I'm very glad that the Southern Cross part of the M50 is now open, even if it is some 30 years after it was first proposed. Already it makes a significant difference to some regular journeys I have to make. But is it as safe as it should be?
It's another 8.8 kilometres of relatively easier driving for an estimated 25,000 motorists every day.
It even has, because of its location, some of the nicer views around our capital city from any major road in Dublin.
And it has brought us closer to the long-standing dream of a full Paris-style 'Peripherique' motorway around the city.
But it has one serious flaw, as has every motorway we have built in Ireland. One which is indefensible. One which I would have thought they'd have rectified at least in this latest section of the M50, opened only last week by environment minister Noel Dempsey.
They're growing a hedge in the median divider. And that's all. A few twigs that will grow into a nice thicket. One not designed to stop a tonne or two of metal hurtling through it at 70-plus mph.
There's been at least one such median crosscursion on the M50 in the last year resulting in a death. It is quite amazing that there haven't been more fatalities of a similar kind.
How are the designers and builders of our motorways getting away with not providing an Armguard safety fence between lines of traffic hurtling in opposite directions at a combined speed of 140mph and better?
I've not seen a mere hedge division on even non-motorway dual carriageways in most other countries where I've driven over the last decade. And I've driven in most European countries.
Even more, I've lately seen in many of these the addition of a safety steel hawser between the Armguard sections.
I'm appalled that in the 21st century, we're building to safety standards which are below those pertaining when motorways in our neighbouring island were being built in the middle of the last millennium.
Maybe this is why they have placed a 60mph limit on the Southern Cross motorway section?
Hey, that's still a converging speed of 120mph.
At that, friend, you can forget about airbags and pretensioning seatbelts.
For some of us, welcome to eternity.
©2001brianbyrne/IrishCar.Com
August 15 2001