin 8 - hours are 7.30am - 3.30pm. May also be relocating to Athy at some stage - was hoping a 6.30am dept from Athy would get me in for 7.30am and that looks like a possibility from this thread - was expecting far worse commute times. I'm hoping that hitting the road at 3.30pm would get me home at a reasonable time too. Trains are also an option, I guess, as I will be based near Heuston..

nosilver

Skibunny77 wrote: »

I think anyone who regularly uses the N7 is entitled to the occasional rant!! Anyway, reading this with interest. Looking at a job in Dublin 8 - hours are 7.30am - 3.30pm. May also be relocating to Athy at some stage - was hoping a 6.30am dept from Athy would get me in for 7.30am and that looks like a possibility from this thread - was expecting far worse commute times. I'm hoping that hitting the road at 3.30pm would get me home at a reasonable time too. Trains are also an option, I guess, as I will be based near Heuston..

of course - but ranting and then blaming people and not even checking to see if anything is being done is a little ott. Work on 3 lanes, new junction 10 and osberstown starting in the next few weeks and will be completed before end of 2018.

bduffy

Skibunny77 wrote: »

I think anyone who regularly uses the N7 is entitled to the occasional rant!! Anyway, reading this with interest. Looking at a job in Dublin 8 - hours are 7.30am - 3.30pm. May also be relocating to Athy at some stage - was hoping a 6.30am dept from Athy would get me in for 7.30am and that looks like a possibility from this thread - was expecting far worse commute times. I'm hoping that hitting the road at 3.30pm would get me home at a reasonable time too. Trains are also an option, I guess, as I will be based near Heuston..

Leaving Kilcullen at 6:30 via Punchestown gets you to Red Cow at 7:05 on average these days, after that it all depends on where you're going.
Athy to Heuston in 1 hour is very tight.

guil

From about 6:15 traffic starts getting congested at the M9 merge, wouldn't be half as bad if every moron didn't hit the breaks for no reason at all.

Lady is a tramp

On the off-chance that there's anyone currently commuting Athy to Dublin city centre who might be interested in taking a passenger for a few weeks, who'd contribute to petrol costs ... please let me know by PM! I'm starting a new job next week and it looks like the train is going to work out ridiculously expensive.

nosilver

Lady is a tramp wrote: »

On the off-chance that there's anyone currently commuting Athy to Dublin city centre who might be interested in taking a passenger for a few weeks, who'd contribute to petrol costs ... please let me know by PM! I'm starting a new job next week and it looks like the train is going to work out ridiculously expensive.

Check if your workplace does the taxsaver tickets. It deducts monthly ticket price (€325) off your gross income before tax.

Skibunny77

bduffy wrote: »

Leaving Kilcullen at 6:30 via Punchestown gets you to Red Cow at 7:05 on average these days, after that it all depends on where you're going.
Athy to Heuston in 1 hour is very tight.

Fair enough, thanks for that.
Have looked at train times from Athy, they are pretty limited. Think my best bet is to drive to either sallins or kildare and avail of better train service.

Snaffles2014

I commute daily from Athy and to make work for 7.30am (Blanchardstown) and avoid traffic queuing I leave Athy at 6.10am. This will get you to junction 11 at 6.30am just before the traffic starts to build up.

Hope this helps.