This farce the Gardai call Speed Detection

joeblogg1

Travelling to work this morning on M50 from South to North. White van with Camera in back window in roadworks between Ballymount and Red Cow exits.
I knew he was there this week because I think he caught me last Saturday.


Now Im all for crime detection but this is beyond ridiculous

Where are the great Gardai helping to improve the flow of traffic on that route every bl**dy weekday morning when I have to endure crawling along there. Needless to say they dont put the camera out there during the week as no one ever even gets up to 60 kmph there.

This is nothing but a moneygrabbing racket and is only catching the few poor sods who have to go to work on a Saturday morning.

PLEASEEEEE SPREAD THE WORD FAR AND WIDE ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR SPOT AS I THINK IT IS VERY CHEEKY ON THE PART OF THE GARDAI AND REALLY BRINGS THE WHOLE SPEED DETECTION THING INTO DISREPUTE

Wishbone Ash

joeblogg1 wrote:

Needless to say they dont put the camera out there during the week as no one ever even gets up to 60 kmph there.

There is no need for speed detection where there is no speeding. Why would they put a van there when it is not possible to speed. I don't understand your point.

only catching the few poor sods who have to go to work on a Saturday morning.

It will only catch those 'poor sods' exceeding the limit! (Not everyone using the M50 is going to work.

Dundalk Daily

Thats exactly what it is a money racket. Heres another racket that didnt go exactly to plan in yesterdays indo.

Hundreds of motorists fined for speeding in Co Louth look to be in line for refunds due to a mix-up over speed limits.
The motorists are also expected to have penalty points removed from their licences as a result of the blunder.

The move follows the discovery that local Gardai were unaware that the speed limit on the old N1 north of Drogheda from Monasterboice to Killineer was raised from 80km/h to 100km/h at the end of April.

Gardai estimate around 300 drivers have been affected and approximately €24,000 in fines will have to be repaid. :rolleyes:

BrianD3

Poor sods my arse. I manage to stick to the speed limit anytime I'm on the M50 and of course I invariably get swamped and nearly rearended by hundreds of "poor sods" who are too thick to obey the limit. Because of this swamping I am now wary about using the M50 at off peak times and will use an alternative route if possible.

It is well known now that the M50 from Tallaght to Lucan has a 60 km/h limit and will have for years to come, get used to it. it's also well known that the GASTO van is there very regularly

Fey!

Personally, I think that JoeBloggs' sig sums up this thread:

I Feel The Need, The Need for Speed

If he didn't, perhaps speed traps wouldn't be a problem...:rolleyes:

kikel

Fey! wrote:

Personally, I think that JoeBloggs' sig sums up this thread:



If he didn't, perhaps speed traps wouldn't be a problem...:rolleyes:

Seth Brundle

1. the M50 gatso is beside roadworks. If you were working there would you be keen on having people zooming by at 120km/h? There was also a thread here about a car that appeared to be speeding along this stretch, clipped the armco and ended up flying at the height of a double decker bus before it bounced back on the tarmac.
I also tend to keep to the limit for the above reasons but also because I know that it is quite likely for the van to be in this place. I do find it very difficult to keep to the limit but if Im over it, its not by much!

2. the cock up in Louth was caused by the local authority AFAIK and not the gardai. Wasn't it along the stretch just north of Drgheda - the stretch where a number of people have died in RTAs?

Capt'n Midnight

kbannon wrote:

1. the M50 gatso is beside roadworks. If you were working there would you be keen on having people zooming by at 120km/h?

What's the legal status of the 60Km/h signs ?

I have yet to see any car travel below this limit at night.

Seth Brundle

The signs or the limit?
I recall hearing somewhere that the limit was legal but I am not in a position (too lazy) to determine if its true.
I did it at night on the way home from Greystones. Having a squad car behind me at the time helped!

imeddyhobbs

joeblogg1 wrote:

Travelling to work this morning on M50 from South to North. White van with Camera in back window in roadworks between Ballymount and Red Cow exits.
I knew he was there this week because I think he caught me last Saturday.

i work on the upgrade of the M50 and i reckon that there should be more speed checks along the works areas,about a month ago a truck crashed into the area where we were working,if we had to been at that spot where the truck came in then we would have been killed and there is no doubt that it was due to excessive speed in these works areas.
I will let you all in in a little secret here,but after that accident involving the truck,workers on the site had a meeting with health and safety officers,to make a long story short there will be garda cars doing speed checks between the N4 and the tallaght exit every day from 6 to 6,they will be in on the site,flyovers,but mostly travelling among the traffic,they are in all sort of cars,last tuesday they were driving a 95 opel corsa,since i have started working the M50 i have never been so afraid of people!

Dundalk Daily

Front page of the British Daily Mail tomorow is about the scam that is speed detection machines. Guy who manufactures them comes clean and spills the beans, should be interesting. :eek:

Seth Brundle

Daily mail Story...


I have no recollection of this...

Mr Ricketts said the Irish government had made an election promise to reduce stamp duty and had made it clear they would make up the lost revenue from speeding fines.

Wishbone Ash

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

What's the legal status of the 60Km/h signs ?

I have yet to see any car travel below this limit at night.

From www.m50.ie (I assume that the relevant byelaws would have been enacted as it is the country's busiest road).

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When will work start on the M50 Upgrade Project N4 to Ballymount?
A. Work will begin this autumn and be completed in two years, in 2008.
Q. What does this work consist of?
A. Contract 1 consists of the widening of the M50 between the N4 Interchange and Ballymount Interchange and the upgrade of the N4, N7 and Ballymount Interchanges
Q. What will the speed limit be during the works?
A. The maximum speed limit of 60km will apply for the duration of the works.
Q. How many lanes of traffic will be open during the works?
A. Two lanes will be open in each direction, between 6am and 10pm. During night time hours, lane reductions may be necessary?
Q. What about room for emergency vehicles?
A. There will always be a dedicated lane for emergency vehicles during the works
Q. How will we know about traffic management details during the works?
A. Traffic management details will be announced through the media and on www.m50.ie.
Q. How many kms are in this Phase of the project?
A. Contract 1, N4 to Ballymount is 8 km long.
Q. How long is the M50 motorway?
A. The entire M50 motorway between the M1 Interchange and the Sandyford interchange is 32km long.
Q. How long will it take to upgrade the entire 32km?
A. By 2010 the upgrade will be completed.
Q. How many lanes will there be for traffic?
A. By 2010 there will be three lanes in each direction on the M50.
Q. What about the fourth lane?
A. There will be a fourth dedicated lane between large interchanges so that a motorists entering the M50 and exiting at the next major junction/interchange will not need to move out into one of the three traffic lanes. This fourth lane will not extend to go through the junctions, so it will only be used by traffic taking the first exit off the M50.
Q. Who is the lead contractor on the M50?
A. SIAC/Ferrovial Joint Venture is the lead contractor.
Q. Who do I contact for further information?
A. There is an emergency freephone 1800 243 454 and you can also email info@m50.ie

Gillo

So what exactly is your point OP?
You were caught speeding, have to pay and thats not fair??

The van is placed somewhere where people speed and it can catch them, thats why it's not there during the weekK

Seth Brundle

gillo wrote:

The van is placed somewhere where people speed and it can catch them, thats why it's not there during the weekK

It is there frequently during the week. Just not during rush hour!

kikel

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

I have yet to see any car travel below this limit at night.

I have travelled along that route at the speed limit. it was comical to see the cars whizz by me.

fletch

I saw a white van parked perpendicular to the M50 under the Ballymount bridge. Would this have been a speed check, I wasn't sure cause I assumed that they would have to park parallel to the road...?

kikel

it has to be parrallel to the road!

Seth Brundle

The talivan work by taking a pic out the back of the van when it can determine both speed and reg of the car. Some of the vans apparently take pics out through the front also!

Victor

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

What's the legal status of the 60Km/h signs ?.

A city / county manager can do a speed limit order for road works.

Mr Ricketts said the Irish government had made an election promise to reduce stamp duty and had made it clear they would make up the lost revenue from speeding fines.

The government gets about 3 billion euro per year from stamp duty, thats 37.5 million 80 euro fines, compared to a usual, I'd say 100,000 fines. If the average motorist isn't getting the message with 20 speeding tickets a year, I don't think the fines are the problem.