I recently acquired a car, not new, but it’s enough to appreciate our Dublin road network. I can only say that to drive on it in the year 2006 was well worth waiting for.

The shining, black tarmac makes for a smooth and enjoyable experience as the driver can let go and cruise at 100 kilometres per hour. To drive from Swords to Wicklow on a clear day can take a mere 30 minutes depending on the traffic. Even the Toll-pass is a quick and easy to get through and €1.80 is a small price to pay for such a drive.

The roads I use are the M50 to Dublin and M1 to Swords from the city. Town can be congested but to break free from it and cruise up the M1, not forgetting to take a quick left at Swords as indicated, is testament to the new age and its motoring engineers.

The new port tunnel built for trucks looks good as it nears completion later this year. Although water was reported as seeping through it, this has now been dealt with. There is only one outstanding problem– the tallest of trucks won’t be able to pass through it. However, it should still make life easier for cars and trucks alike.

There is plenty of room on the motorway with a three lane driving space making it easy for quicker cars to indicate and pass, giving us the famous ‘lane-hopping’, as it is now known. I grew up with dual carriageways, which were prone to accidents of all descriptions so I’m amazed at the new motorways and their slipstream.

As you drive along the M50 you get a good view of the Dublin Mountains and various industrial estates. At night the industrial estates are very atmospheric, with all the neon lights shining. If the right song is playing on the car radio or CD player, for me it can be a nice experience.

I was driving from Sandyford the other day when I noticed the great Mont Pelier with the Hell Fire Club at its summit, not to mention the horses and cows grazing along the way and if you are lucky you might get a glimpse of a deer.

Driving to Cornelscourt for late night shopping used to be the highlight of my driving journeys but it has nothing on driving from one side of the city to the other that I experience now. It’s not quite spaghetti junction but as I pass under bridges, sometimes five of them, I look in awe at where they might be going.

You have to be careful in the rush hour as you might get more tailback than you bargained for. Be tactical with your timing. Keep your oil and cooler topped up because a breakdown can happen all too easily. Be sure to keep the windscreen clean as trucks cause dirt on the windows. A mobile phone comes in handy in an emergency.

There are lots of places on the motorway where you can stop if you feel like a break. Restaurants, garages and hotels are the main ones, especially around the airport.

The airport itself is a central feature of the motorway and is a world in itself. You might also notice some of the art that has been placed at the junctions of the motorways such as the ‘flying pig’ at the airport or the ‘motorway ball’ on the road to Naas. The planners seems to be doing away with some of the trees along the motorway, which is a pity as they make for a more scenic route.

I’m looking forward to travelling on the motorways which are still under construction but if the current ones are anything to go by it should be magnificent. Happy motoring.