How do these people get elected!!!

DublinDilbert

Oh it just gets better:-

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0207/roadsafety.html

Let me guess they are going to have a phase in period for driving on the other side of the road? Trucks this month, then buses, then cars...

So wait the republic of ireland is going to start driving on the right hand side, but the north will still drive on the left?? that should make the border very interesting!!!!

As for the 80Kmph, So when people come across the border from the north they will have to drive at 80kmph down the m1??

mikemac

DublinDilbert wrote: »

So wait the republic of ireland is going to start driving on the right hand side, but the north will still drive on the left?? that should make the border very interesting!!!!

Ease up on the exclamation marks, one is enough

If we were Luxembourg and driving on the left I'd agree. But as an island it's crazy and would cost a vast sum to reengineer ever junction

On the plus side, we could have scalextric style crossovers at the border

Max_Damage

I very much doubt this country will EVER swtich to the right-hand side of the road. There is no need as we are an island nation, and the costs for changing all the signs and road markers, let alone replacing the ENTIRE bus services would make the cost prohibitive.

Alot of the incompetent politicians that run this nanny state say/do things before they think.

DublinDilbert

Max_Damage wrote: »

I very much doubt this country will EVER swtich to the right-hand side of the road. There is no need as we are an island nation, and the costs for changing all the signs and road markers, let alone replacing the ENTIRE bus services would make the cost prohibitive.

Alot of the incompetent politicians that run this nanny state say/do things before they think.

Apparently Sweden done it in the late 1960's... they had the army out on the streets for a few weeks at every junction till people got used to it....

peasant

Bingo ...a new record high of 10.5 on the Richter scale for stupidity

Orange69

Fianna Fáil's Donie Cassidy

Nuff said..

faceman

on the plus side, think of the long term affect it would have on car prices as you could buy cars from anywhere on europe.

No need to introduce it here though.

javaboy

What about a nationwide one-way system?

whatthe...

Sure look, this Donie Cassidy character is only having a ramble and basing all comments on things that will never happen...probably just to get into the media.

Obviously he's got nothing else to be doing with his time so best make a headline to give the impression he is 'working hard'.

The government cant deliver the things we're promised, so there's no question these suggestions (if you want to call them that) are complete rubbish.

Down with that sort of thing!

Max_Damage

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Apparently Sweden done it in the late 1960's...

That is true, they did. However, Sweden has LHD countries surronding it and they apparently were driving LHD vehicles before they switched to the right hand side of the road. Ireland has none of the issues.

Biro

Well, we'd certainly reduce the number of cars on the roads, as nearly half of the population would be wiped out in major accidents.

G Luxel

Sweden changed from left to right in 1967, so there were not a lot of cars on the road then as there are now. They appear to have been LHD since the year dot basically as the swedish thought that having the steering wheel on the right looked odd. I think if the road safety authority want to change to the right, then maybe they should eradicate all the problems that are there at present before doing something that will make existing problems worse.

LuckyStar

We changed from miles to kilometers for the speed limit ages ago, and most people I know STILL go by miles. How would we handle switching what side of the road we drive on?

unkel

All them fecking foreigners limited to 80km/h. Should they wear badges too? :rolleyes:

javaboy

unkel wrote: »

All them fecking foreigners limited to 80km/h. Should they wear badges too? :rolleyes:

So that's how these things get started.

pclancy

How long now has Ireland had speed and distance signs in KM and I clearly heard him say 50mph as the limit. Fecking twat. Id love to see them put out the tender "convert nation to right hand side driving". Try budget for that one Mr Cowen.

Mena

unkel wrote: »

All them fecking foreigners limited to 80km/h. Should they wear badges too? :rolleyes:

Most of us would be happy to wear badges, at least we'd know we were safe driving around other badge holders and could avoid you nutters like the plague

Tails142

They get elected by college graduates...


THOSE DAMN BOOK READERS!!! :mad:

javaboy

Tails142 wrote: »

They get elected by college graduates...


THOSE DAMN BOOK READERS!!! :mad:

You take that back. I'm an NUI graduate and I choose to exercise my right not to vote for a senator at all.

Orange69

Tails142 wrote: »

They get elected by college graduates...


THOSE DAMN BOOK READERS!!! :mad:

Just to point out..

A small subset of the seanad are elected by Trinity and NUI graduates. Grads of the newer universities such as UL and DCU are not allowed vote and anyone from the ITs are also excluded... Very fair i think you will agree :rolleyes:

If this guy had even the intelligence of a particularly dimwitted mollusk he would be instead working towards a complete revision of all government bodies from the Dail down.. and the abolition of he own moronic party..

For anyone to come out which this ****e and not be immediately forced to resign makes me despair..

deman

It cost the Swedish road authorities approx 64 million Euro the make the transition back in 1967. You could probably add a zero to that for Ireland to do it now. There's no need for it and it would be a total waste of money as well as chaotic. Obviously, this senile senator just wants to have his name in the paper to seem like he's doing something.

And I "second" the motion to have him removed from the seanad for trying to rob the Irish people and for being a moron..

blorg

The six senators representing the university constituencies are actually generally pretty good. The rest are appointed directly by the Taoiseach (11) or elected by TDs, senators, and county councillors (43.) Donie Cassidy was first appointed by the Taoiseach and for 2007 was elected by the labour panel.

NUI senators: Joe O'Toole, Feargal Quinn, Rónán Mullen

TCD senators: Ivana Bacik, David Norris, Shane Ross

chasm

Obviously jim mcdaid was on a fact finding mission in 2005 for this madcap idea them

Mena

I just heard Donie Cassidy on Newstalk. The man actually sounds like he buys into this bull****. On top of that, he wants to ensure no car can actually start with the seatbelts not "engaged"....

Max_Damage

Mena wrote: »

On top of that, he wants to ensure no car can actually start with the seatbelts not "engaged"....

Yes, because every car manufacturer from Alfa Romeo to Lamborghini are going to fit such a device into their cars for the Irish market. :rolleyes:

Mena

Max_Damage wrote: »

Yes, because every car manufacturer from Alfa Romeo to Lamborghini are going to fit such a device into their cars for the Irish market. :rolleyes:

Apparently it will only add €15.00 to the cost of the vehicle... :rolleyes:

mike65

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055232607 another thread in Politics.

Donnie Cassidy is on Today FM www.todayfm.com in a few mins.

Mike.

D_murph

there aro so many crashes on our roads to prove that the level of driving skill is so low and then to complicate things further lets drive on the other side of the road as well :rolleyes: ?

only a FOOL would come up with sh**e like that :mad:

faceman

Listening to the today fm interview now. Jaysus. Why not ban pregnant women from driving too?? :rolleyes:

Irish-trucker

What a Cabbage !
Could ye only imagine the hassle that'd cause .
Is there not more pressing issues for the seanad to be dicussing

And as for the speed limit on foreign drivers LOL
If your british ,and coming to ireland for a holiday , you may add on a few days as you can only travel at a max of 80km/h
I have to say also that some foreign countries have a far higher standard of driving than here (Eg. England - Its a pleasure to drive there !)

Things are bad enough to do with motoring here without muppets like donie cassidy suggesting silly things like that :eek:

John

Max_Damage

I think the only solution for this hole of a country is: Coup d'état

Alun

Max_Damage wrote: »

I think the only solution for this hole of a country is: Coup d'état

I think the best idea would be simply to abolish the whole of the government and civil service and do what lots of big companies are doing and outsource the running of the country to someone else. I vote for the Germans

Orange69

Alun wrote: »

I think the best idea would be simply to abolish the whole of the government and civil service and do what lots of big companies are doing and outsource the running of the country to someone else. I vote for the Germans

A glass of water could do a better job than teh current shower.. Whats sad is that if the country had been managed intelligently and efficiently over the last 20 years it would be a magnificent place to live i.e. well planned communities, proper infrastructure, clean and exciting cities, excellent architecture etc..

And what did we end up with.. Donnie Cassidy talking through his hole on the radio..

I cant connect to the stream and dont have a radio other than the one in the car, so can someone summarize how it went?? Thx

Alun

Orange69 wrote: »

What's sad is that if the country had been managed intelligently and efficiently over the last 20 years it would be a magnificent place to live i.e. well planned communities, proper infrastructure, clean and exciting cities, excellent architecture etc..

I once met a Dutch marine engineer in a pub in Bray (he was doing some repair work shoring up the railway line between Bray and Greystones at the time). He told me a joke ...

"If the Dutch were running Ireland, they could feed the world. If the Irish were running the Netherlands, they'd drown!"

gurramok

All those re-engineering contract rewards will be heaven for the FF construction buddies(Parlon)!!!

Stevie Dakota

I heard that muppet on Newstalk, a separate speed limit for non nationals? Words fail me....

unkel

Alun wrote: »

I once met a Dutch marine engineer in a pub in Bray (he was doing some repair work shoring up the railway line between Bray and Greystones at the time). He told me a joke ...

"If the Dutch were running Ireland, they could feed the world. If the Irish were running the Netherlands, they'd drown!"

He's one arrogant bastard, but the joke is funny all the same

Niall1234

Switching to driving on the right hand side of the road is a bad idea full stop.

It is more dangerous to drive on the right hand side of the road. Reason ? When right handed people are involved in an accident or have a scare, they automatically turn left. This is natural instinct to put their strong side towards the trouble.

In a LHD country, you would steer onto the breakdown lane, verge or maybe the ditch. In a RHD country, you'll either hit the centre barrier or hit oncoming traffic.

The best example of this is in building aircraft carriers. The control tower of an aircraft carrier is always on the right hand side as aircraft almost always veer to the left in an accident.

The Japanese had a few aircraft carriers with the tower on the left during WW2 and learned the hard way that they tower should always be on the right.

Orange69

I would also think that its safer to operate the transmission with your left hand..? i.e. you are steering with you good/right hand..

TJJP

Orange69 wrote: »

Donie Cassidy - Nuff said..

How do these people get elected?

Well he didn't, not the last time out anyways, lost his seat.

First in the Seanad for his 80's crooning that got Charlie re-elected as a Taoiseachs nominee. Is now returned by the labour panel, voted in by county councilors or was that 'country' councilors.

As for driving on the right, its done in Laos, so when you get to the Thai border you have to switch. Could work here, we have similar road infrastructure.

peasant

Niall1234 wrote: »

Switching to driving on the right hand side of the road is a bad idea full stop.

It is more dangerous to drive on the right hand side of the road. Reason ? When right handed people are involved in an accident or have a scare, they automatically turn left. This is natural instinct to put their strong side towards the trouble.

In a LHD country, you would steer onto the breakdown lane, verge or maybe the ditch. In a RHD country, you'll either hit the centre barrier or hit oncoming traffic.

The best example of this is in building aircraft carriers. The control tower of an aircraft carrier is always on the right hand side as aircraft almost always veer to the left in an accident.

The Japanese had a few aircraft carriers with the tower on the left during WW2 and learned the hard way that they tower should always be on the right.

Beautiful argument ...flawed, but beautiful nonetheless.

I've driven LHD cars on RHD roads for 15 years and I'm right handed.
I've been in a few scares and NEVER have I pulled into a median barrier or oncoming traffic, neither have most others ...driving on the other side of the road neither makes you stupid nor suicidal.

And now for the real reason why changing over to driving on the right in Ireland is a brainfart:

It is simply impossible to do.

At the current level of infastructure and volume of traffic it would cost billions to do ...and it would be humanly impossible to do all the necessary changes literally over night


Unless you want to phase in the changeover ?:D:D:D

If yer man had two braincells to rub together he would have realised this before opening his mouth.

Niall1234

Orange69 wrote: »

I would also think that its safer to operate the transmission with your left hand..? i.e. you are steering with you good/right hand..

An excelent point. I wouldn't be too happy with my left hand on the wheel when changing.

Orange69

Niall1234 wrote: »

An excelent point. I wouldn't be too happy with my left hand on the wheel when changing.

Well not in a RHD car anyway

PogMoThoin

Dumbest statement I've ever heard, How the fcuk does someone as stupid as this get elected to the Seanad?

peasant

Niall1234 wrote: »

An excelent point. I wouldn't be too happy with my left hand on the wheel when changing.

Just a matter of getting used to.
I have regularly switched between LHD and RHD cars (on either side of the road) ...five minutes of concentration and you're back in the swing of it

Orange69

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Dumbest statement I've ever heard, How the fcuk does someone as stupid as this get elected to the Seanad?

With copious amounts hood winking, back patting and arse tickling..

I sincerely hope that when my generation come to run this country they will exhibit more intelligence and integrity than the current lot..

sesswhat

I met an Irish driver in a Mercedes, obviously just back from his holidays, coming out of the long stay car park at the airport on the wrong side of the road. He was so convinced he was right that he drove right up to my bonnet and got out of his car to tell me off for driving on the left.

Maybe it was Donie Cassidy.

Lauder

DublinDilbert wrote: »

Oh it just gets better:-

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0207/roadsafety.html

Let me guess they are going to have a phase in period for driving on the other side of the road? Trucks this month, then buses, then cars...

So wait the republic of ireland is going to start driving on the right hand side, but the north will still drive on the left?? that should make the border very interesting!!!!

As for the 80Kmph, So when people come across the border from the north they will have to drive at 80kmph down the m1??

Sure, It'll be like the Euro changeover period, you can use either until the 28th Feb

TJJP

sesswhat wrote: »

Maybe it was Donie Cassidy.

How was his hair?

sesswhat

TJJP wrote: »

How was his hair?

I'd say it was the healthiest looking part of him.

bazz26

This year's Darwin Award goes to Donie Cassidy.

"As described in the Darwin Award books: The Awards honour people who ensure the long-term survival of the human race by removing themselves from the gene pool in a sublimely idiotic fashion."

Take a bow Mr Cassidy!