Thumbs up for the Gardai

murphaph

Not normally one to praise the actions of our boys and girls in blue (when it comes to road traffic legislation enforcement), I was pleasantly surprised today. I was walking along the new Ongar Distributor Road and I saw in the distance a handheld speed trap, Gardai sans dayglo vests of course. Now, this DISTRIBUTOR road has a very high level of segregation from housing with high walls and just a few access points from the estates it runs through. The road connects to Blanchardstown Road South (another distributor road with less segregation from housing estates) which has a 60km/h limit, while the Ongar Distributor has a 50km/h limit-a ridiculously low limit it is.

So I assumed the Guards were on 'easy pickings' duty but virtually everyone, including myself exceed the limit slightly and most people drive at around 60km/h but they were pulling nobody over even though people were clearly travelling in excess of 50km/h. I thought that was a good use of Garda discretion there. They know the limit makes no sense but there are the usual assholes who treat it like a race track and drive at 100km/h or more on it.

So as they were letting motorists who posed little danger to others cruise through at around 60km/h. along comes a NI registered twat (sorry any NI folks-not generalising about you, he was a twat though!) and he's behind a woman doing about 60km/h, when he decides this is waaay to slow for him so he overtakes at speed (must have been over 80 or 90km/h) on hatchings (it's approaching a junction with a traffic island and traffic lights in the middle, so not a sensible place to overtake!), straight into the Guard's trap, up goes the laimh-"STAD!".

Good use of discretion with careful drivers being let go on their way and pulling over a genuinely dangerous driver. That's what we need to see from the Gardai, not pulling over every sucker doing 5km/h over the ridiculously low limit in the first place.:)

Big Nelly

Good one by the Garda, didnt think they where ever on that road. Will have to slow up in future when Im on it. :eek:

Road is great for me because GF lives in clonee but the one thing is the lights. If you do it right and slow down when you see the first set of lights are red and get to them just as they turn green you will have green lights the whole way down:D

If you don't and get stuck at the lights have a little snooze because it takes them ages to go back to green:mad:

ciarsd

Might slow mister white van man down & from undertaking in the bus lane as I've experienced on 3 occasions so far (roads only open since Dec 15th!)

Seanie M

They get my thumbs up too! IF a road can be used for a 60K/h instead of a designated 50K/h, then so be it - The Gardai, whil just doing their duty, are the same as the rest of us when it comes to motoring.

Seanie.

murphaph

ciarsd wrote:

Might slow mister white van man down & from undertaking in the bus lane as I've experienced on 3 occasions so far (roads only open since Dec 15th!)

Unfortunately because the idiot contractors have erected incorrect bus lane signage, it is perfectly legal to drive to the left of the thick continuous white line. Look closely at the signs-they are back to front!

John R

murphaph wrote:

Unfortunately because the idiot contractors have erected incorrect bus lane signage, it is perfectly legal to drive to the left of the thick continuous white line. Look closely at the signs-they are back to front!

True but undertaking is still illegal.

TempestSabre

Its a poor limit for that road ok.

Tipsy Mac

I saw some poor and perhaps disciminatory policing this morning by the Gardai. They were stopping cars using the bus lanes at Clontarf, I see an Irish car pass me inside on the buslane followed by a German A Class Merc, the two cars are pulled over by the Garda, but then he simply waves on the German car while pulling the Irish driver in out of the lane, how fair is that? BTW I spotted the German leaving the normal lane and going into the bus lane, it was no accident....:mad:

jesus_thats_gre

where should they have pulled them over so?

C_Breeze

thats a stupid f'n road. 50kmh-wtf ...and then you get stuck behind some biddy crawling on it. best remedy; Bus lane, undertake and floor it. limit on that road should be at least 80kmh.

they only put that speed limit up to make money, damn scabs. what the hell is the point of even having a decent car in this country.

Gary ITR

murphaph wrote:

Unfortunately because the idiot contractors have erected incorrect bus lane signage, it is perfectly legal to drive to the left of the thick continuous white line. Look closely at the signs-they are back to front!

What do you mean back to front?

fletch

ciarsd wrote:

Might slow mister white van man down & from undertaking in the bus lane as I've experienced on 3 occasions so far (roads only open since Dec 15th!)

Emmm I aint seen a sign indicating what times it's a bus lane yet so I use it all the time.....saw the coppers today alright....had some woman in a convertible mini pulled over....I agree the speed limit is a joke! the surface is so good, doin 30mph feels stopped!

johnnyrotten

John R wrote:

True but undertaking is still illegal.

Passing on the left is'nt though!!!

pcwares

1o% discretion relative to speed..and have u ever recieved a fine in the post for speeding. It is the way they hand them out ...cant pull everone over.

so if you get a 80 euro fine in the post...you will be eating your words. As 'if ' the gardai would flout the law......donegal donegal donegal

vms7ply9t6dw4b

Tipsy Mac wrote:

I saw some poor and perhaps disciminatory policing this morning by the Gardai. They were stopping cars using the bus lanes at Clontarf, I see an Irish car pass me inside on the buslane followed by a German A Class Merc, the two cars are pulled over by the Garda, but then he simply waves on the German car while pulling the Irish driver in out of the lane, how fair is that? BTW I spotted the German leaving the normal lane and going into the bus lane, it was no accident....:mad:

Was she a fat butch looking female gard by any chance?

murphaph

Onkle51 wrote:

What do you mean back to front?

There's a whole thread on this in Commuing/Transport. I won't divert this one but this is what I mean.