Sunday Morning Speed Traps

bbability · 20-04-2008 3:58pm #1

Its the second week in a row that I've come across the Gatso Van parked illegally on the Hard Shoulder of the M1 southbound (before Airport Junction) before 8am and I just thought I would let people here know about it. Must be getting board of Heuston Station on a Sunday Morning.

Can this type of foolery be reported to the Garda Síochána Complaints Board?

gsxr1 · 20-04-2008 4:01pm

bbability wrote: »

Its the second week in a row that I've come across the Gatso Van parked illegally on the Hard Shoulder of the M1 southbound (before Airport Junction) before 8am and I just thought I would let people here know about it. Must be getting board of Heuston Station on a Sunday Morning.

Can this type of foolery be reported to the Garda Síochána Complaints Board?

there is always a White Camera van parked near the Red Cow Restaurant also.

If the van is parked Illegally then you have ever right to complain.

garda thinks we should do as I say, but not as I do.

Wishbone Ash · 20-04-2008 4:14pm

bbability wrote: »

Can this type of foolery be reported to the Garda Síochána Complaints Board?

Yes, if you want to make an idiot of yourself! :rolleyes:

Garda vehicles are exempt from Road Traffic Regulations.

Alun · 20-04-2008 4:29pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Garda vehicles are exempt from Road Traffic Regulations.

As you keep on pointing out ad nauseam

.

That doesn't prevent it from being a stupid and dangerous thing to do, endangering not only themselves but potentially other innocent road users as well. It's illegal for us mere mortals to do the same for a number of very good reasons, and whether it's 'legal' for them or not shouldn't enter into it. They aren't immortal or somehow capable of shunning the same laws of physics that apply to everyone else.

Wishbone Ash · 20-04-2008 4:38pm

Alun wrote: »

As you keep on pointing out ad nauseam .

....as it's brought up ad nauseam!

Alun wrote:

That doesn't prevent it from being a stupid and dangerous thing to do, endangering not only themselves but potentially other innocent road users as well.

I can think of much more dangerous practices on our roads.

And I don't see how it is a "trap". It could be described as a "trap" if the speed limit wasn't posted or if the vehicle wasn't equipped with a speedo.

Alun · 20-04-2008 4:45pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I can think of much more dangerous practices on our roads.

So what? We should allow some dangerous practices, especially by those very people who should be setting an example, just because somewhere else someone else is (possibly) doing something more dangerous?

Wishbone Ash · 20-04-2008 4:49pm

Alun wrote: »

So what? We should allow some dangerous practices, especially by those very people who should be setting an example, just because somewhere else someone else is (possibly) doing something more dangerous?

If motorist adhered to the posted speed limits, there would be no need for speed checks.

To use your logic it would have to be assumed that a drunk driver should not be pulled over on a motorway.

Alun · 20-04-2008 5:08pm

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

If motorist adhered to the posted speed limits, there would be no need for speed checks.

And that has what exactly to do with this? Of course there's the need for speed checks, but that's what the dedicated ramps on the side of the motorways are for (and not for so-called Motorway Maintenance vehicles to pull on to for a snooze as they mainly seem to be used for).

Also, in other more enlightened countries it's illegal to not have a warning triangle placed well before a broken down car on the hard shoulder, to have your hazards on, to wear a hi-viz vest and you're recommended not to stay in the vehicle. Why? Because it's dangerous, that's why. So, until we get a police force of robocops with superhuman powers that allow them to be rammed from behind by a truck and live to tell the tale, it's still a stupid thing to do, full stop.

To use your logic it would have to be assumed that a drunk driver should not be pulled over on a motorway.

Not at all. But the dayglo yellow decal covered police car (or cars) with flashing blue lights parked up behind the pulled over car might be a bit of a giveaway in that case, and would alert other drivers to their presence.

psmiley · 20-04-2008 5:56pm

bbability wrote: »

Can this type of foolery be reported to the Garda Síochána Complaints Board?

Park behind him, see what he does!

Turner · 20-04-2008 6:04pm

bbability wrote: »

Its the second week in a row that I've come across the Gatso Van parked illegally on the Hard Shoulder of the M1 southbound (before Airport Junction) before 8am and I just thought I would let people here know about it. Must be getting board of Heuston Station on a Sunday Morning.

Can this type of foolery be reported to the Garda Síochána Complaints Board?

I can guarantee you that in the few hours the camera was parked there it would have clocked numerous drivers driving at maybe 100-120+ MPH The ones we all see on the motorway and wonder why there are no gardai around.

I dont see anything wrong with these people losing their license.

And yes the gardai are exempt from parking/using the hard shoulder.

RiverWilde · 20-04-2008 7:12pm

Bloody typical .... policemen parked to catch people on a large wide dual carriageway. Where are they on the back roads? Where it is legal to travel at the national speed limit ... although I doubt it's particularly safe! :mad:

Riv

cyclopath2001 · 20-04-2008 8:24pm

RiverWilde wrote: »

Where it is legal to travel at the national speed limit ... although I doubt it's particularly safe! :mad:Riv

It's it's not safe, then it's not legal.

bbability · 20-04-2008 9:03pm

Chief--- wrote: »

I can guarantee you that in the few hours the camera was parked there it would have clocked numerous drivers driving at maybe 100-120+ MPH The ones we all see on the motorway and wonder why there are no gardai around.

I dont see anything wrong with these people losing their license.

And yes the gardai are exempt from parking/using the hard shoulder.

But Chief, Why isn't it out there tonight if that's the case? Its a low act by whoever decides white van should go on motorway on Sunday morning.
Anyway most of the speeders on that road are northy's or foreign drivers.

In relation to that lovely picture supplied by Wishbone Ash. The van was actually parked on the Hard Shoulder and not off the hard shoudler as shown above.

Not so sure about the guards been excempt in this situation of using the hard shoulder. Maybe in the line of an enquiry or stopping a vehicle or something which brings their work into the hard shoulder but I'm sure the basic rules of the road apply to them like everyone else. I'm sure GSOC will clear it up..

E92 · 20-04-2008 9:10pm

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

It's it's not safe, then it's not legal.

Glad you think that driving at the speed limit on a single carriageway when it's raining and full of fog is safe then:rolleyes:.

Do you get pleasure out of trolling all the time whenever there is a discussion on the supposed dangers of "speeding"?

There is nothing at all even remotely close to dangerous about speeding. There is something very dangerous about travelling at an inappropriate speed though. The 2 are VERY different concepts, something the PC/anti speeding/left wing/socialistic/greenie/sandal wearing brigade are incapable of understanding.

astraboy · 20-04-2008 9:32pm

E92, as usual I agree 110% with your stance, a voice of reason in the excessively Politically correct and "carbon emissions" obsessed times, nice ways of preventing any fun at all these days! But responding to clowns coming on here to troll, and clearly that is all they are doing(making NO other contribution to motors other then comments re speeding and how "evil" and "dangerous" it is) is exactly what they want, they care not about road safety or in fact a real and open debate on road safety, whenever counter arguments are unveiled they are brushed off with their simple, and closed minded, logic.

Responding to a man that does not obey the rules of the road himself(AKA a hypocriate) by pulling over to the hard shoulder when doing below the speed limit and holding others up behind him is only interested in himself and annoying, holding up and begrudging others.

Leave them off and don't bother engaging them.

On another note, the above picture shows the real attitude to road safety, a gasto parked on a dry, clear, fairly empty dual carriage way, no doubt with an artificially low limit. Thats going to save lives and get all the evil speeders off the road.:rolleyes:

Rob C · 20-04-2008 9:47pm

it would have clocked numerous drivers driving at maybe 100-120+ MPH

Oooohhhhh, 100 mph on an empty motorway??? How heinous....

E92 · 20-04-2008 9:52pm

Well astraboy of course I do my best to ignore trolls(having advised you to do so before, it now looks hippocritical on my part:D), and 99% of the time I succeed but really I never heard such bullcrap in my life as "If's(or it's as cyclopath wrote) it's not safe, then it's not legal."

The implication of that is obvious. That really takes the biscuit I'm afraid!

astraboy · 20-04-2008 9:56pm

E92 wrote: »

Well astraboy of course I do my best to ignore trolls(having advised you to do so before, it now looks hippocritical on my part:D), and 99% of the time I succeed but really I never heard such bullcrap in my life as "If's(or it's as cyclopath wrote) it's not safe, then it's not legal."

The implication of that is obvious. That really takes the biscuit I'm afraid!

Yep, I had sex the other night, that was'nt safe, was it legal?!:D

The first question that came into my head when I saw the comment was, "what if its not legal, but its safe!?" IE going a few KPH over the limit when its safe to do so.

afatbollix · 20-04-2008 11:15pm

guys remember the government wont put in the private speed cameras as they wont make any money off it...

its all about making money at the end of the day..... so thats why they are on motorways and duel carrage ways...

JHMEG · 20-04-2008 11:24pm

Putting it into perspective, since the cable central barrier was installed on all the motorways I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a single fatality in this country on motorways with said barrier (all at this stage).

Last summer I drove 800 motorway miles in the UK and did not see a single gatso or speed camera, never mind a toll booth.

As Conor Faughnan put it, putting speed cameras on motorways is like shooting fish in a barrel -- it serves no purpose other than revenue collection.

cyclopath2001 · 21-04-2008 6:41am

E92 wrote: »

but really I never heard such bullcrap in my life as "If's(or it's as cyclopath wrote) it's not safe, then it's not legal."

I was paraphrasing the road traffic regulations which require you to drive at a safe speed.

As to your attempts to justify illegal speeding, you're only looking at it from the point of view of your own assessment of your ability and you're not considering (literally) the impact on others.

astraboy · 21-04-2008 10:50am

Like you fail to account for "the impact on others" when you refuse to pull into the hard shoulder(when safe to do so) when holding up other drivers?

I forgot however, that 'speeding' on a motorway with barriers and a design
speed of over 100mph is hugely dangerous and a cause of the moral decay of Irish society.

Yes, impact on others indeed.:rolleyes:

ART6 · 21-04-2008 4:44pm

astraboy wrote: »

On another note, the above picture shows the real attitude to road safety, a gasto parked on a dry, clear, fairly empty dual carriage way, no doubt with an artificially low limit. Thats going to save lives and get all the evil speeders off the road.:rolleyes:

What's saving lives got to do with the revenue raising efficiency of the practise?

cyclopath2001 · 21-04-2008 5:04pm

astraboy wrote: »

Like you fail to account for "the impact on others" when you refuse to pull into the hard shoulder(when safe to do so) when holding up other drivers?

I don't refuse to do that at all. In fact, I've never said that. I just refuse to drive along on hard shoulder. If I happened to be driving a very slow vehicle, I'd be happy to pull over and stop briefly and then rejoin the traffic, assuming you'd let me.

The 'impact on others' that I'm referring to is the increased risk of injury to others if, despite your excellent driving skills, you collided with somebody less capable than your good self, who had the misfortune to make a mistake. The impact of driving in excess of the speed limit is also the liklihood that by driving so fast, you'd increase the stress levels on others and intimidate them. Finally, the impact is the corrosive effect your law-breaking would have on the general respect for laws.

I think Garda speed-trap operations on the smaller roads should be encouraged, and I'm very happy to see them on motorways and dual carriageways too. It's very important that we all observe the same laws and not some kind of 'survival of the fastest' facsism.

astraboy · 21-04-2008 6:39pm

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

The 'impact on others' that I'm referring to is the increased risk of injury to others if, despite your excellent driving skills, you collided with somebody less capable than your good self, who had the misfortune to make a mistake. The impact of driving in excess of the speed limit is also the liklihood that by driving so fast, you'd increase the stress levels on others and intimidate them. Finally, the impact is the corrosive effect your law-breaking would have on the general respect for laws.

O right, so by safely overtaking someone slower then me on a motorway I'm "increasing stress levels"?! What complete and utter horse****. If you can't take someone overtaking you(and you clearly can't, you have a serious issue with it) then you shouldnt be on the road.

If you can't make decent progress in your car(not a work vehicle etc) you should not be on the road.

If you can't partially pull over to the hard shoulder when safe to do so to allow others to pass when you are doddering along holding eveyone up, you should not be on the road.

If you are that easily intimidated, you should not be on the road. In fact, make a nice cup of coco and wrap yourself up in a blanket in the basement least you come in contact with any risk whatsoever, or encounter any other driver "intimidating" you.

I NEVER intimidate others on the road, but I have no issue making my feelings known if they clearly need to resit the driving test.

Now jog on to the knitting forum like a good lad.

Sizzler · 21-04-2008 7:03pm

bbability wrote: »

Its the second week in a row that I've come across the Gatso Van parked illegally on the Hard Shoulder of the M1 southbound (before Airport Junction) before 8am and I just thought I would let people here know about it. Must be getting board of Heuston Station on a Sunday Morning.

Can this type of foolery be reported to the Garda Síochána Complaints Board?

Have you seen its brother? The dark green gatso parked half way off the grass verge / in the hard shoulder catching cars coming from the airport & coachmans turnoff? An absolutely ridiculous limit of 60kmh.

Saving lives :rolleyes:

cyclopath2001 · 21-04-2008 7:06pm

astraboy wrote: »

O right, so by safely overtaking someone slower then me on a motorway I'm "increasing stress levels"?!

We're discussing illegal speeding & what I see is illegal speeders driving up behind law-abiding drivers and forcing them onto the hard shoulder. I'm hope that this is not something you approve of or engage in.

astraboy wrote: »

If you can't make decent progress in your car(not a work vehicle etc) you should not be on the road.

Who decides what is 'decent', you?

astraboy wrote: »

If you are that easily intimidated, you should not be on the road. In fact, make a nice cup of coco and wrap yourself up in a blanket in the basement least you come in contact with any risk whatsoever, or encounter any other driver "intimidating" you.

Some people need to drive and they're not all as well-endowed as you are.

astraboy wrote: »

I NEVER intimidate others on the road, but I have no issue making my feelings known if they clearly need to resit the driving test.

How exactly? Do you flash your lights, give them the finger?

astraboy wrote: »

Now jog on to the knitting forum like a good lad.

How are the anger-management classes going?

astraboy · 21-04-2008 7:17pm

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

We're discussing illegal speeding & what I see is illegal speeders driving up behind law-abiding drivers and forcing them onto the hard shoulder. I'm hope that this is not something you approve of or engage in.

Nope, I break the speed limit at times and readily admit to that, but I never force anyone on to the hard shoulder. I just wish slow drivers would show some courtesy and pull over when they can, it would really make being on the roads a lot more pleasurable. My point was regarding a motorway/dual carriageway and overtaking.

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

Who decides what is 'decent', you?

Yes, me, I decide what is decent progress for me to travel at on each journey, taking into account weather, the car I'm driving, traffic conditions, road conditions, and time of day etc etc. I'm sorry, but logging onto boards to seek your approval for a particular speed is'nt really a runner:D:rolleyes:. You clearly decide what speed is safe for you and that you are comfortable at, and you stay under the speed limit, fair play. I decide what speed is safe for me, and if its over the limit, so be it.

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

Some people need to drive and they're not all as well-endowed as you are.

I think most people need to drive. And lets leave your 'size' issue out of it, theres a personal issues forum for that!;)

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

How exactly? Do you flash your lights, give them the finger?

Quick beep of the horn usually, nothing excessive. Though thats probably "Bullying" is it?!:rolleyes: I'm not one to engage in rude gestures like giving the finger, thats very working class you know.

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

How are the anger-management classes going?

Grand man, on new meds now they are great.:D

WHITE_P · 22-04-2008 1:57pm

Strange how these two never have anything constructive to add when it comes to speeding other than to try and blame all Ireland's current woe's on the speed we all travel at.

I recently posted about in dash TV / DVD players and the risk inappropriate use of these units could pose. The only comment Cyclopath 2001 had to make, was a technical one on the mobile TV service currently being trialled in Dublin.

What I find even more amusing about this is, from his sig. I would assume he cycles around Dublin alot, and as such could be at serious risk of being knocked off his bike by some irresponsible driver watching TV / DVD while driving along in the traffic.

Lads, speeding is not the root cause of all evil, as you seem to think it is. Use your brain's (if you have any) and stop listening to all the PC crap the authorities are force feeding the public. The state see's the motorist as nothing more than a cash cow, to be milked at every possible oppertunity.

Sunday Morning Speed Traps

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