Do not mess about this Christmas

Victor

I was talking to a PSNI officer the other day. Instead of the usual 800 PSNI traffic officers on duty, there will be another 3,000 (yes!) officers (normally on tactical / security duties) assigned to traffic duties over the Christmas period.

Do not mess about up North. If they can't summons you, they will arrest you and you will have to pay cash to bail yourself out.

Oh, also, they are organising cross border checkpoint with the garda on several routes, if you get caught or are suspected of anything on one side, they will phone ahead to the other side of the border to detail someone to keep an eye on you.

godtabh

Victor wrote:

I was talking to a PSNI officer the other day. Instead of the usual 800 PSNI traffic officers on duty, there will be another 3,000 (yes!) officers (normally on tactical / security duties) assigned to traffic duties over the Christmas period.

Do not mess about up North. If they can't summons you, they will arrest you and you will have to pay cash to bail yourself out.

Oh, also, they are organising cross border checkpoint with the garda on several routes, if you get caught or are suspected of anything on one side, they will phone ahead to the other side of the border to detail someone to keep an eye on you.

I think that goes without saying any time of the year.

There was a poster on the motors forum who got done for speeding and was nicked till some one bailed him out

admiralofthefleet

it was me who got caught and posted in the motors forum, i wouldnt encourage messing on the roads up there at any time of the year, they WILL catch you

chamar

They drive so much slower up north......we are all maniacs.

DerekP11

......yep and our system lets northern reg'd cars drive like morons down here and polish and lativian and lithuanian and in fact any other European reg'd car. But of course the PC police are already honing in on my post. (statement based on previous threads concerning "foreign" nationals and driving)

Pity our actual police force don't have powers to apply a fair implementation of road traffic laws to all vehicles. Fair play to the PSNI. Im up north regularly and don't take it for granted. But then I don't take it for granted down here either. But I do have a problem with non-state reg plates (is that PC enough) getting away with road traffic offences.

What reasonably minded driver wouldn't?

Reyman

I wouldn't be one for complaining about East Europeans - in fact I quite like them. They're better guys than a lot of our local gurriers.

But I was coming on to the M50 the other day at the Dundrum roundabout , with the right of way and taking it easy thank god. When I saw this guy approaching from the left and something told me he was coming straight through !!

He was and did at 50MPH. I missed him by feet. He then headed down the fast lane of the M50 at about 90 MPH. I was shaken for an hour afterwards

A guy in his 30s and a Latvian car

DerekP11

Reyman wrote:

I wouldn't be one for complaining about East Europeans - in fact I quite like them. They're better guys than a lot of our local gurriers.

But I was coming on to the M50 the other day at the Dundrum roundabout , with the right of way and taking it easy thank god. When I saw this guy approaching from the left and something told me he was coming straight through !!

He was and did at 50MPH. I missed him by feet. He then headed down the fast lane of the M50 at about 90 MPH. I was shaken for an hour afterwards

A guy in his 30s and a Latvian car

Now I fully accept that the car your mention could have been D,KE,MH,C,G,OY,KY,L,LK,TN,TS etc. reg plate. But the aforementioned reg plates are automatically traceable under our system. Unfortunetly, if the car your speak off was spotted by a Garda, the reg number would prove useless. Furthermore if you decided to phone in a complaint of dangerous driving, the reg number is useless. If the driver is stopped by the gardai, were into the whole question of residency, tourist etc.(but some hope of a prosecution maybe but unlikely) Speed cameras/traps don't apply.

Overall, as Ireland's economy continues to demand workers from abroad and as many of them bring their cars, we are left open to a situation whereby we have no control over Insurance issues, their reg plates are not included on our system and there is not specific way of implementing the most basic of road violations against them. Even a parking ticket is null and void as our system has no way of dealing with it to any degree.

Example: I was in Malahide yesterday afternoon on the main street. Looking to get into the loading bay outside Coffee Scene, if anyone knows it. Two private vehicles parked in it. Traffic Warden on site to issue fines. I park in legitimate parking space further down with my arse end sticking out of the space because its almost impossible to cross the street and park properly with these two private vehicles in the loading area. I go about my work and watch the traffic warden plant ticket on Irish reged car, aswell of taking photo of it with his council issued digital camera. So far so Good. I said fair play to him. Nearing the end of my business I note that the second car in the loading bay has no ticket on it and warden is down the street a bit. Second car is a polish reg. None of my business I think so I pop across the road to grab a takeaway lunch. Standing waiting on a Wednesday treat of some nice cod, when I notice that the warden has approached my van and has his computer thingy out and in full tip tap action. Over I go. Whats up? Then I get a lecture about being finished unloading, parked in a normal parking space, no permit etc etc. I explain that I couldn't get into the loading bay. I issued tickets to vehicles in the loading bay he said. I point to polish reg with no ticket and he accused me of giving him lip and that he doesn't have to take it. He walks away. I collect lunch. No ticket, but you have to ask a question or two about this sort of carry on.

daymobrew

DerekP11 wrote:

I point to polish reg with no ticket and he accused me of giving him lip and that he doesn't have to take it. He walks away. I collect lunch. No ticket, but you have to ask a question or two about this sort of carry on.

Wouldn't it be amusing if the Polish car was towed, either to a central depot or just moved to a neighbouring street (this is sometimes done if the offending car is blocking traffic). When the owner contacts the Gardai or the traffic warden they explain that their system can't handle foreign reg plates and are unable to help. IMO we are too soft on law breakers and it's those obeying the law that are screwed.

Shield

It's true. There is huge enforcement at the moment in a drive to promote safer driving in Northern Ireland. This is common knowledge.

For certain traffic offences, if you are not resident in NI and you are caught, you will be detained until you enter into a recognisance to appear before a magistrate at some point to answer that charge.

The recognisance is usually a lot more than the fine for the offence, making it a big incentive to attend court when the date is set!

Can't comment on any of the other operational stuff Victor mentioned unfortunately.

Victor wrote:

I was talking to a PSNI officer the other day. Instead of the usual 800 PSNI traffic officers on duty, there will be another 3,000 (yes!) officers (normally on tactical / security duties) assigned to traffic duties over the Christmas period.

Do not mess about up North. If they can't summons you, they will arrest you and you will have to pay cash to bail yourself out.

Oh, also, they are organising cross border checkpoint with the garda on several routes, if you get caught or are suspected of anything on one side, they will phone ahead to the other side of the border to detail someone to keep an eye on you.

Wishbone Ash

I was driving through the A5 southbound this morning and saw three seperate ROI registered vehicles pulled over by the PSNI along the route. There was also a PSNI marked 4x4 parked where the A5/N2 merge, i.e. right on the bridge at the border outside Aughnacloy.

On a slightly similar subject, I travelled 1,000 miles, North and South over the past 3 days and didn't meet a single Garda checkpoint. Back in Dublin, I meet several on a daily basis.

Reyman wrote:

He then headed down the fast lane of the M50

:eek: - the dreaded F word.