Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland

MDTyKe · Post by **MDTyKe** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 20:34

Hey guys,

Newbie here, traveling reguarly in both NI and ROI. I have a few questions, or comments, which I may as well post.

1) The new cross-border road A1/N1 - what will its likely speed limits be?

2) Is there going to be a toll on the road?

3) Is there any special 'border' designation, such as a peace bridge or monument planned?

I often wonder what tourists think when they cross the narrow road that we have at the moment. I'd love to see some kind of monument over the road that borders the two countries; one of those arty wavy-hand ones or something to signal peace.

At the moment there's a big sign saying 'Welcome to Louth', and a poky *tiny* sign saying 'Welcome to Newry & Mourne' on the Northern side. However, the Northern one bugs me because BEFORE the 'Welcome to..' sign you have a large 'Speed Camera - Average Speed' sign followed by intrusive yellow cameras. Then, once they read your plate, they greet you with a small sign, obstructed by branches.

Anyway, thanks!

Matt

murphaph · Post by **murphaph** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 20:43

MDTyKe wrote:Hey guys

Hey there Matt, good to have yet another contributor from the island!

MDTyKe wrote:1) The new cross-border road A1/N1 - what will its likely speed limits be?

Bound to be 70mph in NI and likely to be 120km/h in the south.

MDTyKe wrote:2) Is there going to be a toll on the road?

No.

MDTyKe wrote:3) Is there any special 'border' designation, such as a peace bridge or monument planned?

Not to my knowledge. The powers that be seem more in favour of 'hiding' the border nowadays.

MDTyKe · Post by **MDTyKe** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 20:55

Hello!

Indeed it is; suprised how many Irish there are. I'm a massive aviation fan too - they reguarly have 'meetings' in places around Ireland so they can hang out and put a face to the people on the forums! (Don't go to them.. more of a lurker on the boards!)

Anyway, that's a shame about the border. I'd love to see something nice on it. I go to Dundalk every day, but I used to commute (by train *GASP*) - the Enterprise to Dublin every day for a while. It was awful - first day at work and a bomb scare closed the line. Great start!

And will NI have 70mph as it's officially a Dual Carraigeway? That's more of why I was asking - I know ROI has passed bye-laws for HQDCs to have 120kph, but I didn't know NI had done the same.

IMO they should just call it a Motorway, and then the whole M1 thing both sides of the border might actually make sense!

Matt

PeterA5145 · Post by **PeterA5145** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 20:58

MDTyKe wrote:And will NI have 70mph as it's officially a Dual Carraigeway? That's more of why I was asking - I know ROI has passed bye-laws for HQDCs to have 120kph, but I didn't know NI had done the same.

Surely if the section in NI is a dual carriageway it will have a 70 mph limit by default, as that is the UK national limit for dual carriageways. It doesn't need any kind of special legislation.

MDTyKe · Post by **MDTyKe** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 21:03

Oh! I thought it was 70 - please ignore that comment!

Matt

MDTyKe · Post by **MDTyKe** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 21:11

On the Irish M1, are there any plans to build Service stops? It's one thing I've always noticed about it - okay, more than noticed. A while ago I had to go to Greystones, County Wicklow.

This involved me travelling down the A1 to the border, across the N1 and onto the M1. At the end of the M1 I went onto the M50, which took me onto the N/M11. Now, the WHOLE WAY there was not ONE place we could pull off for a toilet break, and my body wasn't happy with it!

Could have always pulled in to other towns, but near the M50 the only turnoffs are to other motorways or in to the city, which doesn't allow thanks to that wonderful thing called time!

Matt

murphaph · Post by **murphaph** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 21:28

The NRA have identified a site for an MSA on the M1, not sure where it is though. They have relented on their previously (ridiculous) decision that the RoI didn't need MSAs as the journey times would be so short.

odlum · Post by **odlum** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 21:57

Hi, welcome aboard!

Now I may be wrong but last I heard there are two sites - one at Balbriggan Interchange and the other further north. The Balbriggan one is part of the M1 buisness park.....

www.M1.ie

The second ive no idea

Zoney · Post by **Zoney** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 22:32

murphaph wrote:The NRA have identified a site for an MSA on the M1, not sure where it is though. They have relented on their previously (ridiculous) decision that the RoI didn't need MSAs as the journey times would be so short.

Well - the idea was more that people could jolly well just call in to random towns (you know the way there are a mass of abstract symbols on brown signs approaching motorway/DC slip) and let them have the same level of through business as they had before being bypassed.

Of course, this was rather silly as it's all very well having a symbol of a petrol pump; but not very practical to meander around a randomly organised town that may or may not have an open petrol station at a given hour. Besides, the bigger towns were only easy to navigate through before being bypassed because you could follow the tail back of cars (even following signs for Dublin through some towns wasn't foolproof in the past).

In any case, I suspect they've realised that although you lose the through traffic, it's not all bad for business. There are plenty of bypassed towns that are still "bustling" with local traffic now that it can get in to the town easily - without having to say, cross the N7 just to go to the shops (thinking of Portlaoise - although the N80 going through along with local traffic ensures it's still a bit mental at times).

Col2006 · Post by **Col2006** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 22:51

Given that most of the main Border crossings are bridges, will the new N1/A1 facilitate a bridge at the Border? As far as I recall, the Border on the N1/A1 only goes over a small stream or the likes.

For me, you know you're well and truly past the Border when you reach the Carrickdale... who I bet aren't too pleased at the prospect of losing most of their passing trade.

The only thing nearest to a Cross-Border statue currently in place that I'm aware of is those metal mickeys at the A5/A15 roundabout between Strabane and Lifford. I know the N3/A509 crossing at Aghalane, which reopened after the Troubles, was named after Senator George Mitchell, but is there anything over than a plaque to commemorate this?

PowerBook · Post by **PowerBook** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 23:05

Why dont they just put up a standard EU sign saying "Great Britain" or "Republic of Ireland" when you cross the border? On the continent they use these signs on every border. Because basically they are two different countries today and on the maps.
I was just wondering, are any E Routes signposted in the Replubic of Ireland?

PeterA5145 · Post by **PeterA5145** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 23:08

PowerBook wrote:Why dont they just put up a standard EU sign saying "Great Britain" or "Republic of Ireland" when you cross the border? On the continent they use these signs on every border. Because basically they are two different countries today and on the maps.

To be pedantic, Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, but not part of Great Britain.

I suspect a sign saying "Welcome to the UK" would not last long near Newry.

murphaph · Post by **murphaph** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 23:16

PowerBook wrote:I was just wondering, are any E Routes signposted in the Replubic of Ireland?

Nope.

dantheman · Post by **dantheman** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 09:24

PeterA5145 wrote:I suspect a sign saying "Welcome to the UK" would not last long near Newry.

Rights or wrongs, anyone who thinks that a border sign would be welcomed by the SF dominated Newry & Mourne Council needs to wise up. It aint ever going to happen.
Maybe they should put up a sign saying "International Frontier ahead" with Lizzie Windsor waving you goodbye(?) I'd pay someone £100 to try!

There was a man (from Germany I think) who had an obsession with borders, he used to sit at borders worldwide and talk to locals, sus the place out etc. He set up a border hut at carrickcarnon between Dundalk and Newry and sat there for a few days. When the locals found out that he was a border lover, needless to say he was advised that his attention was not welcome.

Located · Post by **Located** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 10:27

If Ireland and the UK joined the Schengen Area then they would be required to put up *Ireland* and *UK* signs, I think. but since the Uk didn't want to enter cos it would loose it's sovernty on border control (but ironically doesn't have complete sovernty cos it share it with Ireland, the Common Travel Area), this doesn't happen. As far as I know Ireland wanted to join but the UK said no and Ireland wanted to keep the free movement around the Border so Ireland is out as long as the UK is out.

They could put them up but they won't last cos most people who live around the border consider themselves Irish, bla bla bla this conversation is getting political soon... I can sence it ......

Zoney · Post by **Zoney** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 11:03

PowerBook wrote:I was just wondering, are any E Routes signposted in the Replubic of Ireland?

Not generally. I have seen one instance of it on the N25 out of Cork (Cork to Rosslare route) where E30 (I think) made its way onto a sign.

csd · Post by **csd** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 11:23

Zoney wrote:
PowerBook wrote:I was just wondering, are any E Routes signposted in the Replubic of Ireland?
Not generally. I have seen one instance of it on the N25 out of Cork (Cork to Rosslare route) where E30 (I think) made its way onto a sign.

I don't suppose you (or anyone) has a photo of this? Do you recall where exactly the sign is? I've never seen it, so would be keen to get a snap of it next time I'm down there.

/csd

MDTyKe · Post by **MDTyKe** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:06

The reason for asking though, is one day while passing I noticed a truck near the site entrance with a big metal bridge. Now, it may have been for railway, but it did intreague (sp) me as to whether it was for the border crossing.

Matt

murphaph · Post by **murphaph** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:19

I'd also be very interested to see a pic of any E signage in Ireland. It is certainly not NRA policy to sign them.

Located · Post by **Located** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:34

Surely it not the NRA but the Department of Transport that decide?
Since they are supposed to have a traffic signs manual!! Maybe it's just missing. Still the 1996 is there, it's only 11 years out of date.

See they have replaced some of the existing M1 and M50 gantrys for the port tunnel, maybe that should be in another post.

SABRE

Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland

Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland

Re: Northern Ireland vs Republic of Ireland