Main roads in Ireland

[james01]

I'm researching a possible tour in Ireland. This is a Google streetview shot of the N59 near Galway showing what appears to be a generous marked lane for cycles and slow traffic. Is that what it's for? Is this typical of rural main roads in Ireland?

[cjs]

A lot of main roads in the south have 'margins' as shown in your pic - Yes they are used by slow traffic and bikes but be warned 'slow' is open to interpretation.... Most main roads are very busy especially the N's (A's in the North) - there is a wealth of small roads about with little traffic - personally these are so much more enjoyable... In the North, 'margins' as such are not used, same as the rest of the UK.... NCR in the north are mostly a good.... extremely quite away from the coast...

Hope this helps...

[Geriatrix]

In Ireland the hard shoulder is demarcated by a dashed yellow line (as shown in your photo). Hard shoulders don't have a good safety record. The hard shoulder is meant to be kept clear for emergency vehicles but slow moving vehicles have a bad habit of easing into it to allow faster traffic past and then slam into some poor sod who has stopped to change a tyre beyond a blind bend.

[Neil Mc Ivor]

Also watch out for the margins ending in a wall, or the presence of road signs, electricity or telephone poles.

[bikepacker]

I found on my last year's Ireland tour the roads to be far busy than I expected. I don't know how or when the photo was taken but I found the roads around Galway to be extremely busy with motorists having little or no consideration for cyclists. Within 20 miles of Galway I was forced off the road by a coach and put into a ditch by a lorry.

[gordy]

As above. I found Ireland's roads to have a wide range of surface conditions (from granite kitchen worktop to moon craters) and have a huge variety of traffic conditions (from chaotic to zero) - it is too hard to generalise, IMHO. I did a whole coastal circuit, but don't recall ever riding on a road with shoulder lanes as in the OP's photo. There are small lanes everywhere and it is easy to turn off and meander whenever you want.


It's a great place in which to tour.

[Walden]

I did a tour in Ireland, from Shannon down to Dingle, then across to Killarney. I don't remember the roads being a problem.

I also did Gallway to Connemera, this section was my favorite, beautiful and quiet roads.

[bikepacker]

This was recommended to me by the Garda as the quiet road out of Galway. Picture taken just after I climbed out of a ditch having been force into it by a lorry.

[tyred]

There are some serious issues with nut case drivers on Irish roads, it can be a problem no matter what mode of transport you are using.

Personally, I would not cycle on the hard shoulder of a National Primary route like the one pictured. I would be reluctant to cycle on any N road where I could possibly avoid it. At least the one in the picture does have an escape route if necessary. Many N roads, especially if you stray away from the normal main routes between large towns are often narrow, busy and lined with stone walls, hawthorn hedges, have many blind bends with cars flying around them at 60 or 70 mph.

The good thing about Ireland is that we have, I believe, more road miles per head of population than anywhere else in Europe. Seek out the little travelled roads, they will be marked as L xxxxx. You may still get the odd nutcase but you could cycle for miles on end without seeing anyone on a lot of these roads. It's true that many are poorly surfaced but stick on a nice wide set of tough tyres, slow down and enjoy the scenery.

Roads marked with an R are Regional routes and most should be okay although a few can be very busy as well. You could get a decent idea in advance by looking at your map - if two largish towns are linked only by a Regional route, it will probably be fast and busy. If there are faster alternatives, the majority of the traffic will be on that instead.

[jezer]

I have only toured in Southern Ireland once, a few years ago, and I was advised that the inner lanes were for motorists to pull over so that faster vehicles could pass. I would not wish to go there again, the weather was dreadful and the standard of driving worse. I will stick to France, with a bit more sun and more awareness of cyclists

[Mr. Viking]

In my experience it is very dependent on location. A lot of rural areas the traffic moves slowly anyway. Traffic laws are very lax, however, and there are a lot of very inconsiderate drivers about.

The lanes marked to the side of main roads are for slower moving traffic to pull into, and are typical, but not ubiquitous. Also, many drivers will swerve through them on fast corners, or if they are avoiding traffic in the other direction, though that is probably apparent. Ireland has a very low population density, and there are areas where you can travel for quite a time without seeing another road user, especially on country roads. Because of this, however, you do get some drivers going mad and driving as though they are on a rally stage (which some of the roads may be at times) I have never had any encounters with the gardai, so I can't comment on their presence.

Main roads are typically better paved than ours, but rural roads are just as bad, and in places worse. I have done some lovely cycling around the border between Fermanagh and Donegal, where there are picturesque hills, there is little traffic on many of the roads (though some will be very busy with holiday commuters) and lots of pleasant little villages. Also if you are in any of the tourist areas like parts of Kerry, beware for tourist gimmicks such as leprechaun crossings and donkeys on the road

[Dynamite_funk]

Well I had a splendid time in Ireland! I bought a return through ticket from Leeds and caught the ferry from Hollyhead to Dublin (VERY cheap and worth calling the ferry company for!) and then caught a train to Limerick (15 euros if you do it online, even if it's only the day before. In station it is very expenisve. Just use a smart phone or internet cafe). Had no problem with my bike on the train.

From limerick I headed along the southern bank of the Shannon to Loop head and stayed there. I then caught a ferry across the Shannon whislt observing bottle nosed dolphins and wiggled my way up the west coast seeing the cliffs of moher on to Galway and eventually ending up in Westport via Clifden which is an absolutely beautiful town. I then caught the train back to Dublin and ferry/train home.

I found the roads fine on 32mm tyres and I specifically took the quieter ones. The people were exceptionally friendly and my encounters included two old ladies who drove me 15 miles to a bike shop to buy a new tyre then returned me to my bicycle which was being looked after by the lifeboat station!

Yes the weather can be terrible, but when the weather is good it's stunning. To me it felt like this country must have been like 30/40 years ago

p.s. One thing I would take if I went again would be a bamboo cane to hit on the snout any dog that tried to get me. I was chased three times but they couldnt quite get me so no harm done

[Neil Mc Ivor]

...... Main roads are typically better paved than ours, but rural roads are just as bad, and in places worse. .....

Side road off N56 between about 5km west of Gortahork Donegal.

[gordy]

I had a fabulous time in Ireland and I'll go back for more cycle touring as soon as I get the chance. The roads and traffic are fine. The people and the scenery are wonderful.

[Dynamite_funk]

I had a fabulous time in Ireland and I'll go back for more cycle touring as soon as I get the chance. The roads and traffic are fine. The people and the scenery are wonderful.

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