Worst ever traffic chaos on M11/M50

I was delayed for about 30-40 minutes by those roadworks near Bray yesterday afternoon.

I finally passed the actual roadworks at about 2.45pm, at which time a large hole had been dug beside the hard shoulder, but did not actually encroach onto it. However, both the hard shoulder and the inner road lane had been coned-off and all traffic was funnelled through the “fast lane”.

Even at that stage the tailback was at least a couple of miles long.

What crossed my mind was that it should have been possible, with judicious management/policing, to allow traffic through two lanes, closing off just the hard shoulder.

Returning from Wicklow on the same road at about 7.30 pm last night, I couldn’t believe the tailbacks visible as ribbons of light on both the M11 & M50.

Perhaps the roadworks extended further out onto the road at a later stage and it would then have been necessary to block the inner lane anyway.

But I wondered where was the Garda Traffic Corps and what exactly is their function? Are they merely there to enforce traffic laws re speeding, drink driving etc or do they also have some responsibility for ensuring the free-flow of traffic?

If they don’t they should!

Footnote: Aired by Pat Kenny on his RTE radio programme.