Operation Slow Down

colm_mcm · 06-07-2012 11:16pm

Drove past 2 speed traps this evening, thing is I knew they'd be here, so I religiously kept to the limits, I had no smug satisfaction as I cruised past them, I knew they'd be everywhere today.
Now, at 8am tomorrow, they'll have gone, I'm not sure that I'll keep within the limits. I'm thinking that tomorrow they'll all be gone and everyone goes back to normal.

Not that I particularly speed.

coffee_cake · 06-07-2012 11:17pm

saw a car parked at an angle to the road on the m4, might have been a garda all right. would they be in unmarked cars?
between the dark and rain i might actually have been doing the limit... i hope :rolleyes:

christmas2012 · 06-07-2012 11:21pm

well youll know in a few days either youll get something in the post or not..earlier i was on the roads and not one speed trap from where i was..it was wierd i was really expecting it..everybody was going slow today,something i never witnessed before..

Our man in Havana · 06-07-2012 11:23pm

Normal service will resume tomorrow.

Unless they are going to do this every day there is no point.

macshadow · 06-07-2012 11:23pm

I was talking to a guard earlier today, the garda press office made a mistake with the name of the operation and it's actually called operation lose the attitude.
Details are in the link below.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPISMWa0SMU

Our man in Havana · 06-07-2012 11:24pm

macshadow wrote: »

I was talking to a guard earlier today, the garda press office made a mistake with the name of the operation and it's actually called operation lose the attitude.
Details are in the link below.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPISMWa0SMU

Link broken.

macshadow · 06-07-2012 11:27pm

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Link broken.

Fixed now:)

Blazer · 06-07-2012 11:39pm

macshadow wrote: »

I was talking to a guard earlier today, the garda press office made a mistake with the name of the operation and it's actually called operation lose the hattitude.
Details are in the link below.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPISMWa0SMU

fixed that for you

Pkiernan · 06-07-2012 11:42pm

gpf101 wrote: »

Have gotten 4 points and €160 fines in the past few months doing 57 and 58km/hr. It's very hard to take, and neither were even close to being in areas known to be dangerous and neither were areas hilighted on the map on the guarda website.

Here's a tip:

Try driving at 50 kph when in 50 kph zones.

Here are some photos to help you:

Too fast:

Just right:

faolteam · 06-07-2012 11:43pm

so will it be full flow again tomorrow ???? or was that only for today

Colonel Sanders · 06-07-2012 11:46pm

Was very careful heading towards the Finglas junction of the M50 and then going home after I came off the M50. They're always on North Road (use cruise control as its very easy to go over 60)

No sign today

Pottler · 06-07-2012 11:46pm

I drove 266 miles today, national and secondary roads. Speed checks? I saw none. Very impressed. If that's "pulling out all the stops", normal service must be p1ss poor.

Hashy Houdini · 07-07-2012 12:48am

blackwhite wrote: »

Not one, but two of them along the N11 at lunchtime. Both checking people heading into City.

Jeep with a tripod out at the Stillorga/Kilmacud lights.

Garda van pulled in before UCD flyover. The van was a strange one. Was in a line of traffic, first two cars at the Fosters Avenue lights zipped off down the road, past the van and no flash. As the group of traffic I was in passed them at approx 50-55kmph (limit is 60) the thing flashed three times in quick succession??? Not too worried about it as I know I was safely under the limit, but confused as to why it didn't flash for the two cars 50-100 yards further down the road who were clearly going faster than everything else.

Saw these two setups today too - the guys with the tripod were highly visible so fair enough but that van before UCD was pretty much unmarked.

It was pointed at that long safe stretch of road where you can only do 60km/h and which was probably set to get people hitting 70.

IMO you can safely drive 80km/h on that part till you get to where the third lane is added for the turn off for vincents/rte.
it does get narrower there but they always seem to target that area as it is painfully slow to do 60 there and they know it.

it's a pity they concentrate on areas like this just because its easy to catch people out as all they're doing is p*ssing off motorists.

I don't think it's fair to get an €80 fine and have points on my license for 3 years for "speeding" on a section of road like this.
BTW i saw all this from the safety of a Dublin bus today glad i got the bus to work!:D

CiniO · 07-07-2012 1:45am

draffodx wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0706/operation-slow-down-gets-underway.html

A 24-hour garda crackdown on speeding gets under way this morning. Quote:
"Operation Slow Down" began at 7am and will continue until 7am tomorrow.

I traveled nearly 1000km over Ireland that day, and didn't see a single garda car neither gosave van.

Gardai say a 1% reduction in speed leads to a 4% decrease in fatal crashes.

So according to this, if we reduced our speed by 25% it would cause decrease in road fatalities of 100%. Great so. Let's do it!!!

Mister Jingles · 07-07-2012 1:50am

Wasn't out today but am curious to know if anybody saw them at their usual spot under the bridge on the Finglas Rd ?

ferretone · 07-07-2012 1:54am

CiniO wrote: »

So according to this, if we reduced our speed by 25% it would cause decrease in road fatalities of 100%. Great so. Let's do it!!!

And if we all sit at home with our hands on the table where everybody can them we can eliminate all crime. Let's do that

gammygils · 07-07-2012 2:16am

gebbel wrote: »

Garda car parked on the R122 overpass of the M1 (Balbriggan) a while ago. I saw the car late but didn't see a Garda. It was nearly dark though. I was slightly over the 120km/h limit so may well pay for it.

You're safe enough. The Gardai or Traffic Corps. have to stop you.
They can't just post you a fine like the Go Slow Vans do

Colonel Sanders · 07-07-2012 2:32am

Mister Jingles wrote: »

Wasn't out today but am curious to know if anybody saw them at their usual spot under the bridge on the Finglas Rd ?

Came off the M50 around 7pm

No sign of them. Nor was there in the morning. Serious joke spot IMO. Always use cruise on that particular stretch

Mister Jingles · 07-07-2012 2:36am

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

Came off the M50 around 7pm

No sign of them. Nor was there in the morning. Serious joke spot IMO. Always use cruise on that particular stretch

There at the spot years and years now but not so often these days I've noticed.

blue5 · 07-07-2012 3:16am

In other countries it's an offence to drive too slowly, which can also be a factor in accidents. Why don't we have this if they're so intent on overusing the word 'speed'.

I've found recently that because drivers who are forced to drive at a certain mph in an area that can handle a higher limit i.e. clear visibility, good road, no schools etc that they stop paying attention to actually driving and are looking around, having gas craic with the passenger, swerving and generally making me feel unsafe driving behind them.

I either then make a decision to stay a safe distance behind which can cause frustration in drivers behind me if they don't realise what's going on in front. Or I will try to move past this dangerous inattentive driver and get flashed at for doing so by said dangerous driver.

It doesn't promote any faith in the authorities if what they're doing (note *not what they're saying) seems to be constantly contradictory to their goals of saving lives. I don't envy them they're job, it must be a nightmare and incredibly draining but I would appreciate it if those in power treated us like people they had respect for ...and so visa versa.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime · 07-07-2012 4:53am

The only time i saw a garda today was a garda car driving into the station.

other than that driving around dublin and mostly city all day not a single car, van, bike, checkpoint. nothing.

also drove n7, n4, NCR, dublin inner city + outer city.

saw 3 ambulances and 1 fire truck though and half a million taxis fighting each other for fares.

opti0nal · 07-07-2012 6:46am

blue5 wrote: »

In other countries it's an offence to drive too slowly, which can also be a factor in accidents. .

It's a question of priorities. Do you have stats for accidents where slowness was a factor?

The reason why speed is targetted is because it's a well known factor in the cause and the outcome.

gebbel · 07-07-2012 7:37am

gammygils wrote: »

gebbel wrote: »

Garda car parked on the R122 overpass of the M1 (Balbriggan) a while ago. I saw the car late but didn't see a Garda. It was nearly dark though. I was slightly over the 120km/h limit so may well pay for it.

You're safe enough. The Gardai or Traffic Corps. have to stop you.
They can't just post you a fine like the Go Slow Vans do

Thanks for that. Relieved to read it.

Capri · 07-07-2012 7:51am

paddyland wrote: »

I find this whole speeding campaign seriously flawed. Like everything else in this country, we cannot seem to debate things intelligently and openly, and maybe learn something in the process.

Speeding causes carnage. The faster the speed, the greater the carnage.

But the accidents that facilitate the carnage are generally caused by one or a combination of three things. 1) Driver error, including a) insufficient driving education or experience, b) lack of care and attention and c) bad or deliberately dangerous attitude; 2) Mechanical failure; 3) Road engineering.

Cutting speeding can cut the serious effects of accidents, and cut the number of fatalities, which in itself is reason enough to clamp down on it.

But the wrong message is being sent out. The message being sent out is that speeding in itself causes accidents, and therefore by not speeding, accidents will not occur. I beg to differ.

If someone is stupid or ill educated enough to cause an accident at a black spot on the road above the speed limit, they are generally just as likely to cause a similar accident below the speed limit. Cutting the speed will give extra time for avoidance of an accident, but will not cure the lack of education or awareness of a careless driver.

In my experience, the larger proportion of the driving public are simply not educated or experienced enough for safe daily driving, and within that, some are woefully inadequately educated. The message being sent out to these people is that, so long as they don't speed, everything else they do is okay or acceptable. We are all familiar with the grossly dangerous and ignorant behaviour of far too many drivers on the road, and much or most of it is below the speed limit, or even at a stop.

Have we decided in this country now, that educating drivers properly, promoting the Rules of the Road, and enforcing road traffic law across the board, is simply too costly or too much trouble? Or even more worryingly, do we have a general viewpoint now that proper driver education and the Rules of the Road is simply irrelevant? Is targetting speeding drivers, and in the wrong locations at that, simply the easiest cop out, while announcing that we are 'doing something' about traffic accidents?

By all means enforce speeding law. It quite obviously produces results in the cutting of road fatalities and serious injuries.

But for God's sake, stop with this ridiculous message that cutting speeding absolves all responsibility for proper driving education, and the Rules of the Road generally. Irish driving standards are very poor, regardless of how bad they may be elsewhere in the world. We really should be trying to raise standards and awareness. I fear we are dumbing it down instead.

Noel Brett and the Garda Traffic commander - idiots both of them, just 'doing something' for the optics of 'doing something' - waving a big stick (made of paper

:D )

1) Only saw ONE traffic car yesterday (7am to 7pm ) - a marked up 5-series estate 11D on Thomas St

. Coming from the Castle no doubt.

2) On my regular commutes - I see drivers crawling along at 60kph on a dual carriageway (marked 60kph for about 500m), then speeding up to 140kph on the 100kph sections. NO sense of driving APPROPRIATELY for the road conditions - just worrying about getting clocked on a 'shooting fish in a barrell' section of road. In France I believe they say that in rain the posted speed limits are automatically reduced by 20% - in the rain yesterday you could see where the road engineers/councils got it wrong, blocked drains causing torrents of water to cross the motorway ( leading to aquaplaning /accidents - driver error ? OR BAD DESIGN / MAINTAINENCE :mad:

Paparazzo · 07-07-2012 10:11am

Mister Jingles wrote: »

Wasn't out today but am curious to know if anybody saw them at their usual spot under the bridge on the Finglas Rd ?

Drove past there at about 12:30 midday and no one there

jprboy · 07-07-2012 12:07pm

gammygils wrote: »

You're safe enough. The Gardai or Traffic Corps. have to stop you.
They can't just post you a fine like the Go Slow Vans do

gebbel wrote: »

Thanks for that. Relieved to read it.

The Gardai do also use unmarked camera vans, though, and you will receive notification in the post if they nab you. Have 2 fines (4 points in total) to prove it.

Iwannahurl · 10-07-2012 12:21am

techdiver wrote: »

Ah yes, St Stephens Green. On par with the back roads of Donegal with regards to danger.

Same as last weekend, I saw a GoSafe van on Pembroke Road, once again another straight safe road. Along with the continue lazy presence of a Garda with a speed gun at the Point side of the East Link.

Operation Slow Down, more like Operation Revenue Generation to me.

45 47 thanks for that nonsense? Ah, Motors; ya gotta love it...

St Stephen's Green is within the 30 km/h zone, AFAIK, and therefore well suitable for a bit of enforcement. Also there was a serious crash there several years ago where a cyclist was very badly injured.

Cyclists have also highlighted problems on Pembroke Road.

There's a simple way to avoid contributing to alleged revenue generation. So obvious it doesn't need to be spelled out, even in this forum.

Incidentally, AGS are claiming the lack of revenue generation as a success: "Up to 4pm over 33,000 vehicles were monitored and only 45 were detected for exceeding the speed limit."

How much is a speeding fine? €80?

If so, by 4pm they had collected the princely sum of €3600.

Disgraceful, isn't it?

techdiver · 10-07-2012 9:36am

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Cyclists have also highlighted problems on Pembroke Road

I cycle by there every day and the problem is not speed it's driver behaviour (switching lanes without indicating, cutting cyclists off to get across), which will not be addressed by a gosafe van at 5am on the Baggot street side of Pembroke Road outbound!

Iwannahurl · 10-07-2012 9:49am

techdiver wrote: »

I cycle by there every day and the problem is not speed it's driver behaviour (switching lanes without indicating, cutting cyclists off to get across), which will not be addressed by a gosafe van at 5am on the Baggot street side of Pembroke Road outbound!

Bad driving is always made worse by speeding, therefore effective speed enforcement reduces the general impact of excessive speed.

IIRC the current speed enforcement programme includes a survey element, whereby speed cameras are deployed in certain areas to assess 85th percentiles etc. Perhaps such a survey was done on Pembroke Road?

By the way, what's the speed limit on Pembroke Road?

smash · 13-07-2012 2:29pm

Garda initiative Operation Slowdown impacts speeding by almost 50%

Gardaí say its shows that motorists listened to their message, but are calling on them to continue to obey speed limits.

'Operation Slowdown' got underway at 7am last Friday and ran for 24 hours.

Gardaí warned the public that every speed detection device they had would be deployed during that period and urged them to slow down.
For the most part they did.

Initial figures - from the privately-operated GoSafe vans - show that of the 75,000 people monitored by their cameras just 154 broke the speed limit, compared to a typical figure of 300, gardaí claim.

GoSafe vans typically monitor an area for two to three hours at a time. During this period, they usually detect around five or six vehicles speeding.

But during Operation Slowdown more than half of these monitoring periods ended with no speeding detections.

However, since the operation gardaí say they have recorded motorists travelling more than 50km/h above the speed limit.

They say they are planning similar operations to tackle speeding and learner drivers driving unaccompanied in the coming months.

The public had been informed that every speed detection device they had would be deployed during that period.

Initial figures, from the privately operated GoSafe vans show that of the 75,000 people monitored by their cameras.

Just 154 broke the speed limit while there is a typical figure of 300.

GoSafe vans typically monitor an area for two to three hours at a time.

During this period, they usually detect around 5 or 6 vehicles speeding.

But during "Operation Slowdown" more than half of these monitoring periods ended with no speeding detections.

However, since the operation gardaí say they have recorded motorists travelling more than 50km above the speed limit.

The gardaí say they are planning similar operations to tackle speeding and learner drivers driving unaccompanied in the coming months.

Source: http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0713/speeding.html

What a load of shíte.

Operation Slow Down

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