Operation free flow or no go???

bitemybanger

you will notice Gardai standing at most of the big junctions around Dublin city, this is because Operation "Free Flow" came into operation today,
funnily enough you would think it would ease traffic and shorten your commute to work LOL, it took me 35 mins longer to travel to work than most other days.
Whats your view?? free flow or no go??

Lands Leaving

Ah, I was wondering what that was about!

bitemybanger

Lands Leaving wrote: »

Ah, I was wondering what that was about!

Did it take you longer to commute??

'Ol Jack Chance

I'd love to know who came up with the idea to use gardai as temporary traffic lights. waste of money imo slows everything down

GLaDOS

My da works in Dublin City Council and said it wasn't put into effect today, wasn't really listening so didn't catch the details

Binomate

I fecked a sweet from the top of a bus at a Garda who was directing traffic this morning down in Terrenure village. Just about missed him. It would have been a cracker.

Lands Leaving

bitemybanger wrote: »

Did it take you longer to commute??

I was cycling so not really!

bitemybanger

Binomate wrote: »

I fecked a sweet from the top of a bus at a Garda who was directing traffic this morning down in Terrenure village. Just about missed him. It would have been a cracker.

LOL
ul know exatly when to throw now for a hit.:D

Karoma

http://www.freeflow.ie/ for more information (And a slightly odd choice of photograph).
Moving to Dublin City. ed: ... in a roundabout way. It'll be moved properly shortly. Sorry.

(Permanent redirect from AH)

Lands Leaving

"An additional 160 Gardai have been transferred to the
Dublin Metropolitan Region. These probationers will be solely deployed on
traffic duties for the duration of Operation Freeflow."

Could someone please fight crime in this bloody country?? Jesus people can drive ok without wasting an extra 160 coppers on a pointless scheme

bitemybanger

if there wasnt a road in ireland they would have nothing to do, useless flock.

Wishbone Ash

This would be more appropriate in the Dublin City Forum.

Karoma

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

This would be more appropriate in the Dublin City Forum.

Yes. It would.

ME wrote:

Moving to Dublin City. ed: ... in a roundabout way. It'll be moved properly shortly. Sorry.

Thread reported, asking for the move. There's a redirect from AH so nobody's gonna get lost. It'll be moved shortly I'm sure. So let's stay on-topic.

Wishbone Ash

bitemybanger wrote: »

if there wasnt a road in ireland they would have nothing to do, useless flock.

That's a well thought out post! :rolleyes:

delta_bravo

Binomate wrote: »

I fecked a sweet from the top of a bus at a Garda who was directing traffic this morning down in Terrenure village. Just about missed him. It would have been a cracker.

Congratulations

Jay D

I have to say, sometimes they do help but the city centre ones are a complete waste of money. Take for instance the clown standing on the corner of Clare St and Merrion st, what is he doing the traffic light isn't already doing, a seriously laughable way of performing a task.

Now this is one I have seen more than once this year but last year the same all around town, that is excusing the ones who actually want to make a difference, ie, doing oppisite of the traffic lights. Like come on anyone can see they do **** all around town.


As for the suburbs, I noticed for one that I can remember, the junction at Cloverhill prison and the Liffey valley Rd was significantly assisted by it.

Wishbone Ash

Jay D wrote: »

what is he doing the traffic light isn't already doing

The Garda may find it appropriate to 'override' the lights at certain times using his discretion. It may not have been necessary at the times you passed.

raheny red

Getting home from Drumcondra (through Ballybough and Fairview) has been quick the past two nights. Spotted Guards on the bottom of the Clonliffe Road, Annesley Bridge, and all along the Malahide Road. Working a treat IMO :cool:

traceybere

They only put the free flow in place so guards can get over time for doing Sweet FA

Wishbone Ash

traceybere wrote: »

They only put the free flow in place so guards can get over time for doing Sweet FA

What makes you think that the Gardai on 'Operation Free Flow' get overtime?

copacetic

it has been much quicker for me getting in and out of work all week. they may do 'nothing' but that is enough to prevent all the usual muppets from blocking junctions and yellow boxes, it just shows how much of the bad traffic in dublin is down to terrible driving.

Jay D

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

The Garda may find it appropriate to 'override' the lights at certain times using his discretion. It may not have been necessary at the times you passed.

you're a bit one sided aren't ya.

Must be well in or something cause you can see no wrong in them at all. I am well aware that they can override but am also aware that it's not done in such a way that assists city centre traffic and like has been said, one certainty of a good thing is that the **** head fools skipping etc aren't as prevelant.

Wishbone Ash

Jay D wrote: »

you're a bit one sided aren't ya

That's a laugh! :rolleyes:

Posters speculating and making offensive comments about a branch of the Public Service and I'm accused of being one-sided!

arybvtcw0eolkf

I was stuck in a jam on O'Connell Bridge this evening while the Garda on duty spent the entire time I was there texting on his mobile phone.

Got to the GPO and two female cops there and what do you think they were doing .... yup, texting!.

Karoma

Mairt wrote: »

I was stuck in a jam on O'Connell Bridge this evening while the Garda on duty spent the entire time I was there texting on his mobile phone.

Got to the GPO and two female cops there and what do you think they were doing .... yup, texting!.

Ah, fair play to the male Garda

Potential-Monke

Jay D wrote: »

...can see no wrong in them at all.

Do you even have one idea of the ammount of ****e the Gardai ahve to put up with? Seriously? There's fooking idots like that twat above throwing sweets at them from buses (you're a knob by the way, just below a scumbag), people hurling abuse at them because they deliberately decided to stop their car, being spat upon by complete strangers for no reason, and they ahve THE most accountable job in Ireland. Just because you see a few Gardai doing nothing, or texting, whatever, doesn't mean they all do it. There are 14,000 people in the Garda Siochana, not all of them are the same, and maybe ye would get a better service if everyone didn't immediately have this attitude about them! Some day you might need them, remember that.

As for the topic, everything takes a little time to get going, and it will start working eventually. It's a huge job trying to organise freeflow, and the probationers are still learning, so cut them a bit of slack, the majority of them don't even know what street they're on as they don't know/coulnd't care about Dublin.

Jay D

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Do you even have one idea of the ammount of ****e the Gardai ahve to put up with? Seriously? There's fooking idots like that twat above throwing sweets at them from buses (you're a knob by the way, just below a scumbag), people hurling abuse at them because they deliberately decided to stop their car, being spat upon by complete strangers for no reason, and they ahve THE most accountable job in Ireland. Just because you see a few Gardai doing nothing, or texting, whatever, doesn't mean they all do it. There are 14,000 people in the Garda Siochana, not all of them are the same, and maybe ye would get a better service if everyone didn't immediately have this attitude about them! Some day you might need them, remember that.

As for the topic, everything takes a little time to get going, and it will start working eventually. It's a huge job trying to organise freeflow, and the probationers are still learning, so cut them a bit of slack, the majority of them don't even know what street they're on as they don't know/coulnd't care about Dublin.

I never said anything generalising, you must be a bit slow. I did however look at the good and the bad, you should get out more.

beans

There are good and bad in every organisation, Gardaí are no exception to this. You get some very professional, helpful ones; you get control-freaks and less experienced rookies. With all the lower-ranks on Operation Freeflow, there's no wonder public opinion casts them in a negative light.

Operation FF suffers from a public perception that it doesn't work - this is IMO because of the volume of traffic on the roads. It may in some situations help, but you never hear people texting into Newstalk saying 'Oh the Gards at such-and-such a junction were marvellous'

If it stops ignorant cnuts stopping in yellow boxes and breaking reds etc then I'm all for it. May not do much, but then again it may do some good. or something...

Jay D

right now as we allow the papers to try brainwash people boasting on the guards behalf, one point I am going to make that is valid is the fact that this operation won't work around town due to a clear lack of co-ordination.

Traffic coming from Lower Mount st/Merrion sq wasn't bad, traffic running by the Dáil extremely long tailback, yet a simple looking child of a Garda stood at the padestrian traffic lights doing absolutely **** all whatsoever, another Garda at the other end of Claire st, got the traffic moving and Claire st wasn't so busy, yet this lazy cow stood there still, leaving the traffic exactly as it was, taking no advantage the fact that she could have got a lot of cars moving swiftly rather than leave a road empty.

Complete and utter joke.

raheny red

Seen at least 5 drivers in North Strand being stopped for breath tests tonight around 9ish!

traceybere

My cousin and a friend work for the guards and both are in seperate stations. They are getting overtime for the next 3 weeks doing morning traffic

beans

I always wondered why Op FF. kicked off around Christmas time. No more traffic on the roads I would have thought.

The cynic in me is thinking 'Christmas bonus...'

Anyone got any less cynical reason for the timing?

copacetic

beans wrote: »

I always wondered why Op FF. kicked off around Christmas time. No more traffic on the roads I would have thought.

The cynic in me is thinking 'Christmas bonus...'

Anyone got any less cynical reason for the timing?

there is much more traffic on the roads.

tampopo

Sweet mother of god.

Outside IMMA and Kilmainham Jail this afternoon/evening. Gobsh!tes going north on the SCR 'parking' in the yellow box junction at the beginning of Inchicore Rd. preventing traffic from southbound SCR turning right up Inchicore Rd. thus backing up traffic on John's Rd and the rest of SCR from the Phoenix Park.

All 150m from Kilmainham Garda Station. Plus the usual suspects on the southbound Right Turn Only lane onto Inchicore Rd cutting in to the Ahead Only lane. All day, every day, not just at Christmas.

I rarely drive that route (mostly cycle) and seeing that sort of behaviour puts me off. Wait till Clancy Barracks is finished with the hundreds of apartments in there!!!

So: no go.

Wishbone Ash

beans wrote: »

The cynic in me is thinking 'Christmas bonus...

Most of the Gardai involved in OFF are rookies from the Garda Training College in Templemore. They can easily be identified by their blue epaulettes.

the_syco

HAHAHA. I love OFF, as it cuts down on my commute time. You see, I get the bus, and when the f**ks driving in the bus lane know that a Garda will be ahead, they won't drive in it, which ensures the bus whizzes along, esp coming back in the evenings (along Upper Drumcondra Road/Swords Road).

ojewriej

I think that's the whole point of the Op. Freeflow - to help the Public Transport moving smoother, not the private cars. About 10.000 people more than usual use public transport around Christmas Time.

Last year i thought it worked great, I think. This year not really. I think it's mostly due to the see of probationer gardai, who obviously have less experience

Wishbone Ash

ojewriej wrote: »

Last year i thought it worked great, I think. This year not really. I think it's mostly due to the see of probationer gardai, who obviously have less experience

It has always been trainee Gardai!

ojewriej

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It has always been trainee Gardai!

Ha, didn't know that. I just assumed this is the first year, because they seem to point it out a lot in the media.

I learned something today. Thank you Wishbone Ash.

I don't know why it's worse this year then. It seems to be less of them, maybe it's that.

the_syco

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It has always been trainee Gardai!

Aye, but some or more clueless, it would seem. Not ALL of the Gardai are any good (wouldn't want to tar all of them with the "good" brush).

Wishbone Ash

the_syco wrote: »

Aye, but some or more clueless

I accept that many lacking in confidence but that should improve with experience. I'd imagine that directing traffic at a busy junction is not that easy. Their visible presence helps to ensure compliance with bus lanes, yellow boxes etc. but if there is gridlock there is not that much they can do at local level.