Speed Traps and Garda being assholes

[soc]

Major Rant ahead


Was heading back from ski club sunday morning and I spotted a black FTO which had been pulled over by the garda at a speed trap just outside kilternan village. Very unfortunate.

Once again the garda show the wisdom and intelligence of a 4 year old kid! This particular speed trap is set just before you leave a 30mph zone to enter a 60mph zone (pass through kilternan village heading towards enniskerry). Why the hell would you have a speed trap here????? AFAIK there has only ever been one accident here but the gardai see fit to have a regular speed trap here -there is usually one every couple of weeks! But they are guaranteed to catch a heap of people here.

They also, regularly set a trap coming the oppopsite direction, just after leaving the 60mph zone where, once again, they are guaranteed to catch loads of people (most probably doing 40mph).

In fact I once got pulled over at this very place because the guy behind me nearly hit me when I slowed from 60mph to 30mph as I crossed into the 30pmh zone (he wasn't watching and obviously wasn't planning on slowing). The garda reckoned what I did was dangerous - the only reason I didn't get done was because I had my Dad in the car and he gave them a bollocking for pulling me over for such a crap reason. I was lucky he was there cause I was driving my 1st 205 GTI and was young enough so they probably could have done what they wanted as I didn't know any better.


It seems to me that the main aim of speed traps is to actually catch people and not to prompt safer driving. Every speed trap I ever see is usually on a straight stretch of safe road that has no history of bad accidents (although I am sure there are exceptions) - so it seems to me that the main aim of the garda is to get out and catch as many people as possible rather than try to prompt awareness of safer driving!

This morning I heard on the radio that some (idiot) transport group is sugesting that speed limits be lowered to 18mph in places..... fecking hell, sure I can run at 18mph!!! Apparently this would help reduce the number of road deaths in ireland. So how many people have every heard of a massive pile up with fatalities caused by 2 cars travelling at 30 mph???? Is it not the guys travelling at 60-70mph on country roads that end up in these fatal accidents? So I suppose these are the roads where they are going to set the limit to 18mph... to prevent these fatalities?????
Sometimes I have to wonder what idiots actually make the policys by which we have to live!

[pergau]

Hi Shane,

I agree with most what you say - all about the speed traps - they are there mainly to catch people.

The ideas for changing speed limits are from the governent (Seamus Brennan, I suspect that the speed trap you mentioned is is in his constituence!) but it is proposing to bring speed limits into line with Europe. So the limits will be in Kms

Motorway: 120Kph 74.5Mph
Main Rd: 100Kph 62Mph
Other rd: 80Kph 50Mph I.E. a country rd
Built up: 50Kph 31Mph
near schools 30Kph 19Mph

In addition to this the minister has said that he will upgrade the limits on certain roads to reflect their capacity eg the Stillorgan Dual Carriageway and the Lucan Rd.

I'm not a supporter of Fianna Fail and especially not Brennan (I come from Dundrum originally) but this makes a lot of sense and I have to , reluctantly, agree with a speed limit around a school. You can't teach road sense to a schoolkid at going home time.

The use of these will be if they are brought in sensibly and roads are speed rated correctly but what are the chances of that?

It's supposed to be coming in in the next month or two.

I'm delighted as it means that I won't have to change the KM dial on the car : )

[CJ]

It seems to me that the main aim of speed traps is to actually catch people and not to prompt safer driving. Every speed trap I ever see is usually on a straight stretch of safe road that has no history of bad accidents (although I am sure there are exceptions) - so it seems to me that the main aim of the garda is to get out and catch as many people as possible rather than try to prompt awareness of safer driving!

Can't agree more, if they're not on a straight stretch of 2 or 3 lane motorway, they're hiding away around some corner.

On a related note, it will be interesting to see if the fixed speed camera business is to be privatised. I reckon http://www.speedtraps.ie.nu/ will get a decent lease of life when that happens...

Ciaran

[soc]

The use of these will be if they are brought in sensibly and roads are speed rated correctly but what are the chances of that?

In my experience.... none!

There are some crazy speed limits in place right now that only lead to dangerous overtaking moves by people who refuse to obey them when following someone who does obey them. In general I religiously abide by speed limits -and often get overtaken by guys who refuse to do the same. Heading towards the M50 from Clare Hall should be 50mph, Darndale dual cariageway should be 50mph and airport road (after the coarchmans) should be 50mph - I very often get overtaken on these roads by guys who are obviously raging because I am driving so slow

As for schools and the like, yea, I agree slow speeds are needed here but to be honest anyone who would drive at over 20mph in the vicinity of a school (speed limit or no speed limit) is an idiot

[CJ]

Old post but new info (correct me if I'm wrong):

http://irishspeedtraps.com/

CJ

[miss-enzo]

Cool link CJ! very accurate too, going by the ones for dungarvan and the main waterford road anyway!

[gary d]

Good site CJ cheers added to favourites. But whatever happened to FTO Ireland does not condone speeding

[CJ]

But whatever happened to FTO Ireland does not condone speeding

Theres been no change in policy - FTO-Ireland does not condone speeding on public roads and motorways.

CJ