Vehicle Gallery - Discussion Thread

d3exile wrote: »

What's the reasoning behind an 'unmarked' ambulance?! So the casualties don't notice you coming??

I can understand a doctor or high ranking HSE official having discreet blues on their car but the one posted today looks like a bolted on light bar?

The grill lights and lightbar were professionally fitted, had a light control box on the dash. What I found strangest was the TN reg.

swiftblade wrote: »

I presume it's just a private doctors car who went and got them fitted. Looks to be the same model lightbar as the Gardaí use.

Just wondering the actual legality of blue lights in this case.......should they be green if its a doctor......anyone know?

swiftblade wrote: »

I presume it's just a private doctors car who went and got them fitted. Looks to be the same model lightbar as the Gardaí use.

Just passed by this car again, didn't get a pic, it now has green and yellow battenburg markings and boot chevrons on it. No service markings but it looks more like an official vehicle now.

Blue is emergency vehices there not ES so they shouldnt have it. but can it be seized tho?

Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Blue and Amber Lamps) Regulations 2006


I, Martin Cullen, Minister for Transport, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 11 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 (No. 24 of 1961) and the National Roads and Road Traffic (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002 ( S.I. No. 298 of 2002 ) (as adapted by the Public Enterprise (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2002 ( S.I. No. 305 of 2002 )), hereby make the following regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Blue and Amber Lamps) Regulations 2006.

(2) The Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 to 1996 and these Regulations may be cited together as the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 to 2006.

2. In these Regulations “Regulations of 1963” means Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) Regulations 1963 ( S.I. No. 189 of 1963 ).

3. Article 49 of the Regulations of 1963 is amended by inserting after sub-article (8) the following:

“(9) Where a vehicle equipped with a lamp in accordance with article 52(18) is used in a public place, the lamp may only be used -

(a) if necessary in the circumstances, and

(b) in the case of a vehicle being used by the Irish Prison Service, where the vehicle is clearly identifiable as such by having appropriate livery, and is usable for the purpose of transporting prisoners under guard.”.

4. Article 52 of the Regulations of 1963 is amended by substituting for sub-article (18) (inserted by the Road Traffic (Lighting of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 1996 ( S.I. No. 137 of 1996 )) the following:

“(18) (a) The requirements of article 40 (in so far as it refers to articles 41, 42, 48 and 49) and articles 41, 42, 48 and 49 (except sub-article 9) do not apply to a lamp complying with paragraph (b) which is carried on a vehicle being used -

(i) by a member of the Garda Síochána in the performance of his or her duties as such member,

(ii) as a fire brigade vehicle,

(iii) by persons providing an ambulance service,

(iv) by the Irish Prison Service,

(v) as an Irish Marine Emergency Service vehicle, with or without a trailer,

(vi) for the delivery or collection of human transplant organs, human blood or human blood products,

(vii) as a breakdown vehicle,

(viii) as a road clearance vehicle,

(ix) as a road works vehicle,

(x) by a local authority (within the meaning of the Local Government Act 2001 (No. 37 of 2001)) or other person authorised by a local authority in the collection and disposal of refuse,

(xi) in the provision or maintenance of telephone services or of gas or electricity supply, or

(xii) as a Customs and Excise patrol vehicle.

(b) In relation to a lamp carried on a vehicle referred to in paragraph (a) -

(i) the light shown by the lamp shall in the case of a vehicle referred to in -

(I) paragraph (a) (i) to (vi), be blue, and

(II) paragraph (a) (vii) to (xii), be amber,

(ii) the power of the lamp where the colour of the light is -

(I) blue, shall not exceed 50 watts, and

(II) amber, shall not exceed 36 watts,

(iii) the lamp shall, where possible, be fitted on the roof of the vehicle on a point on its longitudinal axis,

(iv) no part of the illuminated surface of the lamp shall be less than 1.27 metres from the ground,

(v) the area of the orthogonal projection on to any vertical plane of that part of the lamp through which light is shown shall be capable of lying wholly within a square having sides of 230 millimetres in length,

(vi) the lamp, in the case of a road works vehicle, or a vehicle used in the provision or maintenance of telephone services or gas or electricity supply shall be lit only when the vehicle is in use at the scene of operations.

(c) In this sub-article -

‘breakdown vehicle’ means a mechanically propelled vehicle used for towing broken down mechanically propelled vehicles, trailers or semi-trailers to the nearest convenient place of safety or repair and includes a vehicle used in connection with and in the immediate vicinity of a breakdown;

‘Customs and Excise patrol vehicle’ means a mechanically propelled vehicle used by an official of Customs and Excise in the performance of his or her duties as such official;

‘fire brigade vehicle’ means a vehicle used by a fire authority (within the meaning of the Fire Services Act 1981 (No. 30 of 1981)) and includes a vehicle used by a senior fire officer in the performance of his or her duty as such officer;

‘Irish Marine Emergency Service vehicle’ includes a mechanically propelled vehicle, with or without a trailer, used by a senior manager in the Irish Marine Emergency Service in the performance of his or her duty as such officer;

‘road clearance vehicle’ means a mechanically propelled vehicle used for dealing with frost, ice or snow on roads and includes a vehicle used for cutting of roadside hedges or roadside grass verges or in the sweeping of roads;

‘road works vehicle’ means a mechanically propelled vehicle used in connection with the construction, maintenance and improvement of roads or in connection with the provision and maintenance of water supplies, sewerage and drainage services;

‘senior fire officer’ means a fire officer not below the grade of Assistant Fire Officer (Prevention) but including the grades of Second Officer and Third Officer;

‘senior manager in the Irish Marine Emergency Service’ means an officer of the Irish Marine Emergency Service not below the grade of Divisional Officer.”.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

31 May 2006





Martin Cullen

Minister for Transport.


EXPLANATORY NOTE

These Regulations consolidate and update the statutory provisions in relation to the use of flashing blue or amber warning lights on certain vehicles. Under the Regulations, blue flashing lights may be used on vehicles used by the Gardaí, the fire service, an ambulance service, the Irish Marine Emergency Service, the Irish Prison Service and vehicles used for the delivery or collection of human transplant organs, human blood or human blood products.

Amber lights may be used on a breakdown vehicle, a road clearance vehicle, a road works vehicle, a vehicle used in the collection and disposal of refuse, a vehicle used in the provision or maintenance of telephone services or of gas or electricity supply and a Customs and Excise patrol vehicle.

These Regulations complement the Road Traffic (Requirement to have Audible Warning Devices on Vehicles) Regulations, 2006 ( S.I. No. 340 of 2006 ) which amend the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1996 to permit the use of sirens on certain vehicles.

Tyron Jara wrote: »

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6744298161_ef09b05b98_z.jpg

These would be class patrol cars for the guards. Although I know of guards who say the mondeo is perfect.

People would complain about wanton public spending if they were using BMWs.

Those 5-series are armed response. That's what the yellow dots on the windows signify.

The standard police car in London is a diesel Astra.

POGAN wrote: »

Terrontress wrote: »

People would complain about wanton public spending if they were using BMWs.

Those 5-series are armed response. That's what the yellow dots on the windows signify.

The standard police car in London is a diesel Astra.

Standard police in london is BMW 3 or 5 series as Area car last i heard, astra is like a compol car here fiesta and focus 1.4 they are way better funded than the gardas

When the last tender went out there was offer from BMW supposedly the offer was better if not than toyota

I stand to be corrected but I think the standard response car is the Astra but there also tends to be 3-series as well. I am not sure what the difference is but they are very much in the minority.

I have seen emergencies and it is an Astra which shows up. I do believe that new Focus and Hyundai i30s are used as well as Astras.

I have seen grey Astras with no blue lights but a blue Metropolitan Police logo on the side. Maybe that is what you are referring to.

The armed vehicles I have seen have been 5 Series or Mercedes Vitos. Traffic Police in 5 Series estates. Standard police vans are swb Transits and then the riot squad travel in huge Merc Sprinters which look like ambulances.

source wrote: »

Terrontress wrote: »

I stand to be corrected but I think the standard response car is the Astra but there also tends to be 3-series as well. I am not sure what the difference is but they are very much in the minority.

I have seen emergencies and it is an Astra which shows up. I do believe that new Focus and Hyundai i30s are used as well as Astras.

I have seen grey Astras with no blue lights but a blue Metropolitan Police logo on the side. Maybe that is what you are referring to.

The armed vehicles I have seen have been 5 Series or Mercedes Vitos. Traffic Police in 5 Series estates. Standard police vans are swb Transits and then the riot squad travel in huge Merc Sprinters which look like ambulances.

UK forces employ a tiered system of driver training and cars, starting with panda cars which would be ford fiesta or similar (not permitted to do blue light runs as such), then area cars which would be astra, focus, 3 series etc (allowed to do blue light runs but not allowed to chase), then response cars for high speed chases etc, which are bigger BMW's big volvos etc.

Well, anyway, the class of vehicle doing the bread and butter work in the UK is the same if not worse as that in Ireland. Of course I'd expect theirs to be newer and with lower mileage but when they are brand spanking new, there's nothing in it.

The 5-series you see in the link above is the London equivalent of a Garda ERU Landcruiser.

Terrontress wrote: »

The 5-series you see in the link above is the London equivalent of a Garda ERU Landcruiser.

Not quite, the response cars answer 999 emergency calls, ie calls where the officers need to get there in a hurry, they're not necessarily armed response units. Solid dot says unarmed unit and an astrix means an armed unit.

Response cars would be first responders to assaults, intruders-on calls, things of that nature. (calls that respond some fancy driving to get there as quick as possible)

Terrontress wrote: »

The only 5 series I have ever seen have been armed response, traffic or diplomatic protection (red paintwork but also with yellow dots and asterisks).

Second photo in the second post in the vehicle gallery.

Terrontress wrote: »

First photo in the first post. And I shall repeat, the 5-series in the link above is the London equivalent of an ERU Land Cruiser.

What am I supposed to look at in the second photo of the second post?

Yes but you then said that you've never seen a standard 5 series that wasn't an ERV, traffic or DPG car, what you're supposed to be seeing in the second pic in the second post is a 5 series with a solid orange spot on the roof and not belonging to traffic or DPG, as can be seen from the orange stripe down the side.

My link to that post was to show you the response version of that car, that is all.

Tyron Jara wrote: »

Terrontress wrote: »

People would complain about wanton public spending if they were using BMWs.

Those 5-series are armed response. That's what the yellow dots on the windows signify.

The standard police car in London is a diesel Astra.

Yes they are:) However this is not http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4134/5440422648_c2dcdc434e_b.jpg and either is this http://www.police999.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10019/normal_CSC_3873.JPG.

The orange star on the roof is armed police patrol and the orange circle in area car. They have smaller patrol cars too.

The Irish patrol cars are great too we need more of these http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Silver_garda_car.jpg and these in silver http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5098/5464788022_989f3ed225.jpg. I love the light bar on those.

Is that Met 4x4 an airport police vehicle? I presume it is because of the amber beacons on it, enabling it to drive on the apron / runway. In the UK you see Ambulance Zafiras with amber beacons for that reason.