speeding ticket

mav79

Got home last week to find a speeding fine had arrived? It stated the road i was on and the time which seemed right also that i was doing 81km/h on a 50 km/h zone. the problem i had was the stretch of road that was mentioned i was convinced was 100km/h

the next day traveling the same route i realized that the sign that stated 100km/h was removed. Now i know that means i was in the wrong, but was wondering if there is a change of the speed limit surely a new signpost should be put up?

It's really annoying because i keep to the speed limits all the time, and am i right in thinking the only options are pay the fine and accept two penalty points or wait for a court summons where it would be a larger fine and four points/

Hooch

mav79 wrote: »

Got home last week to find a speeding fine had arrived? It stated the road i was on and the time which seemed right also that i was doing 81km/h on a 50 km/h zone. the problem i had was the stretch of road that was mentioned i was convinced was 100km/h

the next day traveling the same route i realized that the sign that stated 100km/h was removed. Now i know that means i was in the wrong, but was wondering if there is a change of the speed limit surely a new signpost should be put up?

It's really annoying because i keep to the speed limits all the time, and am i right in thinking the only options are pay the fine and accept two penalty points or wait for a court summons where it would be a larger fine and four points/

The signage must be there if a ticket was issued. Its up to you to view the signage.

If your questioning it see a solicitor......as we dont know the road your talking about.

mav79

the road is the two mile ditch area just leaving galway, the ticket was issued on the 17th and even today as i was driving out of galway there is still no new sign where the old one was, there is a sign a couple of miles further down the road stating 100km/h. So the extra miles are still 50km/h the same as the city. I completly understand extending the 50km/h zone further out but thought a change in the speed limit would need a new signpost telling motorists this rather than just removing an old one.

Hooch

mav79 wrote: »

the road is the two mile ditch area just leaving galway, the ticket was issued on the 17th and even today as i was driving out of galway there is still no new sign where the old one was, there is a sign a couple of miles further down the road stating 100km/h. So the extra miles are still 50km/h the same as the city. I completly understand extending the 50km/h zone further out but thought a change in the speed limit would need a new signpost telling motorists this rather than just removing an old one.

No you have to wait until you see the end of speed limit sign (which are nearly all gone now and just show the step up speed limit.

Im afraid you'll have two choices so.

Pay the ticket get and get an €80 fine and 2 points or......go to court, contest it...loose which you will and get 4 points and a fine up to €2,000

mav79

Cheers for the reply, a local garda in the traffic corps told me to write to the superintendent but no chance of it being overturned unless it goes to court.

Zambia

mav79 wrote: »

Cheers for the reply, a local garda in the traffic corps told me to write to the superintendent but no chance of it being overturned unless it goes to court.

Be thankful you live in Ireland, here 81km/h on a 50 km/h zone is an instant loss of licence for a month + 3 pionts. Had you been going 101 they would have impounded your car for 48 hours as well.

I use to think Ireland was bad for speeding fines in this regard compared to Melbourne it's a motorists paradise.

NATEYZAZ

I got a fixed penalty fine today for the same area for doing the same speed as yourself but this was a Saturday morning and I was heading in to Galway city but I am still unclear of the exact area and would like to know for future trips and see the route in before i pay up thanks in advance

MagicSean

mav79 wrote: »

Cheers for the reply, a local garda in the traffic corps told me to write to the superintendent but no chance of it being overturned unless it goes to court.

You should write that letter. You could also write to the council asking them when the limit was changed and what notice was given to the public about it. If you get a reply it could assist your solicitor in your defence or in mitigation.

focus_mad

Any chance anyone know how far the cameras in the speed vans can pick you up from?

goldie fish

focus_mad wrote: »

Any chance anyone know how far the cameras in the speed vans can pick you up from?

Up to 1000m but normally the camera is focused closer. Anything that passes thru its view thats exceeding the speed ZAPP!

I have noticed that the Private Vans do not use the Garda Tactic of hiding the van up laneways to catch you as you are driving away.......

focus_mad

goldie fish wrote: »

Up to 1000m but normally the camera is focused closer. Anything that passes thru its view thats exceeding the speed ZAPP!

I have noticed that the Private Vans do not use the Garda Tactic of hiding the van up laneways to catch you as you are driving away.......

ah right, i was doing 65 in a 60 without realising in town today but slowed down when i saw the shape of the van in the distance but don't know if it clocked me or not. it was a Garda van.

goldie fish

goldie fish wrote: »

I have noticed that the Private Vans do not use the Garda Tactic of hiding the van up laneways to catch you as you are driving away.......

And they have posted the locations on their website! You'd swear they didn't want to catch anybody, just get them to slow down. :eek:

goldie fish

foreign wrote: »

And they have posted the locations on their website! You'd swear they didn't want to catch anybody, just get them to slow down. :eek:

I know yeah, what's the point in that

frozenbanana

Go to the counsil responsible for this particular road and ask to see the bye laws this will confirm the speed limits and the dates they were applied.

If you were right, ask for a copy, don't pay a ticket, bring the bye laws to court with you and you are laughing. If you are wrong, I'd just pay the ticket.

Amtmann

NGA wrote: »

Pay the ticket get and get an €80 fine and 2 points or......go to court, contest it...loose which you will and get 4 points and a fine up to €2,000

I'm just wondering if this applies when you contest any standard fine and penalty points.

For instance, I was stopped by a Guard last August "for failing to yield at a roundabout", even though there was nothing to yield to, as I was the only vehicle on it. The Guard also claimed that I "didn't slow down when approaching the roundabout", even though I did (I would not have been able to go around it had I not slowed down considerably). I thought her decision to fine me was absurd, but I took it. I think now that I should have contested it though.

arybvtcw0eolkf

foreign wrote: »

And they have posted the locations on their website! You'd swear they didn't want to catch anybody, just get them to slow down. :eek:

Thats all well and good if you know the speed limit of the road your driving.

For instance, I can drive from Kinsealy to Fairview (Dublin) on the Malahide Rd and not see one sign indicating the speed limit.

discus

Alaina Small Pill wrote: »

Thats all well and good if you know the speed limit of the road your driving.

For instance, I can drive from Kinsealy to Fairview (Dublin) on the Malahide Rd and not see one sign indicating the speed limit.

Yeah, but I've never seen a speed trap/van along that route... Let's keep it like that

Alaina Small Pill

Alaina Small Pill wrote: »

Thats all well and good if you know the speed limit of the road your driving.

For instance, I can drive from Kinsealy to Fairview (Dublin) on the Malahide Rd and not see one sign indicating the speed limit.

Well considering it's a built up area then the speed limit is 50kph unless otherwise signposted. It's simple if you read the rules of the road like you are supposed to do as a road user.

Here is a helpful link.

goldie fish

foreign wrote: »

Well considering it's a built up area then the speed limit is 50kph unless otherwise signposted. It's simple if you read the rules of the road like you are supposed to do as a road user.

Here is a helpful link.

WHat part of Duloc do you live in?

arybvtcw0eolkf

discus wrote: »

Yeah, but I've never seen a speed trap/van along that route... Let's keep it like that

Bus stop at Clare Hall S.C. catching you going city bound from the Hilton.

Kavanaghs pub, parked in among the car's (sneak one this) down at the bottom of the Malahide Rd. Then turning onto Fairview in the car parking/lay by's along the side of the park & hidden by the tree's.

Heading out bound you'll find them just after Campions - top of the hill and around the bend so you can't slow down.

goldie fish

goldie fish wrote: »

WHat part of Duloc do you live in?

I assume you mean Dublin and what difference does it make?

goldie fish

foreign wrote: »

I assume you mean Dublin and what difference does it make?

I assumed you lived in duloc.
It is after all a perfect place. The poor signage for speed limits countrywide is a matter of national record.

goldie fish

goldie fish wrote: »

I assumed you lived in duloc.
It is after all a perfect place. The poor signage for speed limits countrywide is a matter of national record.

I thought the poor speed limits would be the problem? And any of the roads I've driven on seem to be well sign posted.

Terrontress

goldie fish wrote: »

The poor signage for speed limits countrywide is a matter of national record.

Really, speed limit signs are there either to smooth out the law or else to impose a lower than normal speed limit for safety reasons. Needing them to know what the speed limit is would suggest carelessness on 95% of roads. If a lower than normal limit is imposed and there are no signs to indicate it then you have grounds to have your penalty quashed.

But in an urban area with streetlights, traffic lights, cars crossing etc. then you do not need a sign to know it is 50 km/h.

I would estimate that I could correctly judge the legal speed limit on all roads, excluding those with lower safety based limits.

Anyone who uses lack of signs as an excuse might lose their licence in a Darwin Award accumulation of points.

goldie fish

Terrontress wrote: »

Really, speed limit signs are there either to smooth out the law or else to impose a lower than normal speed limit for safety reasons. Needing them to know what the speed limit is would suggest carelessness on 95% of roads. If a lower than normal limit is imposed and there are no signs to indicate it then you have grounds to have your penalty quashed.

But in an urban area with streetlights, traffic lights, cars crossing etc. then you do not need a sign to know it is 50 km/h.

I would estimate that I could correctly judge the legal speed limit on all roads, excluding those with lower safety based limits.

Anyone who uses lack of signs as an excuse might lose their licence in a Darwin Award accumulation of points.

Is the Naas road a 50?

Terrontress

goldie fish wrote: »

Is the Naas road a 50?

I am not very familiar with it other than to know it is a very long road and, from what I have seen, there are several different speed limits on it. It starts somewhere around Heuston Station and ends up in Naas, at the motorway offslip, doesn't it?

All I can say is that I am sure that whatever section I were to be on, I would be able to ascertain the correct speed limit, provided there were not any speed limits imposed for safety reasons not apparent from the conditions.

goldie fish

goldie fish wrote: »

Is the Naas road a 50?

It is in parts. In others it's 80 and 100. Think it may even have a 60 on it. All are well sign posted when the limit changes and also throughout the zones.

Terrontress

By the way, I am not trying to portray myself as a holier-than-thou "I never break the speed limit" type. I'm just saying that I have no problem in ascertaining the speed limit from a road given its design and location. Any competent driver should do likewise.

I may, and often do, decide to go over that limit and must deal with the consequences for doing so if challenged but I am sure no Garda would accept the excuse that I had no idea what the limit was.

goldie fish

Terrontress wrote: »

By the way, I am not trying to portray myself as a holier-than-thou "I never break the speed limit" type. I'm just saying that I have no problem in ascertaining the speed limit from a road given its design and location. Any competent driver should do likewise.

I may, and often do, decide to go over that limit and must deal with the consequences for doing so if challenged but I am sure no Garda would accept the excuse that I had no idea what the limit was.

It is a common accepted defence that the speed limit was incorrectly signposted, or by-laws not enacted to match signage.

Terrontress

goldie fish wrote: »

It is a common accepted defence that the speed limit was incorrectly signposted, or by-laws not enacted to match signage.

Yeah, but that's just tinkering with the law to get away with it. They know they're in the wrong but have spotted a loophole. I would do the same if I got the chance.

MagicSean

Terrontress wrote: »

Yeah, but that's just tinkering with the law to get away with it. They know they're in the wrong but have spotted a loophole. I would do the same if I got the chance.

No it isn't. There are many roads around my area where it's difficult to know the speed limits. I see it as a perfectly valid defence if the area is poorly signposted. I think it's a very unscrupulous speed gun operator who doesn't ensure the area he is operating in is properly signposted.