IRL: M50 updates

[bothar]

The NRA don't and never have billed 'the user', its only the registered owner they care about / will bill.

Which has always been the case for the likes of parking tickets, the bill goes to the registered owner of the vehicle. There is no particular complication with this.

[Robbo]

Apparently Northern Ireland motorists have racked up 2.2 million unpaid tolls for the M50 at a total of €5m! An agreement was signed recently allowing tolls to be enforced across the border. The NRA says it is now "writing" to all these people with warnings. I wonder whether they really will go down the road of enforcement?

I would guess that the majority of the non payers from NI are occasional users of the M50 who maybe haven't a convenient method of payment.

In my case I am a bit more than occasional but not frequent have no credit cards and my debit card isn't accepted by eFlow. When travelling south I usually go through the toll and pay at the first Payzone I come across.

Travelling north is a different story... Generally I'll be heading home and the Motorway goes all the way to the border. Its quicker to avoid the toll section and stay on the M1 all the way than race through the M50 toll section and then have to detour off the M1 to try and find a Payzone. Although I have to admit that on occasions when I am in a hurry I'll risk it and skip the toll so maybe I'm due for a letter from eFlow soon but even if I do I don't know how I'll pay cos they probably still won't accept my debit card.

On my latest trip I had hoped that the new M1 Services would have some way to pay the toll... They do... A computer terminal where they expect you to enter your card details in open view of everyone in the building

When all is said and done the number of non payers for any group will be proportional to how easy they find it to make a payment.

Robbo

[bothar]

I fully agree that paying tolls should be as easy as possible. In the case of the M50 why can you not just send a SMS to a premium rate number with your car reg? Everyone has a phone pretty much. In the case of the M1 I don't know why the were not required to accept Sterling even at a 10% service charge or whatever and they should be required to take all known cards on a similar basis.

The new service stations should help, I'd complain about the machines if you feel there is a privacy issue.

[bothar]

from Independent newspapers



RUSH-HOUR motorists experienced long delays on one of the busiest routes in the country yesterday after a truck overturned and shed its load of grain onto a motorway.

There was significant disruption to traffic lasting several hours after the lorry toppled onto its side on the overpass above the M50 at the busy Junction 9 Red Cow interchange shortly after 2pm.

Lengthy tailbacks soon built up after the truck's cargo of grain poured out onto the the motorway below, blocking two southbound lanes. The delays worsened as passing motorists slowed down to take a look at the drama.

The accident forced the closure of the off-ramp from the M50 southbound onto the N7 Naas Road, while southbound traffic on the motorway was reduced to one lane as engineering and clean-up crews worked to clear the junction.

South Dublin County Council deployed two 'gulley sucker' vehicles to hoover up the spilt grain. Although all lanes had been re-opened by 7pm, delays remained while a crane was used to right the overturned truck and remove it from the scene

[nowster]

This is going to happen a lot, given the tight curves on these new junctions.

[Bryn666]

Streetview suggests there are advisory 30km/h speed limits on some of the bends.

I suggest the problem is **** poor driving, as usual.

[Truvelo]

Poor driving may have been a factor but you can't squeeze a quart into a pint when it comes to space. I'm all for replacing roundabouts with freeflows but having slip roads with minimal radii was always going to invite this sort of incident which I'm surprised didn't occur sooner.

Another thing I saw on GSV was the graffiti on the central bridge supports. Either the vandals abseiled down from the slip road or they crossed the M50.

[Gav]

**** driving

or

driving ****....

who knows

[novaecosse]

**** driving

or

driving ****....

who knows

Bulk Tippers loaded with Grain are notorious. I've had to clear up after a few in my time

[bothar]

However the point where he tipped over does not have a severe radius, unless he became destabilised early and this was the end of the process.

The slip roads aren't ideal, but roads all over Europe have similar design and work well enough.

[IrlRon]

Streetview suggests there are advisory 30km/h speed limits on some of the bends.

I suggest the problem is **** poor driving, as usual.

Given the scary amount of people in this country that regard speed limits as a target to be reached (and then exceeded), an advisory limit that they can actually ignore is likely to be, well, ignored...

Speed camaras are as usual the answer, but in my experience those drivers with the above attitude tend to get adept at last minute high-speed breaking and then accelerating again when the feel they are out of range of the said camara. How accidents have not been caused because of this, I don't know.

[odlum]

Just want to confirm that the adding of an extra lane each direction will begin on the M1 between junctions 3 and 4 next week.

[dantheman]

Just want to confirm that the adding of an extra lane each direction will begin on the M1 between junctions 3 and 4 next week.

Is it not J2 & J3? Badly needed at any rate

[odlum]

Yes, sorry, you are correct.

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Files/Roads/M1 ... ge%201.pdf


http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Files/Roads/M1 ... ge%202.pdf

[loch_cuan73]

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Files/Roads/M1 ... ge%202.pdf

Looks like the lane gain southwards happens just before the southbound lane merge at j3. A bit of futureproofing?

[csd]

I really must get down there soon - the last time I was there was a couple of years ago and it was a mess. It must feel really metropolitan now that it's fully freeflow.

To save you (and everyone else!) the trouble, I've uploaded a bunch of pics and posted them to SSC chronicling the trip from the border to half-way around the M50.

See here.

/csd

[odlum]

Thanks csd. Great pics. M1 ones south of Drynham probrably already out of date as construction started to widen the motorway here today!

[nirs]

I really must get down there soon - the last time I was there was a couple of years ago and it was a mess. It must feel really metropolitan now that it's fully freeflow.

To save you (and everyone else!) the trouble, I've uploaded a bunch of pics and posted them to SSC chronicling the trip from the border to half-way around the M50.

See here.

/csd

Thanks - nice selection of pics there, esp of the completed M50!

[csd]

Folks,

More pics, between J9 and the southern terminus (and south on to the M11) are available on Skyscraper City.

/csd

[Bryn666]

Stunning pics, those. Ireland looks amazing with snow