Safety/Speed Cameras

statto25

Well Folks,

Anyone spotted one of the new Safety Vans around the county today?

oscarBravo

Not yet, but then I haven't been out and about today.

I notice the N5 between Castlebar and Westport is flagged for attention. They'll be bored out of their tree most of the time, it's nigh impossible to get over 70km/h on that road except in the middle of the night.

irishgeo

oscarBravo wrote: »

Not yet, but then I haven't been out and about today.

I notice the N5 between Castlebar and Westport is flagged for attention. They'll be bored out of their tree most of the time, it's nigh impossible to get over 70km/h on that road except in the middle of the night.

its the stretch around the speed limits signs that they are interested in. leaving/entering the lower 80kph and 50kph limits for castlebar and westport

only a few of the vans are about yet the whole 750 fleet of them wont be ready till Feb 2011.

Cosmo Kramer

irishgeo wrote: »

only a few of the vans are about yet the whole 750 fleet of them wont be ready till Feb 2011.

There are only going to be 45 in total, not 750 - there'd be nobody left with a licence if there was that many!

They'll probably do good business in the N84 between Castlebar and Ballintubber, a good chunk of that road is on their hit list.

Only 16 of the 750 sites are in Mayo, which means there might just be one van out of the 45 for the county to move around between the 16 sites.

Each camera will only do about 8 hours of surveying per week on average, so it doesn't look like we'll be overly affected by this in Mayo.

yop

Well the aren't around Cloonkeen to Kilbree which is the worst stretch for crashes, quelle suprise!

I will be up and down to Dublin weekly so I will have plenty of time to view them!!

Cosmo Kramer

Looking at the Garda map, I can't even find 16 in Mayo (that was the figure quoted by the Indo today). These are the ones that are shown:

R334 - south of The Neale to south of Cross
N84 - Mountdaisy to Coolodge (about 1.5 miles either side of Ballyheane)
N5 - Westport Rd Roundabout, Castlebar to Cloonkeen
N5 - Kilbree to Knockranny, Westport
R313 & R314 - Barnatra to Belmullet (2 sites - can't see them venturing up there too often)
R314 - Killala Road, Ballina as far as Culleens
N59 - Howley St, Ballina to Ballymoghany (2 sites)
R320 and R321 through Kiltimagh

and around the Mayo - Ros border:

R325 and an unclassified road between Kilmovee and Loughlynn
N5 - Ballaghadereen to Kilkeeran (first mile west of Ballagh town centre)

threebeards

I drove from Castlebar to Limerick today through 8 of the new speed zones and back to Castlebar again but didn't come across any vans/cameras. It was like the first day the penalty points were introduced because everyone bar 1 gobsh1te I came across were obeying speed limits to the dot. I found myself looking at my own speedometer every few seconds though

irishgeo

will the gardai unmarked vans still be out?

That van is always in the unfinished estate on the left as leave castlebar,before the shop (westpord rd stores it was last called) that opens and closes every month or so.

i may have got my numbers mixed up its 750 sites not 750 vans. thank god.

statto25

irishgeo wrote: »

will the gardai unmarked vans still be out?

That van is always in the unfinished estate on the left as leave castlebar,before the shop (westpord rd stores it was last called) that opens and closes every month or so.

i may have got my numbers mixed up its 750 sites not 750 vans. thank god.

There will still be Garda operated speed traps along with the new private vans.

That van is always parked on the way into Ballinrobe. I know a person who was caught four times by the same van in the space of half an hour!!!
Passed it on the way in and didnt pay attention, back out on the way home, forgot something and went back into the town and then home again!!!

Bob the Builder

oscarBravo wrote: »

Not yet, but then I haven't been out and about today.

I notice the N5 between Castlebar and Westport is flagged for attention. They'll be bored out of their tree most of the time, it's nigh impossible to get over 70km/h on that road except in the middle of the night.

But at nighttime, the speeds on that road are dam fast.

And I am currently updating Trapster.com with the locations around Mayo so for anyone with a Smart Phone can be notified of upcomning hazards and safety checkpoints.

yop

I downloaded the POI onto my Garmin but nothing appeared for Mayo on it, I might have to do them myself yet

oscarBravo

Bob the Builder wrote: »

But at nighttime, the speeds on that road are dam fast.

Meh. At night, I drive that road at the speed limit, and I've never had anyone approach me at high speed from behind.

Maybe speeding is a problem into the wee hours of the morning or something, but I still maintain that some of the most hazardous situations I see on the roads are cause by people trying in frustration to overtake slow drivers.

bandit197

oscarBravo wrote: »

I still maintain that some of the most hazardous situations I see on the roads are cause by people trying in frustration to overtake slow drivers.

I have to agree here with OB. The roads would be far safer if we had more:

Competency
A driving test refresher or advanced driving course every 10 years for licence holders. The results of this test should be directly linked to insurance premium rates.

Consistency
This is linked to the above. How many times do we come across drivers who are unwilling or unaware of how to use declaration lanes, slow lanes, roundabouts, traffic lights etc etc. Drivers should be able to match the flow of traffic on a safe road and not be holding up traffic or pulling out prematurely into traffic and then dictating the flow by crawling along. I find most of these drivers are not on long journeys but they fail to realize that some of the drivers in the line of cars behind them may have hours of driving yet to complete.

Courtesy
Again linked to the above. Some common courtesy wouldn't go amiss. If more of the slower drivers would be aware of the traffic behind them and let the traffic pass when it is safe to do so, it would make driving less frustrating.

/rant

back on topic:
I have marked the area under the flyover where the N17 crosses the Charlestown bypass on trapster. There are regular speedchecks in place in that location and there has been a suspicious looking van parked there regularly in the last while.

Bob the Builder

oscarBravo wrote: »

Meh. At night, I drive that road at the speed limit, and I've never had anyone approach me at high speed from behind.

Maybe speeding is a problem into the wee hours of the morning or something, but I still maintain that some of the most hazardous situations I see on the roads are cause by people trying in frustration to overtake slow drivers.

Yeah, you're right. Genuinely, there is only one corner on the whole road between Westport and Castlebar that offers potential danger and yet at least a third of the road has a big red line going through it. And no matter what, you can still zip through that corner at 60mph and nobody can bust you for breaking the speed limit = pointless.

bandit197 wrote: »

I have to agree here with OB. The roads would be far safer if we had more:

Competency
*snip*
Consistency
*snip*
Courtesy
*snip*

/rant

back on topic:
I have marked the area under the flyover where the N17 crosses the Charlestown bypass on trapster. There are regular speedchecks in place in that location and there has been a suspicious looking van parked there regularly in the last while.

Fair play! I'm slowly getting around to getting all the blank spaces filled in...

As for the whole speed vs. competency issue, speed is only part of the problem if you ask me. And there are far bigger blackspots and more dangerous stretches of road than the ones listed.

Also, the AA and the RSA have been telling people that the cameras are going to be located in areas where there are accident blackspots. BUT they failed to mention that they would also be placed in areas where there are high numbers of people speeding (>85%). Surely if 17 out of 20 drivers are exceeding the speed limit, and there aren't any accidents, well then putting a speed camera there is unnecessarily slowing down and frustrating drivers.

Mayo Miss

Has anybody spotted one of the new vans in Mayo yet since they came into operation?

I haven't met anyone yet that has seen one.

Bob the Builder

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

There are only going to be 45 in total, not 750 - there'd be nobody left with a licence if there was that many!.

Except people who drive slow. :P

oscarBravo

My sister passed one the other day, I think she said between Frenchpark and Ballaghadereen, so not quite in Mayo. Haven't seen one yet.

irishgeo

oscarBravo wrote: »

My sister passed one the other day, I think she said between Frenchpark and Ballaghadereen, so not quite in Mayo. Haven't seen one yet.

met one just outside tulsk on sunday evening.

Faunglass

Probably , like England , they ll realise it s far too expensive to run.When I lived over there and they intraduced the cameras ,people eventually realised which ones worked and which didn t.Word spreads.Having said that, Westport /Castlebar has given me 2/3 scares with lunatic drivers overtaking on CORNERS.NOOO way could they see ahead.

statto25

"Safety" Van spotted on the Ballinrobe to Castlebar Rd one mile before Ballyheane on the Ballinrobe side

RMDrive

statto25 wrote: »

"Safety" Van spotted on the Ballinrobe to Castlebar Rd one mile before Ballyheane on the Ballinrobe side

Yeah, spotted that all right - at about 6.45pm or so.

finisklin

Passed one on the good run before Tarmonbarry.....on the opposite side of the road and that stretch lends itself to being a speed trap. That was Tuesday of last week......

No letter yet.......:cool:

PogMoThoin

Hope You didn't use the same password elsewhere when u signed up.
http://www.androidcentral.com/trapster-user-emails-and-passwords-might-have-been-compromised

Ilovelucy

Saw one on Sligo Road outside Ballina just passed Carrabines this evening.

neiphin

on charlestown bypass this after, parked facing swinford, white unmarked

oscarBravo

If it was unmarked, it wasn't one of the new vans. They're pretty clearly marked.

neiphin

thats what i thought, havent seen the new ones, but this one had camera looking out the back ,, like the ones that used to be at liffey valley

Tigger

oscarBravo wrote: »

If it was unmarked, it wasn't one of the new vans. They're pretty clearly marked.

i live beside that one and it is a new van and it is unmarked (i looked into it)

they arent all marked but the unmarked ones don't "do" you they just survey

http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/Safety%20Cameras%20FAQ.doc


What will the safety cameras look like?

On a phased basis, GoSafe will provide 6,000 enforcement hours and 1,475 survey hours per month across the country. For the 6,000 enforcement hours, the cameras will operate from vans which will be marked with high visibility reflective material and will display a safety camera symbol. Images of the vans are available on the Garda website – www.garda.ie.

The survey hours will be conducted from unmarked vans, in order to accurately observe and record the speeds at which vehicles are currently travelling, for survey purposes only.

ei.sdraob

They aren't white either as per picture it seems either, seen red one and only red few times now

rostalof

Cosmo Kramer wrote: »

Looking at the Garda map, I can't even find 16 in Mayo (that was the figure quoted by the Indo today). These are the ones that are shown:

R334 - south of The Neale to south of Cross
N84 - Mountdaisy to Coolodge (about 1.5 miles either side of Ballyheane)
N5 - Westport Rd Roundabout, Castlebar to Cloonkeen
N5 - Kilbree to Knockranny, Westport
R313 & R314 - Barnatra to Belmullet (2 sites - can't see them venturing up there too often)
R314 - Killala Road, Ballina as far as Culleens
N59 - Howley St, Ballina to Ballymoghany (2 sites)
R320 and R321 through Kiltimagh

and around the Mayo - Ros border:

R325 and an unclassified road between Kilmovee and Loughlynn
N5 - Ballaghadereen to Kilkeeran (first mile west of Ballagh town centre)

They've been there every 2nd or 3rd day for the last 2 weeks. Again this morning. I've been doing 82-85 in an 80km zone twice now. Don't know whether I'll get a ticket or not, just have to wait and see. Anybody know how long it takes?

statto25

Van back between Ballintubber and Ballyheane. Same spot as last time. Seems to be their location of choice on that Rd.

Mayo Miss

YAY! I saw my first speed camera van! :eek:

The van was parked last nite at 2.15am one mile from Ballyheane on the Castlebar side.

statto25

Van parked at school in Partry around 40mins ago. Seems to be a garda van rather than a private van

oscarBravo

I passed one on the Castlebar-Westport road on Sunday. I was in a line of traffic cruising along the straight stretch just past Cosgrave's petrol station at around 90km/h, when suddenly everyone was braking and slowing down to 60km/h. I figured someone must be making a right turn ahead, but no: camera van.

That sort of idiocy really, really annoys the hell out of me. I mean, seriously: who slows down from 90 to 60 in a 100 zone when they see a speed camera?

ei.sdraob

oscarBravo wrote: »

I passed one on the Castlebar-Westport road on Sunday. I was in a line of traffic cruising along the straight stretch just past Cosgrave's petrol station at around 90km/h, when suddenly everyone was braking and slowing down to 60km/h. I figured someone must be making a right turn ahead, but no: camera van.

That sort of idiocy really, really annoys the hell out of me. I mean, seriously: who slows down from 90 to 60 in a 100 zone when they see a speed camera?

Some roads are badly marked when it comes to speed signs ...

oscarBravo

ei.sdraob wrote: »

Some roads are badly marked when it comes to speed signs ...

It's National Primary Route 5. It's a 100km/h speed limit. I'd question the competence of anyone driving that stretch who doesn't know what the speed limit is.

ei.sdraob

oscarBravo wrote: »

It's National Primary Route 5. It's a 100km/h speed limit. I'd question the competence of anyone driving that stretch who doesn't know what the speed limit is.

I dont know the road in question

But here in galway by the airport where the speedvans seem to exist
the speed limit is 60 (apparently) but some think the road is 80, and some go much faster since its a fairly straight and wide road with wide shoulders...

what pisses me off is that they put these vans on the safest widest stretch of the road in question whole a few kilometers up the road the road is narrow, potholes and bendy (unsafe in other words)

oscarBravo

ei.sdraob wrote: »

...But here in galway by the airport where the speedvans seem to exist
the speed limit is 60 (apparently) but some think the road is 80, and some go much faster since its a fairly straight and wide road with wide shoulders...

I know that road - a 60km/h speed limit there is farcical. But then, that seems to be par for the course in Galway (50km/h on the urban dual carriageways, anyone?).

yop

Spotted it twice now,

Last Sunday at 9.30am parked between the Corrib Oil filling station and Sweeney filling station facing Westport, just on the flat, so anyone ploughing up that hilly stretch will get nailed.

Then on the right hand side past Shaws garden centre, parked on the entrance to a landfill site at about 4pm.
The guy who owns the entrance to that site said it won't happen again

PogMoThoin

oscarBravo wrote: »

But then, that seems to be par for the course in Galway (50km/h on the urban dual carriageways, anyone?).

OT
From My time in Galway.......... over Quincentenial Bridge has a lower speed limit as it was a decision made by Galway City Council, they didn't want it classed as the cities official ring-road. They wanted to zone more land in future. The Gardai wanted it 60MPH at the time but got overruled, hence they seldom check for speed there. The bridge is well fit for 60MPH.

threebeards

Just passed a speed van a couple of hundred yards the Ballyheane side of the Derrywash turn off on the left hand side travelling towards Ballinrobe. You'd be around the bend before you'd see it although an oncoming car nearly blew his headlights warning me about it

yop

Any idea of them van can get u from both the front and back of the van?

Long stretch into Longford this morning coming from home and I spotted a flash off in the distance, never copped it was a speed van until I was up on top of it.
66 in a 60, I am sure I have been nabbed.

the_one_&_only

yop wrote: »

Spotted it twice now,

Last Sunday at 9.30am parked between the Corrib Oil filling station and Sweeney filling station facing Westport, just on the flat, so anyone ploughing up that hilly stretch will get nailed.

Then on the right hand side past Shaws garden centre, parked on the entrance to a landfill site at about 4pm.
The guy who owns the entrance to that site said it won't happen again

Don't know if it's the same one but on Subday at 13.30 the gatso garda van was parked at Sweeneys Garage in Ballyvary facing Castebar in the 60 km zone

threebeards

yop wrote: »

66 in a 60, I am sure I have been nabbed.

You'd be awful unlucky to get done for that

yop

threebeards wrote: »

You'd be awful unlucky to get done for that

Aye, we will see what happens. I think I spotted a flash.

How long does it take for the letters to be sent out?

isainmdom

the speed vans since they started up havent left the belmullet barnatra locations for any real length of time,the two lads in the van were in the shop the last day and they had caught a total of 2 people speeding in ballina the day before,they come to belmullet and had a total of 22 in the morning alone,so dont think they will be venturing to far with all the heavy right footers

irishgeo

isainmdom wrote: »

the speed vans since they started up havent left the belmullet barnatra locations for any real length of time,the two lads in the van were in the shop the last day and they had caught a total of 2 people speeding in ballina the day before,they come to belmullet and had a total of 22 in the morning alone,so dont think they will be venturing to far with all the heavy right footers

fish in a barrel.

I reckon if they went on the newport - castlebar , they would catch loads, the amount of people who think thats an National secondary road and has a 100kmh limit is huge. its only a Regional road so the speed limit is 80kmh.

the_shark

isainmdom wrote: »

the speed vans since they started up havent left the belmullet barnatra locations for any real length of time,the two lads in the van were in the shop the last day and they had caught a total of 2 people speeding in ballina the day before,they come to belmullet and had a total of 22 in the morning alone,so dont think they will be venturing to far with all the heavy right footers

jaysus that wasnt very professional of them handing out information on the numbers they were catching.i think their cute enough though,they seem to be well set up for the 6pm 'rush hour' of people starting or finishing work down on the gas terminal.

tommy gun

yop wrote: »

Any idea of them van can get u from both the front and back of the van?

Long stretch into Longford this morning coming from home and I spotted a flash off in the distance, never copped it was a speed van until I was up on top of it.
66 in a 60, I am sure I have been nabbed.

Just wondering if you heard anything bout this as i got nabbed yesterday and today doin 66 in a 60.

-Corkie-

tommy gun wrote: »

Just wondering if you heard anything bout this as i got nabbed yesterday and today doin 66 in a 60.

You got caught twice???:eek:

finisklin

There was a Garda Speed camera set up on Cathedral road yesterday morning, opposite the Abbey in a Garda patrol car. It was set up in the back window and the car was unattended. That's a fast road and on a Saturday morning I am sure they nabbed a few people going over 30.

Hopefully it may deter reckless speeding in the town environs....