South Meath Driving School

It is now four years since the Road Safety Authority devised a plan for higher standards of driving, more arduous test standards, new standards of driving instruction etc., all with the aim of reducing road deaths and serious injury.  Noel Brett’s and Gay Byrne’s efforts, plus a cohort of others within the structure, have been remarkable when one considers that in 1978 there were 628 deaths on the republics roads, in 2005 – 396 deaths, reducing to 240 in 2009. That statistic is all the more stark when one realises that today there are over two million vehicles on our roads, whereas in 1978 it was c.50% less.

However, there’s a flawed area that requires urgent remedy in the form of inadequate regulatory signage and road markings as well as contradictory signage in our towns. Any driver who holds a full driving licence should be able to drive competently through any town to which he or she is a total stranger, should the proper signs be in place.

As an example, I take Navan town where the RSA Driving Test is held in Co. Meath.

Firstly, trying to find the test centre at Athlumney, Kilcairn, is in itself quite a test. There’s no sign whatever on the Navan-Dublin Road indicating the location of the Test Centre. However, just past Kilcairn pub, there is a sunken manhole lid to a depth of four to five inches which would do serious damage to your alloy wheels. So, take the Johnstown Road sign into Metges Rd. Three hundred metres on, behold, there’s a timid looking sign for the Test Centre into a side road. Drive in to the left, there’s no more signs, and arrive in a cul de sac by the Boyne . Return and search within the new Dept. of Agriculture buildings on the left and there’s a little sign in a window ‘Driving Test Centre.’ Navan is the only test centre for the county, so most drivers sitting their test is a stranger to the Athlumney area. A Nigerian or Lithuanian might have greater difficulty here.

I outline the more obvious problem areas that a student driver will encounter in Navan:

Traffic lights on the N3 at the Kentstown Road crossjunction are being upgraded for several months now: there was a pole erected which obscured the green light by more than 50%. Surely the job should have been completed in less than one week, rather than four months.

Further on the Ring Road, turn right into the two-lane Flower Hill: there’s no signs at the entrance to indicate it’s a one-way street. Some 200m on, there’s road markings in the form of two white arrows which give the  only clue. Continue on and driver ‘A’ arrives at The Round O roundabout and attempts the 3^rd exit for Slane (from right traffic lane of course). A path, c. 1 meter wide around the centre island, pushes him outwards and Driver ‘B’ taking the 2^nd exit (Kingscourt) is either blocked or side by side ‘ A.’  There simply is not enough room to accommodate two vehicles on the roundabout. Then, if ‘B’ is a lorry, ‘A’ is squeezed  into pulling back or onto the path. Why aren’t the lanes properly marked? Answer – because it’s too narrow to take two lanes: just leave it to the motorists to do their best. Suggested cure – Make the ‘island’ much smaller or have only one traffic lane at the approach point from Flower Hill.

The junction of Kennedy Road , entering Trimgate St. – there’s no advance sign to indicate a left turn only. At the exit point there’s a zebra crossing which is in line with the very busy footpaths left and right. All such pedestrian crossings should be brought forward (c.5mts) from the junction as it is on the Continent, making matters safer for drivers and pedestrians. The road markings, here, take you left but there’s no upright sign to so indicate. Turning right from Market Square into Ludlow St. (at Clonard House, BOI) there’s a yield sign to the left. But, for the last few months that sign has been twisted around facing traffic approaching from the left. Who must yield here? [ The erection of new signs require sanction from the Minister for Transport in the form of a Statutory Instrument (S1) and publication before it becomes an authorised sign.

On from the Fairgreen is Churchill Rd. and into Bridge St (at the NewGrange Hotel); only on stopping at the stop sign can one observe that Bridge St. is a one way street , there being two ‘no entry’ signs to the left. Again there’s no one-way system sign in advance or at the junction.

Most drivers cope and make the sudden adjustments/corrections at the aforementioned locations. But they’re only in the penny halfpenny place in comparison to the crossjunction of Bridge St onto Circular Rd. – Academy St. This is the junction just down from the Palace Nightclub and Newgrange Hotel. It is Navan’s ‘Amen Corner’, the closest to impossible that I have witnessed in any town. The scene: At the exit from Bridge St., there’s an upright ‘Yield’ sign on the left (there should also be one on the right as this is a one way street with two lanes.)

Anyone’s interpretation of a yield sign is that the exit should be relatively easy to negotiate , or an area that shouldn’t pose any great danger. Driver ‘A’ moves to the mouth of this exit to take a right onto Circular Rd. – behold , there is a STOP LINE (a thick solid line, thus contradicting the Yield sign) in rainbow formation running across the junction and outwards for some metres either side. This area to the right and left of the exit lanes is ‘hatched’ to protect the exiting traffic; so traffic coming from the right is pushed outwards to their right. ‘A’s’ view to the right is about ten metres because of a high hoarding around a site. Question- how can one safely turn right here? Well, with great difficulty. Dash across to avoid a collision with whatever arrives from the right.

Not only must ‘A’ watch sharply to the right he also must cope with the flow of traffic from his left from the Ring Rd and Academy St., in front of him.

Driver ‘B’ wishes to turn left at this same junction and then left at the N3, about 20m away. Just at this point the single lane that is Circular Rd., now breaks into a two lane to accommodate traffic turning left and right on joining the Ring Rd. (N3.) But there’s a hatched area immediately to ‘B’s’ left as she exits from Bridge St.  The border lines of this hatched area have broad continuous white lines, so she cannot legally enter it. Rather, she must push out into the outer lane, turn left, indicate left, look over her left shoulder before coming back into the left lane. Why? Because most drivers ignore hatched areas and drive through them as if it was their right. So driver ‘B’ must avoid crashing into this traffic coming down Circular Rd. and intending to turn left at the N3. So why doesn’t ‘B’ drive immediately left through the hatched area? Because it is illegal for her to do so and in a driving test situation she will fail her test. So, what happens those who trundle through the hatched area: they are driving dangerously , selfishly, but sadly with impunity for unless a collision occurs, no Garda action will be taken, it appears.

Is there any easy solution? Perhaps. Remove the solid line of the hatched area on the near side of the left exit and replace with a broken line, thus allowing ‘B’ to turn left into the left lane as the outside ‘rainbow’ STOP Line should still force traffic from the right to stay outside that line. A second solution would be to remove//lower the hoarding to the right on Circular Rd. to give a view to ‘A’ who’s turning right. Erect a warning sign on approach road from (Fairgreen side) Circular Rd., like ‘Slow, Concealed Entrance’.

Erect two STOP signs at Bridge St. exit. Or, have a ‘No Right Turn’ off Bridge St. into Circular Rd..

The very high standard of driving that a learner must achieve in order to pass the modern driving test is in stark contrast to the standard exhibited by town engineers (Roads Section).

Learner drivers ask (i) How a Yield sign can be followed by a STOP line. Which are they to obey?

(ii) How come so many other drivers ignore Hatched Areas, yet they will fail their test should they encroach? (iii) How are they to know which direction to take when there are no signs to tell.

One student adeptly described the signage in Navan as akin to the ancient milestones which were read by pedestrians or horsemen.

I have a few questions for the roads engineers responsible for the likes of Navan’s ‘Amen Corner’. Do you not have a duty of care to motorists who must comply with your drawings? Of late, a banker and a chief fire officer have been arrested for matters related to their negligence and alleged criminal offences. The days of allowing STOP signs etc. to be twisted around by some dopey yob and left so twisted for weeks or months by Co. Co. authorities has passed. Responsibility has taken on a new meaning, thankfully. Marie Antoinnette  reputedly said ‘Let them eat cake.’ The people of France replied swiftly, they had had enough cake.

In the light of those road sign anomalies in Navan, I wonder if the place is at all suitable for the Driving Test. I suggest that consideration be given to changing the centre to Trim which has the highest standards of road signage and all else that’s required for such an undertaking.