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THE NATIONAL ROADS Authority have released a list of the 50 worst road bends in Ireland that need to be fixed.
Around half of the bends chosen are currently under construction, the other half are in planning.
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Sean O’Neill spokesperson for the NRA said the bends were picked by the number of accidents that occurred on them or around them. He added, “a lot of accidents happen at the end of straight roads when people get surprised by a sudden bend in the road”.
At seven each, Tipperary and Limerick are the counties with the most bad bends that need to be fixed, followed by Kerry and Cork with six each.
To give you the full effect of what some of the bad bends look like, we put together a slideshow, from the NRA’s list of 50, of the 10 worst bends on Irish roads:
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A bad bend never killed anyone. Trying to take a bad bend and 100kph is what kills people. When I started driving my instructor told me that if you’re on a road you’re unfamiliar with, assume every bend is bad and take it slowly. Some of the best driving advice I’ve even gotten.
while their at it why doesn’t Ireland drag itself into the 21st century and standardise the sigh posts across The country and chuck out the old dolly mixture set up that is currently there….
in fact I would go one better…
appoint a Td and dept who’s sole responsibility is to sort out Irish roads PERIOD…
it’s a damn embarrassment and what’s far more serious is the deaths caused by crazy signage…
point in question…
n7 meeting m50 in Dublin on way into town… signs hanging over junction rather then repeater signs dotted coming up to junction so people can correctly identify their lanes and possibly lane painting to boot….
that’s a major problem in Ireland where no repeat signage is used and as a result people getting into a panic as they approach junctions and as a result Accidents…..
it’s not rocket science…….!!!!!
hello… they most likely don’t have anything to do with transport I expect….
it’s just a title… don’t b fooled…..
otherwise we wouldn’t b having this conversation….
The roads in Ireland are of a much higher standard than many of the roads I’ve seen in places I’ve travelled. It doesn’t mean that we should compromise safety, but seeing as they’re a wear-and-tear amenity, it’s unlikely that they will all always satisfy everyone. So they’re not really an embarrassment at all. Also, Dublin has the safest roads of any EU capital, something to be happy about!
I agree Darragh..it’s too easy for people to just point the finger..Irish roads are some of the safest in the world..and Dublin is the safest eu capital..our motorways are top class..of course there are many low quality roads but for a country with such a spread out population this is unavoidable
What good are repeater signs at the side of a 4 lane motorway approaching the junction of 2 of the busiest roads in the country when more often than not you will have a steady flow of HGVs and buses obscuring the view of these signs from cars in the middle and outter lanes. Big large overhead signs means you can see what lane you should be in from a safe distance unless you’re driving up the arse of a truck or you’re blind…in which case you shouldn’t be driving.
Do the people in Ardloy actually know what a bend is? Let them come to Wicklow and travel the N11 from Rathnew to Arklow – single lane carriageway, multiple bends, trees – you name, it we’ve got it! But I don’t see any pictures of them.
In my humble opinion those bends are not so bad. Why don’t we spend money on things that are really important. We’ve waste a lot on roads in the past , empty motorways and bridges that we have to pay for even if they are not generating income from tolls. I’d like to see the money going on underprivileged children, the elderly, on helping people not to loose their homes, hospitals . Roads would be way down my list.
hope they don’t fix by putting in round abouts. and the councils should stop resurfacing roads in towns thats perfect and pay more attention to secondary roads outside these towns with potholes the size of the grand canyon
The one in sligo was fixed last night, a lad with a hi vis and a shovel was at it when I passed it yesterday. He’s bound to have ‘er straightened at this stage..
No Alberto, thats crooked politicians you’re thinking of, and you have to hit them over the head, with a large tax bill to knock the crookedness out of them….
The Pike bend on the Waterford -Cork road just outside Dungarvan. Now that’s a bend like it will never finish. Was reduced to a 60 but there is always fools well over that.
I can never drive on a bendy road without thinking of that awful yet ultimately successful ( for me anyway) ad from years ago with the child out walking on a country road and the car speeding along with the louis armstrong soundtrack…I drive my husband demented when he is driving and i am constantly saying slow down, you don’t know who or what is around the corner and then cite that ad…(appreciating all the while of course that i am the worlds most annoying passenger).
I guess they have not been on the R125 Kilkock road either. Some impressive bends on that, including one for which you have to drop to second gear. And let’s not forget the fun that is the Wicklow Mountains and Sally Gap area, where there are some rather special bends.
Many roads follow routes laid out in the 1800s and had to go around the borders of wealthy demesne lands. Many landlords would not cooperate with the road building commission.
Pic 6 is the N80 not N60, but no matter what name they put on the road, it definitely deserves to be listed. Despite the severity of the bends, I have only once come across an accident on it in last 12 years.
The N11 between Rathnew and Arklow bypasses would put all these bends to shame. But they cant very well bring peoples attention to it because we might remember that work was supposed to be done on it 10 years ago. At the start of every year we are told that THIS year it will be done but nothing happens. Its a pure disgrace.
We have some of the worst roads in the world considering the amount of money taken by the govt for roads through road tax, insurance ,NCT fee, petrol, vechicle maintainance.
where the F**K is all this money going because its not going into roads.
At least money was spent on the much needed upgrade of our primary roads. Atleast we are finally nearly there with a an actual motorway network. Just need to complete the Western Corridor. What I would like to know is where all the money went from the EU structural funds in the 70′s, 80′s and early 90′s?
The N4 to Sligo from Carrick is horrible – there have been white crosses placed along the road where people have died, and there must be over 20 of them. However, that bend isn’t the worst of it, by far.
I navigate the N52 weekly. Its like a corkscrew in parts and has one of the highest fatality rates in the country. Im surprised its not listed. Yes, there is some work going on in parts, but not nearly enough for what passes as the major link road between the midlands and the northeast.
The N55 between Ballinagh in Co Cavan and Granard in Longford has to be one of the worst roads in the country. Corkscrew bends some thru a bog and no margins on either side. This road forms part of the route from the north to the west. A nightmare for poor truck drivers.
The pot holes where we are are now so bad if the roads are wet and you can’t see them they wreck your car ! Soon we won’t be able to get out !!No good fixing main roads if we can’t get on them.Tipp have some of the worst roads in the country always know when we are back home by the state of them Icould put up with a few bends in the road we have worse round here.So lets just make roads drivable NSA thanks.
Minister for road safety has not been in his office since he took up the post,too busy making more money on radio.Paid that huge salary,and never shows up at his appointed office.Only in Ireland
the prob is that they are using google maps and well they cant get a clear enough zoom on donegal with cloud cover.. thats my excuse for it no wait… they dont give a damn about the roads up there… prob best not to fix the bends though to keep the speed down..#
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