The M50 is going to be widened to three lanes each direction. Well, duh!
I remember back in 1993 when the M50 was new I was talking to a man who worked for the ESB. {I was doing a short contract there at the time.} I told him that I thought the M50 should have been built with three lanes. He said there was no reason as we'd never have enough cars to fill even the two lanes. I said that it would take seven years to fill the road, making vague reference to something I once heard about highways in America.
Now, the authorities are about to expand the M50 to three lanes. Well, before they waste their money and time, I'd like to recommend that they expand it to 4 lanes each way. The reason? The city has grown far faster than anyone might have foreseen and there's no reason to suspect it won't do a good bit of growing yet. It's going to take 6 years to complete this project. I would guess that less than a year or two after they finish they'll be wishing they went for an 8-lane highway.
I have the same feeling about the Luas. Lots of people are proclaiming that the Luas is a big success because so many people are using it. Well, maybe that's not such a sign of success as a sign that a city of so many millions needs a proper rail infrastructure. I think the Luas should have been a full train service and I think we'll regret the decision to go for the half-measure in the not too distant future.
