Now I know medians are a necessity on some road, well possibly a little more than just some road, but have you noticed the fad that comes with a sudden discovery in the use of medians? Like the Tamagotche (I hope i spelled this right) virtual pets, once the idea of the median catches on, suddenly everywhere becomes a median potential for a road painting. Now I firmly believe that in order for something to be comprehensively effective, it must first come with all the inbuilt deterrents that enables the initial idea to be successful. Suddenly we find medians in housing estates where the local authority paperwork theories appeared to look logical and feasible, but in reality are only successful once a Garda stands at the end of the road watching for those who dared to cross over into the lines of doom. Medians in the centre of the road give pedestrians a false sense of security. Despite the belief that they help traffic calming, the reality of this belief is blown apart when a car stops , a bus pulls up at a bus stop or a taxi driver decides its dinner time and he pulls up in order to eat, as cars zoom past in yes oh yes the same medians that are supposed to condition motorist to driving one behind the other in safety and courtesy for others. Medians divide up the road in such a way that they indirectly dilute all the advantages that are supposed to be achieved by having the medians on a road in the first place, basically because the majority of road users do not abide by the rules governing the use of the medians once an obstruction is present ahead of them. The vast majority of drivers will overtake a stationery vehicle by going into a median despite the rules governing the use of medians on the road. Drivers will stop, park and inhibit the flow of traffic thereby forcing other drivers to enter the medians in order to pass.In housing estates, young children stand on the medians with a false sense of security that drivers will not stray into the area.
We are told to view medians as islands or raised sections of the road that vehicles are not supposed to enter, but in reality, to a driver a median is a painted section of road that can be driven upon if necessary and therefore open to abuse and violation. Take Tymon North in Tallaght for example where a median stretches the full lenght of the estate, reducing what could be a four lane road to a two lane. On the same road and because of the median, it means that there is not one single stretch of cycle lane on the full lenght of the road. Children come out of school and try to cross the road as drivers overtake other vehicles by using the median to pass the vehicles out. Roads that have two lanes per side suddenly are reduced to a single lane as traffic wishing to turn right or left are suddenly confronted with a median that reduces the road to a single lane thereby restricting the flow of traffic to the right or left by traffic wishing to proceed on the straight. Its absolute madness and a cause of concern for both pedestrians and cyclists who are confronted with an impatient driver who will use the median in order to quicken up the journey.
As in the tragic case of the fire fighters in Bray who lost their lives in the course of their duty, in Ireland nothing is done until someone loses their life and then everybody stands up and says “Something has to be done”. Local authorities go into emergency session for something the knew would eventually happen, but still they hang on in hope, just to save a buck for the next Japanese junket for the lads. . There is a visible overuse of medians, that in reality cannot be effectively policed purely because of the extensive use such, on far too many of our roads. In adding to the problem, local authorities then erect small islands in the center of the roads, in the center of the medians and then expect pedestrians to use these points of crossing that are scattered throughout the network of medians. These island in turn add to the insecurity surrounding the safety and use of the medians by pedestrians and others alike. Similar to road signs, one sign is understandable and noticeable, two is adding to the level of attention paid to each of the signs as three and more means confusion, lack of attention, misjudgement and breach of the rules governing each sign, Medians add to the confusion by inhibiting the smooth flow of traffic thereby causing the potential for an accident and serious injury to either pedestrian, motorist or both. On the Belgard Road traffic is tunnelled into a single lane by white lines on the road that have the potential to be misjudged, unseen and therefore a potential contributor to accidents. In wet or poor visible conditions the same road marking are at best non-existant and at worst a source for concern as traffic in dual lanes are forced to sway from one side of the road to another. It is evidently clear that the use of medians and the layout of road marking on many Irish roads have not been properly assessed in order to meet the safety aspects associated with those roads. In Dublin city we see an increase in the use of medians on the roads, that present to a driver no logical reason as to why that median should be there in the first place. Local authorities lay road marking, the Gardai are compelled to uphold the laws governing the same markings, as the following week the local authorities change the layout of the same markings simply because someone made a complaint, brought it to their attention or the Gardai questioned the sanity in the initial layout of the markings and forced the local authority to change or reconsider their decision. These people are supposed to be professionals,experts in their field but slightly short of two halfpennies making a penny. Its rampant, indecision, bad planning and constant changing of road marking, road signs and speed signs. Today you get a fine for speeding 10KPH over the 50 KPH speed limit and tomorrow the local authority changes the speed limit from 50 KPH to 60KPh because they deemed the existing speed limit as inappropriate for the road concerned. In all of this the Gardai are made to look complete arse holes as local authorities change what they feel is wrong today, to what they feel is right tomorrow. Over the past number of months I have carefully monitored medians in many housing estates throughout Dublin city and have come to the conclusion that they do not work and furthermore contribute to the potential for dangerous driving and a risk to the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
When taking into account the use of medians on dual carriageway’s it can also be seen that on some stretches of our dual carriageway roads(N11 for example) medians directly contribute to severe vehicle breaking and the potential for vehicle pileups where medians force vehicle to converge into a single lane. This problem is magnified ten fold in wet or dull road visibility conditions.
It is now time we started to look at the advantage and disadvantages in the extensive use of medians on our roads. It appears evidently clear that quite a considerable number of motorists view the presence of a median on a road as a handy advantage and means of jumping the long queue of traffic ahead. The purpose of medians on the roads is being constantly challenged by motorists who see a wide open road ahead being reduced to a single lane that inadvertently promotes a tunnel vision image of the road ahead and the hazards that lye beyond their own field of vision.
2 Comments
Medians fall under the same category as solid white lines on mile long stretches of perfectly straight road.
The government realised that a road safety strategy would have to consist of driver training, investment into proper road infrastructure and comprehensive enforcement of the rules by a visible and widespread Garda presence.
Or they can just paint lines and medians all over the roads in the vain hope that somehow we will just all magically behave ourselves despite the absence of a proper licencing system, 2+1 roads, dual carriageways, speedcameras in the appropriate places and roadside checks on drivers.
And they look so pretty and cost so little money!
The Irish excuse for a government is running this country on the cheap (Healthcare anyone?), so expect plenty more medians, solid white lines and laws that make no sense. But don’t worry, without the means to back it up, we can safely ignore the lunacy and carry on with lunatic driving, since the only people who care are some poor sods posting grumpy comments on various websites, while in Leinster House they need a physiotherapist with all the backslapping that’s going on.
Politicians ultimately don’t care how many people die on the roads or hospital trolleys, the only thing they care about is themselves. The only thing that keeps them in office is our votes (OK, who of you jackasses voted for these muppets? Hands up, don’t do that again, you hear me?) and if there was a concerted movement by a pressuregroup that could control thousands of votes we could make them care.
Don’t forget: A politician only has himself in mind, nothing else. it doesn’t matter how honest, concerned or involved he seems with whatever it is he seems to care about. The base assumption must be: He only stands for himself and only by literally blackmailing him (do x,y and z or you’re out!) can he be made to do what we bloody well elected him to do!
Europe has become an exclusive club catering only for government and global business, the people don’t matter, our job is to tick the right box every few years and keep our mouths shut. It’s time we took some of that power back. The governments could be a lot worse (see most of Africa and South America), but they need to be reminded that ultimately the people put them where they are and if we only worked together, instead of pulling in different directions, we could yield some serious power and prod some serious buttock!
Right now they’re only laughing at us. I live in Ennis and can certainly say I will not vote Timmy Dooley or Tony Killeen (not that I ever did) or brake when I see them crossing the street!
John Smith.
It is time that you got off the fence and tell the nation what you think of the Government / Politicians