Motorway lay-bys to be closed to private motorists

[Des Pondent]

There is no problem with people standing around on these lay by's . If they are on the lay by how is this dangerous ?

Because if any of the trucks or cars travelling at high speed lose control for whatever reason, they could plough into the parked cars, or people standing in the lay-by. You are literally a few metres away from the very fast moving traffic with no barriers or any other type of protection.

 

[Salvadore]

It is illegal to stop on a motorway because it is dangerous to do so. I find it frightening to see cars let alone people standing around these lay-bys when there are no barriers to protect and, the only thing between you and lane 1 of the motorway where cars and heavy trucks are travelling at speed is a standard kerb and a hard shoulder.

I am amazed they were ever allowed.

I’d agree.

There’s minimal protection from the high speed moving traffic nearby. Many drivers don’t know how to approach them or leave them. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a related serious incident and think it’s only a matter of time before there is one.

I’m not sure what purpose they really serve anyway. It’s not even possible to take a toilet break or get a coffee. If anyone is that desperate for a break, why not exit the motorway and park safely somewhere else?

 

[joer]

Because if any of the trucks or cars travelling at high speed lose control for whatever reason, they could plough into the parked cars, or people standing in the lay-by. You are literally a few metres away from the very fast moving traffic with no barriers or any other type of protection.

But if a truck loses control on the motorway the likelihood of it happening at this particular spot is unlikely and I'd be more worried for the other traffic on the motorway.
If that same lorry driver loses control because of lack of sleep people like yourself would be crying out for lay by's .
I still think they are a great idea.

 

[S class]

They've been very useful if you've had to stop with a kid for a potty break or to let the dog out (on a lead I might add) to do her business.

You will still be allowed to use the lay-by for emergency use.
When a child or animal needs to go, it's always an emergency.

 

[Purple]

I've been driving around the country on my own and with dogs and kids for the last 25 years and I've never stopped in a lay-by.

 

[joer]

I've been driving around the country on my own and with dogs and kids for the last 25 years and I've never stopped in a lay-by.

I have never stopped at a lay-by either but I do agree with the idea of them .

 

[Brendan Burgess]

I've been driving around the country on my own and with dogs and kids for the last 25 years

You must be very tired by now!

 

[Purple]

You must be very tired by now!

That I am.

 

[Leo]

No slip roads to or from the lay-bys on the M8, just the hard shoulder.

Any of the ones I've looked at on maps have a merging lane that is 200+m long. That is more than sufficient for most traffic to get up to speed but I also observe issue you note of people racing to join the motorway as soon as possible at the start of hatched line, but that's not exclusive to lay-bys, you see if at the junctions all the time too. Slow moving traffic joining and then getting up to speed rather than use the merging lane as they should.

 

[Des Pondent]

I think there are 4 lay-bys in each direction on the M8, they are all much the same in layout. The screenshot from google maps is the lay-by between J6 and J7 south. From leaving the parking area the screenshot shows you only have at best 70 metres before the merging lane becomes too narrow and you have to start moving into lane 1 on the motorway.

In my opinion 70 metres is way too short to observe what traffic is coming, get up to speed and merge safely onto the motorway where traffic can be travelling at 120 Kph.

Where are the lay-bys with the 200+ metre merging lanes ?

 

[RichInSpirit]

Whatever chance a passenger car has of quickly getting up to 120kmph a heavy goods vehicle is going to take an awful lot longer.
The onus had always been in Ireland for the traffic coming from behind to not crash into the traffic in front of it.
Indeed a lot of modern cars will even apply the brakes for you if you come too close to the vehicle in front of you.
Alternatively you can change lanes so as not to crash into the vehicle in front of you.

 

[S class]

Whatever chance a passenger car has of quickly getting up to 120kmph a heavy goods vehicle is going to take an awful lot long

No vehicle is obliged to accelerate to 120 kmph to enter a motorway. 120 kmph is the maximum speed limit, not the minimum speed limit.

 

[Leo]

From leaving the parking area the screenshot shows you only have at best 70 metres before the merging lane becomes too narrow and you have to start moving into lane 1 on the motorway.

It's a little longer as you haven't taken in the full extent of the merging lane there.

Regardless, traffic leaving one of these to join the motorway must yield to traffic already on the motorway. Slow moving trucks should wait until there is a gap in traffic before exiting the lay by and accelerating up to speed. There's good sight lines back along the motorway there, so no excuse.

 

[T McGibney]

It's all getting very LiveLine around here. This week, we're all highway engineers.

 

[joer]

It's all getting very LiveLine around here. This week, we're all highway engineers.

And next week the subject could be contraceptives for seagulls....but that's for another day and another forum .....

 

[Bronte]

In my opinion 70 metres is way too short to observe what traffic is coming, get up to speed and merge safely onto the motorway where traffic can be travelling at 120 Kph.

Where are the lay-bys with the 200+ metre merging lanes ?

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but shouldn't the traffic in the lane move out into the other lane to accommodate the driver coming in from the lay by?

I love the M50, or the M? joining it . My record is passing 14 cars in the slow lane as everyone was in the middle lane or fast lane.

 

[joer]

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but shouldn't the traffic in the lane move out into the other lane to accommodate the driver coming in from the lay by?

I love the M50, or the M? joining it . My record is passing 14 cars in the slow lane as everyone was in the middle lane or fast lane.

It's not by any means a stupid question.
Most drivers do move to the middle lane to allow traffic to enter on to the motorway, apart for the usual suspects .
If people thought that 70 metres was too short for exiting the lay- by they wouldn't be using it ......

 

[Leo]

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but shouldn't the traffic in the lane move out into the other lane to accommodate the driver coming in from the lay by?

By the letter of the law no, you must stay in the left lane unless overtaking a vehicle in front of you already in that lane.

The law states you must not enter a laneway if to do so would impede a vehicle already in that lane. Forcing them to slow is impeding so the expectation is you accelerate up to match or exceed their speed before they approach, or you wait until they pass before joining the lane.

Now, is it a sensible and accommodating thing to do, in many cases yes, but so often here you see people going from lane 1 to lane 2 at the hint of another can joining and forcing traffic in lane 2 to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.

 

[Fortune]

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but shouldn't the traffic in the lane move out into the other lane to accommodate the driver coming in from the lay by?

I love the M50, or the M? joining it . My record is passing 14 cars in the slow lane as everyone was in the middle lane or fast lane.

Traffic shouldn't move to accommodate vehicles nit on the motorway.

What are these slow and fast lanes?

 

[Bronte]

By the letter of the law no, you must stay in the left lane unless overtaking a vehicle in front of you already in that lane.

The law states you must not enter a laneway if to do so would impede a vehicle already in that lane. Forcing them to slow is impeding so the expectation is you accelerate up to match or exceed their speed before they approach, or you wait until they pass before joining the lane.

Now, is it a sensible and accommodating thing to do, in many cases yes, but so often here you see people going from lane 1 to lane 2 at the hint of another can joining and forcing traffic in lane 2 to hit the brakes to avoid a collision.

Didn't know that. Here on the continent drivers always move out for the oncoming traffic it keeps everything moving smartly. Clearly you don't move if there is someone in the fast lane. I can't remember if it was the same in America when I was driving there last year.