Registration plates

NFD100

With the government set not to extend the scrappage scheme into 2011, couldn't this be an ideal time to 'tweek' the registration plates.

There is huge snob value in a new plate. Wouldn't it be an idea to break the year into two and have not only an '11' plate for next year but also a '61' plate for the latter half of the year similar to Britain?

In tandem with that, wouldn't it be a good idea to finally sort out the typeface mess and standardise the font on our number plates, like every other country insists?

Couldn't we adopt the German font? It is very clear and neat and easily read?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Germany

Finally, isn't it time that Fingal (FL); South Dublin (SD) and Dun Laoghaire- Rathdown (DR) got their own plates?

Just a couple of ideas that might help the motor industry and tidy up the plates

Cookie_Monster

nothing wrong with plate here IMO. Its one of the easiest systems to understand and read quickly, helping people get details of cars quickly for reporting to the Gardai and similar

NFD100

No, the plate format doesn't need changing, just standardise the typeface/font? So, it's the same typeface on every plate, not different on every other plate?

from wikipedia: Since 1991, the design of the standard Irish number plate has been based on European standard guidelines, with a blue band to the left of the plate containing the 12 stars of the European flag and the country identifier IRL. The rest of the plate has a white background with black characters. Unlike legal requirements in most other European countries, a standard uniform character font is not required

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Ireland

rebel.ranter

I would like to see vanity plates brought in, not for my own use but more as an additional revenue generator. If someone wants to pays a load of money to the state to have something different on his registration plate that's their business but it might mean that the rest of us have to pay a little less in tax somewhere else because of this extra revenue stream.

The UK were clever with their system in two ways:
1. There are two "new" years each year
2. The "new" year doesn't start in January so less issues with manufacturers not being able to meet demands

The Irish system is probably good from a recognition point of view. I'm sure it is useful for the Gardai when people can recall quickly things like "the car was 00-CW" Another system might not be as effective.

Also for those that no nothing about cars but are looking to buy a car it is obvious to them what year the car is.

The motor industry probably likes it too due to the snob value of a new plate. In the past it may not have been as easy to identify anew car, but having the plate clearly identify it might entice people to buy a new car to "impress the neighbours".

Number plates don't bother me really, if anything buying new cars is a mugs game given the high depreciation in the early part of the car's life. However I need people to buy new cars so there is a good selection of nice used cars for me to choose from!

Cookie_Monster

indeed the gov make huge tax money off new year regs so why would they ever change it to a different concept, they'd only loose out it if was in anyway harder to work out the year.

As for the font, although there is no set font is there not a few rules on spacing, height, thinkness that kind of thing?

As for vanity plates, its not a bad idea. We already partially have it with restricted numbers like 10-D-1, 11, 111 etc. JJ kavanagh pays a lot of money for only 1, 11, 111, 1111 in their regs. Also Dublin Bus used to pay to match the reg to the fleet number of the bus. This stopped last year though when the price for it went up massively

NFD100

or just settle on this being the only acceptable font and size?

http://namibsands.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/our-car.jpg

billbond4

yeah I think the German idea is very good, as it reduces the snob value of having to get a new plate.
But it would be a good idea also to have vanity plates as it would give the government extra revenue.

metalgear2k2

I think when you are registering a new car or importing one you should be able to pick your plate number from what’s available rather than just given some random number. (At a fee of course, just not a fecking crazy price!)

Berty

billbond4 wrote: »

yeah I think the German idea is very good, as it reduces the snob value of having to get a new plate.
But it would be a good idea also to have vanity plates as it would give the government extra revenue.

+ 1000

It is so simple to provide this service. No quangos, no trips to Germany every 2nd day staying in 5* hotels on the Government jet. We have the equipment, we have the computers, we have the people.

Just DO IT!

RossDonegan

I think it does need changing.

What about when it comes to say 41 C 20. (Example)
There will be then 2 vehicles with the same reg.

So instead of 41 C 20 it would read C 4120 , 10 D 4198 would be D 104198 ,
or they could do them 41 C 20 = C41 20 , 10 D 4198 = D10 4198.

Big Nasty

RossDonegan wrote: »

I think it does need changing.

What about when it comes to say 41 C 20. (Example)
There will be then 2 vehicles with the same reg.

So instead of 41 C 20 it would read C 4120 , 10 D 4198 would be D 104198 ,
or they could do them 41 C 20 = C41 20 , 10 D 4198 = D10 4198.

I like this but instead of D10 4198 you could have D10A 4198 and D10B 4198 giving two registration periods one from March-August, one from September-February. Two reg periods would mean new car sales could be spread more easily over the course of the year. As it stands 60% of new car sales are in the first quarter which means many garages don't have enough staff Jan-March then an abundance April-Dec.

Cookie_Monster

MCMLXXV wrote: »

I like this but instead of D10 4198 you could have D10A 4198 and D10B 4198 giving two registration periods one from March-August, one from September-February. Two reg periods would mean new car sales could be spread more easily over the course of the year. As it stands 60% of new car sales are in the first quarter which means many garages don't have enough staff Jan-March then an abundance April-Dec.

but you'd still want A rather than B

Big Nasty

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

but you'd still want A rather than B

Not necessarily B could actually be an '11 car.

metalgear2k2

what the hell, im confused!

NFD100

Does the SIMI have a position on this? Shouldn't they lobby the government and while they're at it, agree on a universal font?

The plethora of different fonts on plates here is messy. We are unique in Europe at having any font you like as long as it conforms to size.

Gregor Samsa

NFD100 wrote: »

No, the plate format doesn't need changing, just standardise the typeface/font? So, it's the same typeface on every plate, not different on every other plate?

The specifications of the typeface are actually standardised in terms of stroke width, character height and width, space between characters, etc, etc, just that the legislation doesn't mention a specific typeface. I don't have time to look up the S.I. that covers it all, but it's in the legislation. Although it would make it a lot easier if they just named the damn font, as the specs are so tight that it could only be one of a tiny handful of very similar ones - so similar that you wouldn't notice the difference at a cursory glance.

The (obviously) different typfaces you see on various plates is an issue of enforcement of the existing standards, not a lack of standardisation.

conneem-TT

It's hardly one of the most pressing issues to our road traffic laws and enforcement though. The legislation that is there are the moment is suffice, in that as phutyle mentions above it outlines the size, stroke width, spacing ect..

Our man in Havana

Simple solution. Make the government the only people that can make numberplates.
It will give the prisoners something useful to do and it will stop the script merchants.

djimi

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

nothing wrong with plate here IMO. Its one of the easiest systems to understand and read quickly, helping people get details of cars quickly for reporting to the Gardai and similar

Couldnt agree more. Irish number plates are by far the best of any country Ive ever been to.

Gregor Samsa

Haddockman wrote: »

Simple solution. Make the government the only people that can make numberplates.
It will give the prisoners something useful to do and it will stop the script merchants.

But do we really want a 14 day wait for a numberplate, with longer at peak times of the year and during industrial disputes? Because that's what would happen if the Government (national or local) were making them.

Buffman

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

nothing wrong with plate here IMO. Its one of the easiest systems to understand and read quickly, helping people get details of cars quickly for reporting to the Gardai and similar

I agree, if it's not broken don't fix it. Besides, how long would it take some mickey mouse dail sub-committee or other to come up with a 'solution', which would no doubt be a load of scutter.

RossDonegan wrote: »

I think it does need changing.

What about when it comes to say 41 C 20. (Example)
There will be then 2 vehicles with the same reg.

So instead of 41 C 20 it would read C 4120 , 10 D 4198 would be D 104198 ,
or they could do them 41 C 20 = C41 20 , 10 D 4198 = D10 4198.

When we do run out of numbers, a simple solution is just reversing the order on the plate. Reg,county,year. So 10-D-1234 is 1234-D-10.

baalthor

I've posted on this topic before ...

Our current system means that part of the value the car when being re-sold is determined by the number/letter combination attached to the car. It also means (as has been pointed out ) that the majority of new car purchases occur in January.

I would solve this by tweaking the current system as follows:

1.
Have the number plate format similar to the current one except:

Start with two digits from the range 00 to 99 - these are assigned by computer so they don't correspond to the current year except by accident.

Next a single letter from the range A to Z - again these wouldn't correspond to your county except by accident (OK maybe I and O might be left out due to their similarity to digits although the letter is always going to be in the same place. And we have O at the moment in OY)

Then a four digit number

This would give us reg plates in the following format:

56 T 7901

90 V 2608

06 D 3412

Example three already exists but in my system the car would not necessarily have been first registered in 2006 nor would the original owner have been tax resident in Dublin.

2. Assign the reg number randomly but also allow people to pick numbers (for a higher fee).

3. Allow reg numbers to be traded (as in the UK). Even if you don't implement points 1 or 2, this would detach the value of the car from the value of the plate. It would also increase the system capacity by allowing numbers to be re-used.

4. Allow vanity plates (within reason) - how much for that iconic YORE MA plate ?

Voodoomelon

I loved the week when I had my car on english plates. Everyone thought it was 5 years newer than it was. Just goes to show, it was the first question everyone asked.

galwaytt

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I loved the week when I had my car on english plates. Everyone thought it was 5 years newer than it was. Just goes to show, it was the first question everyone asked.

LOL....I know what you mean.

When I bought my current (1993) 968, in 2007, I sent Mrs Gtt in to VRO to clear it. Coincidentally I was passing around the VRO at the time, on the 'bike, and stuck my head in, to see that all was well, and they were just finishing up. Car re-reg'd, money handed over, just getting receipt.

I, being the numpty that I am, picked up the printout and saw the reg....aha, says I to myself They're the numpties.........can't even get the reg right.....'cos there on the new cert was..........03 G 11xxx....near pandemonium at the desk when I pointed it out..........:rolleyes:.......worse was to come.......I nearly got killed by Mrs Gtt at home........as she pointed out, that was the nearest we were ever likely to get to owning a 4 yr old Porsche !!

They had to de-reg it. Re-reg it and etc etc.

Sigh, should have kept my beak shut........if only for a short while........I could have started a 'Look at the Barnfind I got today' thread !!

Ya live and learn...........won't do that a 2nd time, I tell ya!:p