Exiting from Raheen Business Park onto Old Cork Road

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There are two lanes leaving the park onto the old Cork road, leading onto a roundabout. It's a regular roundabout. Normally the left lane would be for going left (1st exit) and straight on (2nd exit), and the right lane only for going right (third exit).

However, just before you leave the park there's an arrow pointing left (no straight on arrow in that lane) on the left lane.

Are ye familiar with the roundabout, and which lane do you take? Most people I see take the left lane, going straight on and disregarding the left arrow.

I've seen some close shaves where accidents have nearly happened based on people favouring the different protocols.

EndaHonesty

I thought the Old Cork Road was the Kilmallock road

IMO as someone who has been using that roundabout for years, the arrows are only requests because they are on private property so the basic roundabout rules apply, left lane for left turn and straight ahead. Right lane for right turn.

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EndaHonesty wrote: »

I thought the Old Cork Road was the Kilmallock road

IMO as someone who has been using that roundabout for years, the arrows are only requests because they are on private property so the basic roundabout rules apply, left lane for left turn and straight ahead. Right lane for right turn.

Interesting. It's the Cork road I used to take.

I might get on to the council and see what their take on it is. If it is as you say they should move to get them changed. It's confusing at minimum.

EndaHonesty

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Interesting. It's the Cork road I used to take.

I might get on to the council and see what their take on it is. If it is as you say they should move to get them changed. It's confusing at minimum.

The arrows are from the Dell hayday and change of shift was mayhem in and out of Raheen.

They're very faded now too so whoever put them there hasn't seen reason to maintain them.

I'm pretty sure the council will say "private property, nothing to do with us"

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EndaHonesty wrote: »

The arrows are from the Dell hayday and change of shift was mayhem in and out of Raheen.

They're very faded now too so whoever put them there hasn't seen reason to maintain them.

I'm pretty sure the council will say "private property, nothing to do with us"

If it's not the council, it will be estate management. I can access them too, but would like the council to answer or just officially pass the buck first.

Funnily enough the last time I worked there was during Dell's hayday. Twas a right pain to exit.

Cookiemunster

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Interesting. It's the Cork road I used to take.

You may have taken it before the motorway opened, but the Old Cork Road already existed. As EndaHonesty says it's the Kilmallock Road.

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Cookiemunster wrote: »

You may have taken it before the motorway opened, but the Old Cork Road already existed. As EndaHonesty says it's the Kilmallock Road.

Yip, would have been the road I would have taken to North Cork.

EndaHonesty

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Yip, would have been the road I would have taken to North Cork.

It's only old (for you) from Raheen to Patrickswell so the majority of it is still "new".

There was once a time when the main road between Limerick to Cork was the Kilmallock road, the Kilmallock to Charleville road and so on.

There's a lovely section around Kilavullen which was also once the main road and is worth visiting.

I'm from Clare and it always amazes me to think that the back road from Sixmilebridge to Newmarket, passing the Crab Tree pub was once the main route between two major towns...

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EndaHonesty wrote: »

I'm from Clare and it always amazes me to think that the back road from Sixmilebridge to Newmarket, passing the Crab Tree pub was once the main route between two major towns...

Yes, that one jumps out. A lot of the old main roads are shocking compared to modern routes, but a lot less traffic now too.

jaxxx

You know this has been something I've always wondered myself. I very rarely travel that way anyway, as the odd time I do venture into the industrial estate I always come out the Regeneron side. I'm a stickler for roundabouts because I've had so many near misses in my driving history because people do not understand which lane to use, that's why I keep a copy of the RSA guide on roundabouts in my car now just in case so I can show them the 'golden rule' heaven forbid something ever happens.

Anyway this roundabout has always confused me the odd time I've used it because it's very unclear. As has been said, there are very faded painted arrows on each lane for left only and straight/right but they're not easy to see. They really should repaint them and maybe add a sign as well (not sure whether there is a sign or not). More often than not I see people obeying the golden rule rather than those faded directional arrows.

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jaxxx wrote: »

You know this has been something I've always wondered myself. I very rarely travel that way anyway, as the odd time I do venture into the industrial estate I always come out the Regeneron side. I'm a stickler for roundabouts because I've had so many near misses in my driving history because people do not understand which lane to use, that's why I keep a copy of the RSA guide on roundabouts in my car now just in case so I can show them the 'golden rule' heaven forbid something ever happens.

Anyway this roundabout has always confused me the odd time I've used it because it's very unclear. As has been said, there are very faded painted arrows on each lane for left only and straight/right but they're not easy to see. They really should repaint them and maybe add a sign as well (not sure whether there is a sign or not). More often than not I see people obeying the golden rule rather than those faded directional arrows.

Agreed, and as said above the faded signs are probably misguided (literally) and couldn't be relied upon if there was an accident.

Watch this space... or rather the road

Berty

I'd say traffic management dictacted which road you use leaving rather than the council who operate the roundabout.

Current situation is incorrect but replicated in many places Nationwide. Traffic is also not bad enough to even justify this need for the right lane to be the 2nd exit either.

Seems to be like when the 2nd exit is busy people were struggling to get out of the estate as those on the dooradoyle road outbound had right of way causing all those wanting to take the 1st exit to get delayed and also causing another suprising , but not all surprising, causative effect. People broke the chain at the back of Casey's and drove through the car park to get onto the Cork road outbound.

Estate management love throwing up new Lanes, directions, ramps and cones. Yet they can't fix the myriad of pot holes around the back of regeneron by Dell where the front park and the rear park meet.

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Berty wrote: »

I'd say traffic management dictacted which road you use leaving rather than the council who operate the roundabout.

Current situation is incorrect but replicated in many places Nationwide. Traffic is also not bad enough to even justify this need for the right lane to be the 2nd exit either.

Seems to be like when the 2nd exit is busy people were struggling to get out of the estate as those on the dooradoyle road outbound had right of way causing all those wanting to take the 1st exit to get delayed and also causing another suprising , but not all surprising, causative effect.

That makes sense.

Drove through Casey's ! :eek: :pac:

juneg

Can anybody link the roundabout golden rule on here please? Quinn's cross roundabout is another one that seems to be based on survival of the fittest....any opinions on navigating that one? It's hard to follow the rules when you're being practically forced off the road

johnnyryan89

juneg wrote: »

Can anybody link the roundabout golden rule on here please? Quinn's cross roundabout is another one that seems to be based on survival of the fittest....any opinions on navigating that one? It's hard to follow the rules when you're being practically forced off the road

LIT roundabout is another one, constantly see people using the wrong lanes.

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johnnyryan89 wrote: »

LIT roundabout is another one, constantly see people using the wrong lanes.

Yeah, that's another I noticed, but thought people had got better at taking the 3rrd exit of late.

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juneg wrote: »

Can anybody link the roundabout golden rule on here please? Quinn's cross roundabout is another one that seems to be based on survival of the fittest....any opinions on navigating that one? It's hard to follow the rules when you're being practically forced off the road

Give a look at this...

http://www.drivingschoolireland.com/roundabouts.html

pajoguy

Do people know its whats on the approach sign that matters when determining whether an exit is past 12. I come across a situation every evening on way home from work. I take the 3rd exit off a roundabout on the dooradoyle interchange but on the advance sign its 12 o clock. I stay in the left lane. The 4th exit is the road that I have approached on which in essence is doing a u turn. I think the sign should be changed as the inner lane is technically only for people doing a u-turn which is surely less than 1% of the traffic

Berty

I asked the NRA years ago about lane positioning because Castlebar town council told me to feck off after somebody crashed into me on their roundabout(s). There was no logic to the position of using ANY roundabout in Castlebar(since fixed). Left lane was for Exit 1 only. I had asked both of them what the no mans land of tarmac between exit 1 and 2 was even there for if not to be used to traverse the roundabout.

The NRA said something along the lines of. This was 11 years ago so no copy and paste: The local councils determine the road positioning not the NRA so follow local directions by arrows or signposts. Basically the council can paint what they want even if it's wrong.

Confusion was I have driven 75k kms every year for god knows how many years and it's only ever been that bad in County Mayo with their oddly laid out roundabouts which, I said, had now matched the other 25 counties.

Avatar MIA

Response so far from Lim Co. Council.

I wish to acknowledge receipt of your email re: Road markings/Roundabout leading onto R526 (from Raheen Business Park).

I have forwarded same to our Operations Department and the Traffic Team for their attention who will revert to you directly.

Berty

Give them a thrashing over the Dublin road outbound if you get a reply from a real person.

Right lane should lead to left and not left to right. Simple arrow and white line re-painting job.

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Berty wrote: »

Right lane should lead to left and not left to right. Simple arrow and white line re-painting job.

Is that one out by the Parkway or the rather large one out by the motorway?

Berty

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Is that one out by the Parkway or the rather large one out by the motorway?

Sorry. It's the filter Lanes approaching the roundabout, as though you're heading towards Finnegan's from the city. Merging the wrong way right now.

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Berty wrote: »

Sorry. It's the filter Lanes approaching the roundabout, as though you're heading towards Finnegan's from the city. Merging the wrong way right now.

My fault, got you now.

jaxxx

pajoguy wrote: »

Do people know its whats on the approach sign that matters when determining whether an exit is past 12. I come across a situation every evening on way home from work. I take the 3rd exit off a roundabout on the dooradoyle interchange but on the advance sign its 12 o clock. I stay in the left lane. The 4th exit is the road that I have approached on which in essence is doing a u turn. I think the sign should be changed as the inner lane is technically only for people doing a u-turn which is surely less than 1% of the traffic

That roundabout has been the bane of my entire existence for 10 years because of exactly what you just said. It is 100% correct to use the left hand lane for all first 3 exits because as you say that's what's indicated on the sign (all exits between 6 and 12 o'clock). Every time I use that roundabout I always take extreme vigilance because a good 70% of people will take the right hand lane to go straight ahead (based on my own near misses over the years). And yet the right land lane is essentially for sweet f*** all. I 100% agree with you that it should be altered so that the right hand lane is for the 12 o'clock exit only, with the left lane only for Rosbrien road and the M20 city bound. Why that is not the case is beyond baffling. Whoever's been in charge of Limerick roads and signage over the years should be taken out and... shouted at...

juneg

There's just too much traffic on the quinns cross roundabout. It's a nightmare. I should be in the right lane, then all the people in the left lane are giving me dirty looks for driving up what seems to be there inside

santino

jaxxx wrote: »

That roundabout has been the bane of my entire existence for 10 years because of exactly what you just said. It is 100% correct to use the left hand lane for all first 3 exits because as you say that's what's indicated on the sign (all exits between 6 and 12 o'clock). Every time I use that roundabout I always take extreme vigilance because a good 70% of people will take the right hand lane to go straight ahead (based on my own near misses over the years). And yet the right land lane is essentially for sweet f*** all. I 100% agree with you that it should be altered so that the right hand lane is for the 12 o'clock exit only, with the left lane only for Rosbrien road and the M20 city bound. Why that is not the case is beyond baffling. Whoever's been in charge of Limerick roads and signage over the years should be taken out and... shouted at...

I couldn't agree with you more about the confusion at this roundabout.

When I first started driving I always took the left-hand lane when taking the 3rd exit but over time (and with gentle encouragement from friends) I'll admit that I became one of those drivers that took the right-hand lane. The debate seemed to be that looking at the roundabout as a clock, anything before 12 or at 12 is the left lane (if there are only two lanes on that part of the roundabout). After that it's the right lane.

*runs off to re-read rules of the road

jaxxx

santino wrote: »

I couldn't agree with you more about the confusion at this roundabout.

When I first started driving I always took the left-hand lane when taking the 3rd exit but over time (and with gentle encouragement from friends) I'll admit that I became one of those drivers that took the right-hand lane. The debate seemed to be that looking at the roundabout as a clock, anything before 12 or at 12 is the left lane (if there are only two lanes on that part of the roundabout). After that it's the right lane.

*runs off to re-read rules of the road

You have to go by what it says on the sign at the end of the day, and the sign has the exit as at 12 o'clock. Looking at it in reality, it's more 1 o'clock alright but the sign says directly 12 Why they don't make it so the right hand lane is for that exit only and the left lane for going down to Rosbrien and for joining the motorway city bound is BEYOND me. It would help traffic flow a lot. But you know, this is 2018 and city/county councils we're talking about, how dare I mention any sort of logic or common sense to approaching these kinda things.

*sigh*

While on the subject and very near the actual physical location, you know the roundabout leading into Raheen Industrial Estate as you come off the motorway? The entrance into the lane is huge but there's only a single lane marked. How do you guys/gals approach it, do ye treat it as double or single lane, particularly if you're going straight ahead to the other roundabout and there's a car just in front of you going into the estate?

Speaking of that second roundabout actually, I remember I was driving home from school one day (coming from Raheen side) during my leaving cert. I was going straight to Patrickswell and noticed the car in front of me was actually one of the people who oversaw the exams that day. You can only go left or straight, and he took the right hand lane and... you guessed it. Went my way. Beeped the sh*t out of him.