Naas Road Speeding Allegation

rymus

Got a notice in the post that I was apparently doing 78km/h in a special speed limit of 60km/h on the N7 Naas Road on 28th October. But I wasn't on the N7. I did turn off toward the city from the M50 on the Red Cow roundabout but after checking fingal county council's website, I see that road is actually the R110. I was coming southbound from the N4 so never actually went around the roundabout, which I believe is part of the N7.

So could the speeding notice actually have the wrong road number on it? Would this get thrown out? As far as I can make out, I must have been 'caught' as I drove down the road past Harris Commercials towards the Coca Cola factory.

I'll expect the typical "you broke the law, pay the fine" answers but does anyone have anything useful to say on the matter?

Wishbone Ash

You may need to check first that the local authority has not renamed the road in question. Maps can be out of date. You probably have a good case otherwise. It's definitely not the N7 in any of my maps.

(Did you query this already on another thread?)

rymus

yeah Wishbone, I mentioned this on the M1 speeding thread, just wanted to start afresh here and clarify the situation. I'm going to ring Fingal county council and a few more tomorrow to see if I can get a definate answer on the road number, in writing if possible.

Savman

I see where you're coming from but personally I'd not risk taking something like that to court to try get off on a technicality.

I thought at first maybe it was an abbreviated version of "N7/Naas Rd" which would imply it was that general area. I didn't actually know that stretch wasnt the N7 but it is widely referred to as such.

You really have to ask yourself, is it worth the risk?
4 penalty points + bigger fine?

rymus

Savman wrote:

You really have to ask yourself, is it worth the risk?
4 penalty points + bigger fine?

That's exactly what's been going through my head since I received the notice. I know in the end I'll probably pay the €80 and take the 2 points, but it's annoying after just having 2 points removed from my license last month.. I'd like to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, if I have decent grounds to contest the fine, given that so many people have had so many fines thrown out of court already on technicalities that are much more obtuse.

Wishbone Ash

rymus wrote:

I'm going to ring Fingal county council

Would that not be South Dublin CC. Fingal doesn't go southside.

rymus

err yeah.. .them too

endplate

The traffic corps GATSO vans probably don't have the capacity to set their equipment to state offences happened on anything other than on N or M roads.

rymus

possibly, but isn't that a fundamental flaw if indeed the road is the R110? That'd mean anyone ever caught speeding on that road could get the case thrown out in court. Seems like a glaringly obvious and blatantly stupid shortcoming of the system tbh...

Wishbone Ash

endplate wrote:

The traffic corps GATSO vans probably don't have the capacity to set their equipment to state offences happened on anything other than on N or M roads.

They certainly do.




OP - you could also contact the National Roads Authority and ask them if that section of road is within their remit. (They deal with National (N) and Motorways (M) only AFAIK. If they say it is not, then it is not the N7.


The National Roads Authority
St. Martin's House,
Waterloo Road,
Dublin 4,
Ireland

Telephone: +353 1 6602511
Fax: +353 1 6680009
Email: info@nra.ie

ciarsd

The fact you seem suprised by the notice, I presume you were never stopped and that a GATSO got you?

If so, chances are it was parked up in it's usual spot - opposite side to the Red Cow hotel, down near Coca Cola, but before the junction.

BrianD3

It's very unlikely that the road has been renamed. R roads generally don't get reclassified as N roads.

Very sloppy by the Garda to get such a fundamental detail wrong. I wonder do they record detailed locations for their speed traps eg grid references. If the grid reference points to the R110 but the notice says the N7 then I'd imagine that that would be enough of a technicality to get you off. But i probably wouldn't chance it myself

Also, I wonder if the temporary speed limit was legally binding i.e approved by the relevant county manager. It is entirely possible that there could be a discrepancy with this too.

rymus

cheers wishbone, I'll give both the nra and the sdcc a buzz in the morning.

Yeah ciarsd, gatso'd. Personally, I'd prefer to be stopped and have it pointed out to me.

ciarsd

rymus wrote:

Yeah ciarsd, gatso'd. Personally, I'd prefer to be stopped and have it pointed out to me.

Agreed, I felt this way too when caught a couple of years back on the N4 outside liffey valley - I didn't realise until about 4-6 weeks later when I received 'the letter'.
Like you, my ticket was issued with errors. Date of issue instead of, date of offence - it just so happened that I was working a 12hr shift on the 'wrong' supposid date so queue mega confusion/questioning/phone calls to query.

endplate

Wishbone Ash wrote:

They certainly do.
]

I was only messin;)

MercMad

Surely a quick call to a solicitor will get you an answer !

You only have 28 days before the fine increases, and I doubt you'll get anyone to respond in writing within that period !

Fey!

Do the gatso catches not send out a picture of the car/number plate?

Sorry if that sounds stupid, but I haven't been on the receiving end yet. I thought that they were equipped with cameras.

Thumper Long

my gps system refers to it as the N7, it even refers to the south quays as the N7 as you are heading out of town, just my 2C

Seth Brundle

Yahoo Maps refer to it as both the N7 and R110

Fey! wrote:

Do the gatso catches not send out a picture of the car/number plate?

Sorry if that sounds stupid, but I haven't been on the receiving end yet. I thought that they were equipped with cameras.

Thankfully, neither have I but I gather that a location, date/time and speed are printed on a photo of your car & reg.

daymobrew

Fey! wrote:

Do the gatso catches not send out a picture of the car/number plate?

I had to write in and ask for the photo.

Seth Brundle

Im wrong then - so am I right in thinking that all you get is a letter saying that you were caught speeding along with there and when?

endplate

Yup you get a letter with a pic of your reg number. Stating where you were nabbed the speed time and date and a pay up or else note at the end

daymobrew

kbannon wrote:

Im wrong then - so am I right in thinking that all you get is a letter saying that you were caught speeding along with there and when?

I just got a letter. No pics. This was in July 2004.