238 speeding cases thrown out in Wicklow

HelterSkelter

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0616/wicklow.html

A Co Wicklow judge has thrown out a total of 238 speeding cases over doubts about the legality of a special speed limit on the N11.

Judge Murrough Connellan criticised the County Council for not being forthcoming with information about the issue and unnecessarily prolonging the case for a large number of defendants.

Judge Connellan said he was none the wiser today about the legality of a special 60km limit at Kilmacanogue.

He said a large number of people have had to give up a day's work on three occasions while a challenge was heard concerning the validity of the special speed limit adopted by the county council between April 2004 and November 2005.

Afterwards some of the people who had their summonses dismissed said they had been left with legal bills for several hundred euro.

Many complained that they had not been given the option of paying the fine and were instead summonsed to appear in court.

A garda spokesperson said gardaí had no power to lift fines or penalty points for those who have already had their cases dealt with and any appeal would be a matter for the courts.

But the spokesperson said anyone who did pay a fixed penalty and received penalty points through the post would have these sanctions lifted automatically.

Alun

I'm not surprised TBH. This mess has been dragging on for ages, with there being no real evidence as to whether the speed limits imposed were legal or not, and whether Wicklow CC had done everything according to the books.

Anyway, there's no reason at all for the 60km/h limit on the northbound section of the N11 there. The sliproads to and from the Roundwood / Glendalough road are perfectly adequate. The other side is a different story due to the idiotic way that people exiting from the Shell station are expected to join the main N11 by exiting onto the off-ramp for southbound Glendalough bound traffic. Whoever allowed that to get past planning should be well and truly hung out to dry ... sheer lunacy. That having been said, 80km/h would probably be better suited.

Eoin

Alun wrote:

I'm not surprised TBH. This mess has been dragging on for ages, with there being no real evidence as to whether the speed limits imposed were legal or not, and whether Wicklow CC had done everything according to the books.

Anyway, there's no reason at all for the 60km/h limit on the northbound section of the N11 there. The sliproads to and from the Roundwood / Glendalough road are perfectly adequate. The other side is a different story due to the idiotic way that people exiting from the Shell station are expected to join the main N11 by exiting onto the off-ramp for southbound Glendalough bound traffic. Whoever allowed that to get past planning should be well and truly hung out to dry ... sheer lunacy. That having been said, 80km/h would probably be better suited.

Completely agree as someone who takes that road every day. The northbound road is absolutely fine for 100KMH, but of course that's where the speed traps are always located.

The exit from the shell is ridiculous alright, very little room to get off the sliproad if you are continuing south. 80 may make more sense, but I doubt many people would slow down from 100 to 80, where as they will from 100 to 60.

andrew_ireland

I've said it for a longtime now that there should be a similar wall on the southbound(Shell) side as there is on the northbound(Esso) side so that exiting traffic would be forced to go up and over the slip rather than exiting directly onto the main carriageway. Totally agree the the 60kmph limit northbound is BS and just an easy money spinner.

Alun

andrew_ireland wrote:

I've said it for a longtime now that there should be a similar wall on the southbound(Shell) side as there is on the northbound(Esso) side so that exiting traffic would be forced to go up and over the slip rather than exiting directly onto the main carriageway.

That's indeed been proposed as a solution, but I can't see it working. Cars going southbound and trying to take the Glendalough exit would still have to merge with much slower traffic already on the off-ramp slip road, which would be shortened by the addition of a wall which is just a disaster waiting to happen. It's a partial solution, but it only makes the whole junction layout half-stupid instead of completely stupid.

The only real solution in my mind is to level the existing Shell station to the ground and totally rebuild it in such a way that there's an exit to the rear that would bring you up and out onto the roundabout at the end of off-ramp.

andrew_ireland

I see what you mean alright about the Glendalough exit. That 60 limit is just a coverup for bad planning and lack of foresight I think. I detest either taking the Glendalough exit or leaving the Shell station- it's always a whiteknuckle experience! Is Bray town council the authority on that area?

Alun

I don't know who was responsible, but I'm guessing that it was that paragon of incompetence AKA Wicklow CC.

I use that exit practically every weekend when going out into the Wicklow Mountains, and like you say, it can be quite an experience especially if you throw a group of lycra clad weekend cyclists stopped for a chat on the slip road and a truck parked on the hard shoulder outside the Shell station obscuring the view of exiting cars into the equation as well. :eek::eek::eek: