Speeding HGVs

Patrickof

Hi,

We live on a quiet rural road, which also provides one of two access routes to a local quarry. Many times a day loaded HGV (HINO tipper trucks) go up and down by our house, at what looks like excessive speed (I don't have a speed gun so I haven't actually measured their speed).


Normally, who is responsible for repairing the roadside, i.e., huge ruts in margin, frequent pot holes
Do trucks have an automatic right to choose whichever route they see fit (where more than one alternative is available?)
Would the quarry have had conditions imposed on its Planning Permission regarding truck access and maybe they hours they can access? (The PP was granted years ago and we haven't yet gotten a copy)
Is it possible to apply to have speed bumps installed?


I hope the above doesn't breach the posting rules, I don't want specifics in relation to us, just general info.

seamus

Moved. Tis really more of an infrastructure query

timmywex

get a copy of the pp from the council
apply for speed bumbs because of risk of injury as it is a small road
if you can prove that it was as a result of the trucks that the potholes occured, it will become the companies problem to deal with them

Wishbone Ash

The quarry may have been established before formal planning permission was required some time in the 1960s, (many quarries are).

You don't say what the speed limit is on your road. A truck is legally restricted to 80kph (unless a lower limit is in place).

Why are loaded trucks going 'up and down'? Surely they should only be loaded leaving the quarry?

daymobrew

Talk to the Transportation and Roads departments of your local authority.
The Transportation department should be able to advise on the legality of the route choice and the Roads department should be able to help fix problems. Get onto the Gardai wrt speeding and other dangerous driving.

Wishbone Ash

Are there weight limit restriction signs on the road?

BrianD3

As already stated, the quarry may not have/need planning permission if it's been there for years.

I know of several quarries located beside narrow country roads and often see the problems that you describe with the road deteriorating and verges cut to bits by tipper trucks pulling into them. I think there is very little that can be done - the council is unlikely to interfere with the quarry's operation by imposing a weight limit on the access road(s). I have never seen speed bumps on a country road and i doubt it would do any good in this case. It's likely that those trucks are actually travelling relatively slowly anyway and no matter how slowly they go they're still going to make sh1t of the verge if it's a narrow road.

Patrickof

The quarry got PP in 1991, we're getting a copy of the PP today.

The road is an 80-Kph road (unmarked) but I gather it falls under the 80kph rules.

Yeah OK, they're empty on the way back!

80Kph is not a suitable speed for this road (even for a car), bits of it are very narrow sharp turns (blind due to large hedges, even for trucks).

Thanks for the advice, we'll chase it up.

Patrickof

As regards the other point, the legality. I know its a "public road" but does that mean that trucks can just choose whatever route they feel like (weight restrictions considered)?

In this case, there is a shorter narrow road that leads directly onto an N route, but obviously it may not be in the direction they are going.

Victor

Wishbone Ash wrote:

The quarry may have been established before formal planning permission was required some time in the 1960s, (many quarries are).

There is a new registration scheme in place for quarries.

Patrickof wrote:

80Kph is not a suitable speed for this road (even for a car), bits of it are very narrow sharp turns (blind due to large hedges, even for trucks).

Ask the council to change the speed limit. Although speed limits are not usually used for corners / bends.

Del2005

Patrickof wrote:

As regards the other point, the legality. I know its a "public road" but does that mean that trucks can just choose whatever route they feel like (weight restrictions considered)?

In this case, there is a shorter narrow road that leads directly onto an N route, but obviously it may not be in the direction they are going.

Yes they can use any "public road", aside from weight restricted ones, as they have paid their road tax like you.

So you want then to go down a narrower road then go past your house

corktina

when a quarry near to us opened a couple of years ago there were specifeid routes in the PP...not that any notice is taken of that. These restrictions wouldnt apply to trucks not owned by the quarry anyway I guess..

bit of NIMBYism involved here isnt there? if they've paid their road tax, they are entitled to be there, although I do sympathise with the OP....Asking the council to impose restrictionsis the only way to go, no guarantee they will do anything though....they are likely to be the quarries biggest customer....

Victor

corktina wrote:

when a quarry near to us opened a couple of years ago there were specifeid routes in the PP...not that any notice is taken of that.

Potentially a weight limit could be put on the road and photos could be taken of offenders.

These restrictions wouldnt apply to trucks not owned by the quarry anyway I guess.

They could, just as a publican is to some degree responsible for his customers.

DubTony

corktina wrote:

Asking the council to impose restrictionsis the only way to go, no guarantee they will do anything though....they are likely to be the quarries biggest customer....

all the more reason why the quarry people would do as they're asked.

RedPlanet

timmywex wrote:

apply for speed bumbs because of risk of injury as it is a small road

How do you apply for speed bumps?

Wishbone Ash

Victor wrote:

Potentially a weight limit could be put on the road and photos could be taken of offenders.

To place a weight restriction there would have to be an alternative unrestricted route available. If there is no alternative route, a weigh restriction sign may legally be ignored.

Partickof - Is the quarry in question in North County Dublin by any chance?

Patrickof

Thanks for the replies.

The quarry is not in Dublin (we're in the midlands).

As regards NIMBYism, I don't have a problem with the trucks per se, but just it is a dangerous situation. The full story of the situation is that we're expecting twins soon, and my wife reguarly walks the above route (as do lots of others) and it is quite dangerous on your own - never mind pushing a twin pram/buggy! Also the sides of the road are destroyed from trucks squeezing past each other so there's nowhere other than the road surface to walk on.

The alternative route is similarly narrow (a bit less twisty) but is shorter and leads onto the N80, it seems more sensible they should use this - it is still part of the walking route that everyone uses but is a shorter part.

Victor

How about making it one-way to avoid trucks meeting?

corktina

its a real problem for anyone living near facilites such as these,and I do sympathise..I guess the council are to blame for not insisting on the road being widened before the quarry opened.

I'm sure the people on the other road wouldnt want the trucks sent that way either, so that isnt the solution.

Theres an election coming up, make a nuisance of yourself to the candidates, get a commitmant out of them to do something to help you.

Patrickof

Got a copy of the PP. The original granted PP had a condition limiting the quarry to 4 years, however this is not mentioned in the Bord Pleanala appeal (which was also granted). There's no time limit mentioned.

I presume the Bord Pleanala conditions supercede the original Co Co conditions (in fact, the original Co Co conditions can be ignored?)

There is a 60K amount that the quarry had to pay the Co Co for the upgrading of the surrounding roads - can I ask for evidence that this was paid, and that the Co Co actually used it for the stated purposes?

Wishbone Ash

Patrickof wrote:

There is a 60K amount that the quarry had to pay the Co Co for the upgrading of the surrounding roads

€60,000 would only be a drop in the ocean for upgrading roads.