Really seems better than driving there these days. Remembering with a rosy glow hurtling quite slowly about there in my favourite aunt's exquisite little 1948 side-valve Morris Minor, a car that remained good well into the sixties, and with something of a shudder hurtling far too fast with a carload of cousins in a Ford Corsair belonging to a company I used to work for in the sixties, in all the miles between Killiney and Dublin airport you are damn lucky these days to reach 30 or 40 mph more than once or twice. Hardly a vehicle in sight under five years old, but congestion to make a Londoner blench. Driving back to the airport from Killiney on Friday evening with two charming second cousins once removed in their hire car, they showed how to reduce the journey time - for about 20 miles in all - from two and a half hours to one and a quarter: pay to cross the toll bridge and go through the very long new toll tunnel, at a total toll cost of ten or twelve quid. There's no fast ring road inland to the west a la M25.
The rapidly expanding euro still seems less than a quid, but even so Ireland these days is hugely expensive. There is talk of extending one of the two partial urban rail systems to the airport. It's a matter of some urgency I would say.
Oh, and by the way, petrol is about 1 euro 19, so cheaper than here. Needs to be.
Edited by Lud on 19/01/2008 at 18:12
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I read your article with amusement. You are right the traffic and all it's hold ups around Dublin is absolutely appalling. I live there so I know. The other day I had an awful time on the M50 from near the airport ( I live south side). I did a return trip up and back from Northern Ireland ( over 200 miles) and I had to fight it out on the M50 !!!!! It is being rebuilt with extra lanes; but there is terrible conjestion.
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I never bother driving round Dublin nowadays. Relative at Malahide, so only chance of driving round there and remaining sane is to keep well out of Dub. If we need to go further than Howth or Portmarnock we taxi or train. Its better by Dart.
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Hi Lud
I've just started a new job working on the Holyhead ferries we seem to take a lot more cars over there than come back here, so eventualy i think Ireland will become car locked!
Took out about 100 new beemers & new minis & mini clubmans last week as cargo last week
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Hi mm. Bit closer to home now, my guess is pretty good from your point of view apart from the weather and big perks down there in the desert...
This last time I flew to Dublin, but the time before went over on the Liverpool ferry with a friend who is Irish so always takes his car... If I ever go with him again I might try to persuade him to take the Holyhead route. A drink would be nice. Don't hold yr breath though.
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What really bugs me about driving in Dublin is the signage - it's hopeless trying to find your way out of the city and downright dangerous trying to get on to the M50 and be sure you're going in the right direction. The congestion chaos is exacerbated by the Tolls where again signage lets you down if you're not familar with the specified lanes at peak times. Must be a nightmare for tourists/visitors hiring cars to get around the city.
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Galad.
I get absolutely driven mad by rush hour traffic in and around Dublin. I think in time things will be a great deal better. They are spending a fortune trying to fix up the road system. Of course they should have made the M50 three lanes each side instead of the two lanes each side.Now all the chaos trying to change it. You have an excellent road going out west past Kildare etc and now you can go all the way to Newry at 120 KPH until you meet the mph signs just before Newry and then it's 70 mph. They are making extra railways tramways etc etc. Things are expensive though.
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chaos is exacerbated by the Tolls where again signage lets you down if you're not familar
I noticed that too. Even my cousin, a Dublin man born and partly bred, kept changing lanes at what seemed to be random. But everyone else was doing it too.
I can say in confirmation of yr complaint that I was very happy not to be driving myself.
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