heavier traffic

Matfinn

Everyday I drive to work from Sutton in Dublin to Citywest along the M50. In the summer and in September it usually took me an hour each way, but last week It would take me about an hour and 20 mins to get in in the mornings and today it took me an hour and a half to get home. Im new to commuting in a car on the M50. Ive been doing it since July. I leave Sutton at 6:45 in the morning and I leave work in the afternoon at 4. I have a few questions.

Will the traffic get worse as the winter wears its way in ?

People tell me the traffic is worse because the kids are back to school, but would being on the motorway at 7 still mean we're being affected by this ? Kids go to school at 9 no ?

Seth Brundle

generally traffic is worse in Winter because of schools, weather, nobody on holidays etc.
Im on the roads at 7 and its still bad!

stevenmu

Everyone else leaves earlier to avoid the schools.

5500

Afaik schools are on holiday this week which *shud* mean slightly lighter traffic around 8 - 9

bazz26

Matfinn wrote:

Everyday I drive to work from Sutton in Dublin to Citywest along the M50. In the summer and in September it usually took me an hour each way, but last week It would take me about an hour and 20 mins to get in in the mornings and today it took me an hour and a half to get home. Im new to commuting in a car on the M50. Ive been doing it since July. I leave Sutton at 6:45 in the morning and I leave work in the afternoon at 4. I have a few questions.

Will the traffic get worse as the winter wears its way in ?

People tell me the traffic is worse because the kids are back to school, but would being on the motorway at 7 still mean we're being affected by this ? Kids go to school at 9 no ?

A number of factors to take into account:- the weather conditions this time of year, it is also darker these mornings compared to the Summer months so drivers take a bit more care and drive more slowly. The other factor is the school runs. This is not just happening on the M50 though it is country wide. I halve my time into work during the Summer months compared to Winter time.

commited

I used to drive across the city from Sutton to UCD. 3 years ago, if I left at 8, I'd be in for 9. Then I had to leave at 7.30 and i'd be in for 8.30.. last time I drove in, I left at 8.30 and there was hardly any traffic, resulting in me getting in in about 50 minutes.. The schools have little to no affect on the major roads - it's all commuters.

I commuted to newbridge during the summer two years ago for a couple of weeks, and I found that I had to leave by 7.30 to avoid the M50 traffic. It's obviously got worse. Have you tried leaving even earlier? Perhaps 6.15? Or is this pointless?

ciarsd

commited wrote:

The schools have little to no affect on the major roads - it's all commuters.

...to avoid the M50 traffic. It's obviously got worse.

I definitely dont agree that the schools have little effect on commuting in the mornings.

the M50 gets worse by the day, so much so that it begins to effect the M1/N2/N3/N4/N7 in that they are backed up by 730am

Big Nelly

commited wrote:

The schools have little to no affect on the major roads - it's all commuters.

Wrong answer:D schools are the bain of my life.....during the summer its great because the road are so quiet compared to when the schools are around....to show this I drive into work everyday!! when the schools are open the whole of Blanch more or less backed up!! this is not too bad for me because I know ways to get around traffic but will still get stuck in at least one jam for 10-15 mins on the way in around 7.30-8......this week with schools off there is no jams anywhere on the route I go....go at same time and arrive in work that 10-15 mins earlier!! its heven!! this isnt too bad for me because I live quite close to work but if it puts on 10-15min on my journey God help people on a longer commute!!

Problem with schools as I have mentioned on here before is you have all these moms going around in there stupid oversized SUV with one kid in the back....they cant even see the kid in the back of the SUV because it is so big:D anyway this is what blocks up the traffic!! apart from the fact alot of them are not the best drivers....when they get to the school they will plank there SUV where ever they feel like and just block up the whole traffic and they dont give a damn!! example......go to Coolmine in morning and around 3.30-4 and the whole place will be back up while mammy collects wee Jonny!!

saobh_ie

I remember on the rare occasion when I was been driven to school... mid 90s ... half the kids on the street would be piled into the car, an opel corser. We always let the fat kid get in the front of who evers car we were in. While six of us of various ages got in the back sitting on each other. Four across with the two tiny lads on the knees.

Most of the cars arriving at the school were the same, kids pressed up tightly against every window including sun roofs on the rare cars that had them.

On the motorbike now my commute starts later and later and takes less and less time as I improve my knowledge of the lights, likley traffic movements and tweak departure time by a minute or two in eithier direction etc...

Passing the school, which hasn't gotten any bigger since I went there just before letting in the yard is full of kids and the carpark is still full while the moms with jeeps do some offroading... parking up on the kerb both sides of the school for about a hundred meters.

There's kids who get lifts to the school... who live where the late moms park to drop thier kids to school. It's a joke. And they're all blind too. They don't see me when every kid within ear shot is looking at me. Quarter tonne of bike with lights and me looking like a piece of radioactive waist with my high vis.

Not concerned for myself, I'm well able to avoid them in those circumstances its the kids I'm worried about. The little feckers are always running out from behind the cars.

But yeah, commute is longer now because the sun is in my eyes in the morning and its dark in the evening. Everyone slows down when they can't see or when it gets dark while raining.