Parking ticket - for what?

No - the correct answer was d - You shouldn't have been sitting in the right hand lane in the first place
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Very good rainyday and cullenswood!
 
No - the correct answer was d - You shouldn't have been sitting in the right hand lane in the first place

rainy,

Are you a driver? Do you ever drive on the M50? Unless you're out for a sunday morning drive you rarely have the luxury of staying in the left hand lane.
The majority of the time both lanes are pretty much choc-a-bloc. Like it or not that is the way the M50 operates and will always operate because it should have been four lanes and not two in the first place.
Even the gardai recognise this. There are regular patrols of garda cars and vans on the M50 and they too sit in the right hand lane behind other motorists. I've never seen anyone pulled over for sitting in that lane and not just using it as an over-taking lane.
Motorway driving isn't that hard. It's just about a bit of cop on. If it's wet keep your distance. be courteous to people wanting to change lane. Indicate well before you move. You know...basic cop-on stuff.
 
Piggy,

The question on the radio was
You are travelling at 70 mph in the right hand lane of a motorway
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No mention of M50 or anything so I would also say d)

I would also say that even when motorways / dual-carriageways are NOT choc-a-bloc in you get plenty of drivers who think it's okay to hog the overtaking lane. Much more so here, unfortunately, than other countries. We don't have long stretches of motorway in Galway yet, but anytime I'm driving in and around Dublin, esp. on the M4, MOST cars seem to be in the right hand lane usually caused by a couple of drivers at the top of the line of traffic who wont move to the left lane. Breaking the speed limit is of course wrong, but drivers who insist on driving in the overtaking lane are also wrong - cars will end up overtaking on the left lane in frustration...
 
If you don't drive then you cannot possibly start to understand the frustration felt by everyday drivers who witness stupidity and ignorance on our roads on a daily basis.

I didn't say that I can't drive only that I don't drive. Seems to me, judging by some of the contributions here and in other road related topics in the past, that this frustration leads some drivers to break the rules of the road themselves and put themselves and others in danger. :\
 
but anytime I'm driving in and around Dublin, esp. on the M4, MOST cars seem to be in the right hand lane usually caused by a couple of drivers at the top of the line of traffic who wont move to the left lane
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That's what I am talking about. Not talking about the carpark that is the M50, but the long stretches of motorway where traffic shouldn't be bumper to bumper, but the overtaking lane gets clogged cos one plonker wants to drive there at 50 or 60 mph. Hate that with a passion
 
I didn't say that I can't drive only that I don't drive
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Who said you can't drive Clubman?

Hate that with a passion
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You and me both cullenswood.
Is there anyone reading this thread who will admit to regularily hogging the right hand lane for no good reason? Tell us why! It's like the way you regularily hear a request on the radio for people to turn off their foglights; what bloody station are these people listening to that they never hear the requests??
 
Your omnipresence is so scary, it's good to see you can be overloaded!!
 
Hi Piggy - The context of the question somewhat implied that there was a bit of space on the road for the speed-merchant behind. The radio question (and hence my response) isn't relevant in the context of the busy M50.

[And yes, I do drive on the M50 occasionaly - I even got to test out the new stretch to Leopardstown over the weekend]
 
The radio question (and hence my response) isn't relevant in the context of the busy M50.

Yeah...sorry. Getting carried away with my own passion here

 
Well it happened to me!

There are regular patrols of garda cars and vans on the M50 and they too sit in the right hand lane behind other motorists. I've never seen anyone pulled over for sitting in that lane and not just using it as an over-taking lane.
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I generally tend to stay in the left-hand lane and try to only use the right-hand lane for overtaking. However, the one flippin' time I stayed a little too long in the right-hand lane, a motorcycle cop pulled right in behind me (dazzling me with his headlight so that I couldn't move anywhere). I couldn't see anything at all so had to slow right down in the hopes that he'd just pass me out. No such luck! He whacked on the siren and motioned me over to the side of the road. He was the rudest guard I've ever spoken to, and completely refused to listen to me when I tried to explain that he was actually driving dangerously by driving so close behind me!! Asked me a lot of irrelevant questions, and didn't even bother to lift the visor on his helmet... grrrr!!
Had to bring my insurance cert to a local garda station etc. but thankfully this does not incur penalty points...
 
Re: Well it happened to me!

He was the rudest guard I've ever spoken to, and completely refused to listen to me when I tried to explain that he was actually driving dangerously by driving so close behind me!!
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Could you have reported him for dangerous driving?
 
RE: It happened to me

I mentioned it to the guard in my local station when I presented my insurance cert. She was pretty rude as well and said that if I wanted to take it to court that perhaps the judge might listen!!!!
I give up!
A colleague of mine had a similar experience and her local garda station was far more sympathetic. They said that the traffic cop's behaviour was unacceptable and that these guys are supposed to promote better road usage, not make drivers hate them!
 
Driver up your This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language - tap your breaks

Going right back to the comment of Chrisb

"while your foot is still on the accelerator tap the break with your left foot so that the lights go on. That usually causes them to move away".

Chrisb, how many people out there do you suppose have ever tried to touch their break peddle with left foot ? Very few I'd think, more used to clutching with this foot. Most people who try using left foot to even touch a break peddle are in serious danger of putting the car into a spin and causing a serious accident.

So unless you have experience of using your left foot for breaking, don't even attempt to touch your break peddle with your left foot. it is highly dangerous.
 
Re: left foot braking

Most people who try using left foot to even touch a break peddle are in serious danger of putting the car into a spin and causing a serious accident.
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With modern cars and modern brakes, you'd have to swing out of the steering at the same time as standing on the brakes to induce a spin as you describe. The days of heavy braking pulling the car in absurd directions are thankfully all but history now.
It takes very little practise to get a good feeling for braking with your left foot, as alot of people with automatic cars will testify. Having said that though, the first time you try it should not be when someone else is driving very close behind.
 
Re: left foot braking

...braking with your left foot, as alot of people with automatic cars will testify
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You should break with your right foot in an automatic car...
 
..

Having driven an automatic for 12 months Stateside I concur with the view that you should use your right foot for breakign in one. When driving an automatic, you are missing a clutch. Therefore your left foot becomes unneeded.....kind of like your average Premiership player, so you use your right foot to accelerate and break.....obviouly you should only use one foot no matter what kind of car for breaking and accelerating because they should be mutally exclusive...either do one or the other!
 
Re: ..

I drove automatics for years, and used my left foot most of the time for braking. It was particularily useful when taking off quickly at junctions because by holding down the brake with your left foot, you could apply a little throttle with your right, thus enaging the clutch, so when you did lift off the brake, you moved off more instantly. There's no hard and fast rule that says not to use your left foot to brake. It's simply not for everyone.
Both rallying and F1 would be far less exciting if the drivers didn't left foot brake (queue tangent debate on excitement or lack of in F1!).
 
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