Gatso Van opposite Great Gas on Ennis Road

Bicycle

Can anyone tell me why the Gatso van spends so much time opposite the Great Gas petrol station (old O'Mara's place) on the Ennis Road.

Most of the time, the pedestrians are walking faster than the cars... I've spent more time there STUCK in traffic than even remotely getting near the speed limit.

Seems like a total waste (unless the operator is a big Shamrock or Supermacs Fan )

jbkenn

Bicycle wrote: »

Can anyone tell me why the Gatso van spends so much time opposite the Great Gas petrol station (old O'Mara's place) on the Ennis Road.

Most of the time, the pedestrians are walking faster than the cars... I've spent more time there STUCK in traffic than even remotely getting near the speed limit.

Seems like a total waste (unless the operator is a big Shamrock or Supermacs Fan )

It's either, because 65,873 people have been killed or injured on this stretch of road in the last 10 years, or, it's a soft touch with people coming down the hill from the Ardhu, I am inclined towards the latter, what do you think?

TestTransmission

I actually accelerate coming down that hill with my foot off the gas

Jofspring

Nearly every Saturday and Sunday for the last few it has been there and some days during the week.

Agree about coming down the hill. It is very easy to go over the speed limit coming down that hill.

Berty

Frankly if you cannot see the speed camera van coming from either direction you need to be paying more attention to the surroundings.

They are long straight roads after all. Most people by now should know the locations of the Gestapo vans at this stage.

Jofspring

Beer Baron wrote: »

Frankly if you cannot see the speed camera van coming from either direction you need to be paying more attention to the surroundings.

They are long straight roads after all. Most people by now should know the locations of the Gestapo vans at this stage.

A long road alright but it can't be seen till nearly at the Gaelic Rounds when coming from town and isn't seen till past the lights coming from coonagh because it is in a bit to the side.

I think the point is more that it is a waste of time where it is because most the time cars are caught in traffic there. The amount of times it is there is a bit much.

Bicycle

I think its a waste of time AND resources.

Any time I've seen it, the traffic has been crawling.

I've been living in the area for about 25 years and I NEVER remember any fatality on that part of the road. Between the pedestrian crossings at the Bus Stop near St James Court and the lights at Lidl and Ivans, traffic is usually very slow there during the day.

I can understand putting it out beyond Ivans near the garages as I can honestly say I've gone over the limit on a number of occasions there.

Skuxx

Bicycle wrote: »

I think its a waste of time AND resources.

You can be sure its not a waste of time or resources, if it wasn't making them money saving lives, they wouldn't have it there!!

highlydebased

alan1990 wrote: »

You can be sure its not a waste of time or resources, if it wasn't making them money saving lives, they wouldn't have it there!!

Work for the RSA do you?

phill106

Bicycle wrote: »

I think its a waste of time AND resources.

Any time I've seen it, the traffic has been crawling.

I've been living in the area for about 25 years and I NEVER remember any fatality on that part of the road. Between the pedestrian crossings at the Bus Stop near St James Court and the lights at Lidl and Ivans, traffic is usually very slow there during the day.

I can understand putting it out beyond Ivans near the garages as I can honestly say I've gone over the limit on a number of occasions there.

Postman by that estate opposite the greenhills would be about the closest one I can recall.

thesimpsons

alan1990 wrote: »

You can be sure its not a waste of time or resources, if it wasn't making them money saving lives, they wouldn't have it there!!

definite waste of time and resources it can't possibly be making money there. I'm around this area lot longer than you Bicycle and can't remember anything more than a fender bender in this location. further Ennis road near tennis club one accident about 30 yrs ago but can't remember anything since.

Jofspring

There was an accident at Ivans there about 15years ago I remember but it was nothing too serious. A few cars collided but don't think anyone died.

Definitely people coming off the motorway at the greenhills is more serious. Some people fly down both lanes, its a 50 zone and people definitely hit 80 to 90kmph. Coming out from the Greenhills on to the main road can be very difficult because of this.

Txatxu Urki

I passed that Gatso van one night while walking home from the Ardhu. The time was nearly 12am. At THAT time they would catch speeding drivers...the road is completely clear and the taxi drivers expecially would be over the speed limit.

But I agree with above, during the days its almost impossible to drive fast along there.

I have been caught last September by the van between Coonagh and Clonmacken roundabout..80 EURO fine. 2 points on the license. Be careful.

Clareman

When I used to travel that way many years ago (~2000 I think) there was an accident there every couple of days, usually it was just a coming together of 2 cars trying to get into the 1 lane. I also don't get the whole "sure there's never an accident there, there's no point in leaving the GATSO there", maybe the fact that the GATSO is there from time to time is the reason there aren't crashes there?

Finally, a pet peeve of mine is saying stuff like "65,873 people have been killed or injured on this stretch of road in the last 10 years", 1 life is important, everything that can be done now to stop an accident happening in the future (which is impossible to gauge) should happen, the speed limit is what it is in certain areas for a reason, if you don't agree with it, don't travel that road, driving isn't a right it's a privilege, people need to obey the rules of the road and make everything safer for everyone.

By the way, all the above is just the opinion of another road user not a mod of boards.ie, I am no shrinking violet on the road and have been known to exceed the speed limit (a limit btw not a target).

Jofspring

I agree no harm having the speed van there but excessively during the day seems a bit much. As someone said late in the evenings or that when people might feel the urge to speed on quiet roads then fair enough but not at the times it was there, Slow moving traffic etc.... There are more important roads it could be used on at that time like country roads, especially in icy conditions. The amount of people driving over or at the speed limit on icy roads is incredible and dangerous. Alot on winding roads too. I'm sure that van would have been more of a deterrent there.


Yesterday for example it was at the ennis road all day, traffic was at a standstill because of the Munster match. The van was a waste of time but a guard standing there would have been more productive as a lot of people where driving long distances down the other side of the road to get to their exits off the main road quicker.

jbkenn

Clareman wrote: »

When I used to travel that way many years ago (~2000 I think) there was an accident there every couple of days, usually it was just a coming together of 2 cars trying to get into the 1 lane. I also don't get the whole "sure there's never an accident there, there's no point in leaving the GATSO there", maybe the fact that the GATSO is there from time to time is the reason there aren't crashes there?

I have been driving that stretch of road a number of times a day, for the last 32 years, I have witnessed very few accidents, and what I have seen are fender benders, it is not an accident "Black Spot", as was the excuse trumpted by everybody when the GATSO vans were launched, it is, in my opinion, just another handy revenue earner, as to the question, of why the GATSO is'nt further out the road opposite Ennis Road Motors?, no way, the lardarses from the Traffic Corp have first dibs on that spot, you should see them there, like shooting fish in a barrell, 60 in a 50, yeah.. reckless driving alright, incidentally, I was recently the victim of a rear ender at the lights at Ivans on the Ennis road side, the guy did'nt so much crash in to me, as accelerate into me, speeding? no, he misread the filter light and accelerated, just plain careless

Finally, a pet peeve of mine is saying stuff like "65,873 people have been killed or injured on this stretch of road in the last 10 years", 1 life is important, everything that can be done now to stop an accident happening in the future (which is impossible to gauge) should happen, the speed limit is what it is in certain areas for a reason, if you don't agree with it, don't travel that road, driving isn't a right it's a privilege, people need to obey the rules of the road and make everything safer for everyone.

As the innocent party in 4 R.T.A.'s, all in urban area's, and, in which speed played no part, would a GATSO van have saved me from a dozy daydreaming Clareman who nearly wiped out my family in Clarecastle, some years back, I doubt it.

By the way, all the above is just the opinion of another road user not a mod of boards.ie, I am no shrinking violet on the road and have been known to exceed the speed limit (a limit btw not a target).

There is never any excuse for speeding, never.

source

jbkenn wrote: »

I have been driving that stretch of road a number of times a day, for the last 32 years, I have witnessed very few accidents, and what I have seen are fender benders, it is not an accident "Black Spot", as was the excuse trumpted by everybody when the GATSO vans were launched, it is, in my opinion, just another handy revenue earner, as to the question, of why the GATSO is'nt further out the road opposite Ennis Road Motors?, no way, the lardarses from the Traffic Corp have first dibs on that spot, you should see them there, like shooting fish in a barrell, 60 in a 50, yeah.. reckless driving alright, incidentally, I was recently the victim of a rear ender at the lights at Ivans on the Ennis road side, the guy did'nt so much crash in to me, as accelerate into me, speeding? no, he misread the filter light and accelerated, just plain careless


As the innocent party in 4 R.T.A.'s, all in urban area's, and, in which speed played no part, would a GATSO van have saved me from a dozy daydreaming Clareman who nearly wiped out my family in Clarecastle, some years back, I doubt it.


There is never any excuse for speeding, never.

The thing is that you don't have access to RTC statistics, the Gardai do and it's the Gardai that made the decisions on where these vans would be located. The Garda computer system holds information on every crash that has happened and was reported in the state since the system was brought in, and older details are being added.

It's this information that decided where the vans would be placed. You may have been driving that stretch for the last 32 years, but that means nothing unless you were driving that stretch of road, 24/7/365 for the last 32 years. If you haven't been doing that then you'll have to defer to the greater knowledge of the Gardai on this subject.

As for your dozy daydreaming clareman, I'm sure that knowing there's a gatso van in the area would have him looking out for it, making him more aware of what's going on around him.

thesimpsons

source wrote: »

The thing is that you don't have access to RTC statistics, the Gardai do and it's the Gardai that made the decisions on where these vans would be located. The Garda computer system holds information on every crash that has happened and was reported in the state since the system was brought in, and older details are being added.

It's this information that decided where the vans would be placed. You may have been driving that stretch for the last 32 years, but that means nothing unless you were driving that stretch of road, 24/7/365 for the last 32 years. If you haven't been doing that then you'll have to defer to the greater knowledge of the Gardai on this subject.

As for your dozy daydreaming clareman, I'm sure that knowing there's a gatso van in the area would have him looking out for it, making him more aware of what's going on around him.

why then is the only GATSO spot on the Condel Road on the portion of the road which has not suffered a single fatal RTA while the portion of the Condel Road after the Clonmacken roundabout (town side), which has had 2 fatal accidents, not governed by the GATSOs.

skyguy19

can some one tell me why the condell road is (I think) 50 km per hour, surely that should be about 100km, Ive been on small country roads that are 80km per hour

jbkenn

source wrote: »

The thing is that you don't have access to RTC statistics, the Gardai do and it's the Gardai that made the decisions on where these vans would be located. The Garda computer system holds information on every crash that has happened and was reported in the state since the system was brought in, and older details are being added.
It's this information that decided where the vans would be placed. You may have been driving that stretch for the last 32 years, but that means nothing unless you were driving that stretch of road, 24/7/365 for the last 32 years. If you haven't been doing that then you'll have to defer to the greater knowledge of the Gardai on this subject.

So they are waiting for the stats on the stretch between the Parkway roundabout and the University roundabout? I got totalled outside the Maxol station, never seen a GATSO there, have you?
Are they waiting on the stats for the Dock Road? I got totalled outside TruckCar, yet to see a GATSO there
How about Condell Road? still no stats? funny because I am one of them, fresh out of GATSO's there as well.

As for your dozy daydreaming clareman, I'm sure that knowing there's a gatso van in the area would have him looking out for it, making him more aware of what's going on around him.

I am afraid he probably would'nt have seen that either.

The GATSO van deployment is just pure spin, being seen to be doing something, which is something we are very good at in this country.

If we were serious about road safety we would not tolerate the recent comments of a judge that the driver of a car who had consumed, by his own admission "about eight pints" drove down an off ramp on to the M7 crashed head on into an oncoming car resulting in the death of an occupant, in the judges opinion drink had no part to play in the accident, so he sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment, suspended, and banned him from driving for 5 years, better get the stats updated and get a GATSO down there fast, shur if he had seen the GATSO that would have stopped him in his tracks.

source

thesimpsons wrote: »

why then is the only GATSO spot on the Condel Road on the portion of the road which has not suffered a single fatal RTA while the portion of the Condel Road after the Clonmacken roundabout (town side), which has had 2 fatal accidents, not governed by the GATSOs.

Because that portion of the road has a poxy bus lane which means there's no hard shoulder for them to pull in. Also it doesn't necessarily have to be fatal accidents, if a stretch of road has a high number of accident whether they be material damage or fatal then they will put a van there to help slow people down.

People always say the government are only out to make money off it, bottom line is they only make money if you break the law. Don't break the law, and they don't fine you. it's pretty simple.

source

jbkenn wrote: »

So they are waiting for the stats on the stretch between the Parkway roundabout and the University roundabout? I got totalled outside the Maxol station, never seen a GATSO there, have you?
Are they waiting on the stats for the Dock Road? I got totalled outside TruckCar, yet to see a GATSO there
How about Condell Road? still no stats? funny because I am one of them, fresh out of GATSO's there as well.

as i said above, the areas you have indicated don't have a safe area to stop a gatso van, with the exception of the Dock road, I live near the dock road and have seen the vans parked along there regularly. That's the great thing about the vans they move around so you never know where they'll be. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean they're not there.

Name a safe area that the gatso vans can legally pull in on the Dublin Road between parkway and groody roundabouts? Condell Road is nothing but bus lanes driving lanes and cycle lanes so name a place they can pull in there, apart from the section near travel lodge where they already work??

Oh and once more I'll say it, IF YOU DON'T SPEED YOU CANNOT BE FINED!!! It's simple don't break the law and you don't have to worry.

highlydebased

skyguy19 wrote: »

can some one tell me why the condell road is (I think) 50 km per hour, surely that should be about 100km, Ive been on small country roads that are 80km per hour

PRobably because there's a footpath all along it with no barrier etc.

jbkenn

source wrote: »

as i said above, the areas you have indicated don't have a safe area to stop a gatso van, with the exception of the Dock road, I live near the dock road and have seen the vans parked along there regularly. That's the great thing about the vans they move around so you never know where they'll be. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean they're not there.

Name a safe area that the gatso vans can legally pull in on the Dublin Road between parkway and groody roundabouts? Condell Road is nothing but bus lanes driving lanes and cycle lanes so name a place they can pull in there, apart from the section near travel lodge where they already work??

Oh and once more I'll say it, IF YOU DON'T SPEED YOU CANNOT BE FINED!!! It's simple don't break the law and you don't have to worry.

I drive between 800 and 1200 Kilometres per week, every week, I drive on all road types M, N, R , Urban and Boreens, I do not speed, I (because of my experiences) drive at all times with due care and attention, paying particular attention to what the idiot behind me is at, 2 rear enders in the last 9 months.
I observe the most atrocious driving from all ages and both sexes.
We don't know how to drive on Motorways/Dual carriageways.
Lane discipline is something we heard about, but don't seem to care.
Beware of old men with caps, their intentions are not known, even to God.
I passed my driving test, but I can't reverse my car.
Indicators will drain my battery so I never use them.
Fog lights are for blinding the fool behind me.
I paid a fortune for my tractor with 6 wing mirrors, I just never look in them.
My Micra/Corsa buzz box can do 0 to 90 in X seconds, I have no idea how long it takes to go from 90 to 0
Double yellow line are for parking your Merc/BMW/SUV.
I could go on, but I say again GATSO vans are a P.R. and revenue gathering exercise, nothing more, they will not address any of the above

source

jbkenn wrote: »

I drive between 800 and 1200 Kilometres per week, every week, I drive on all road types M, N, R , Urban and Boreens, I do not speed, I (because of my experiences) drive at all times with due care and attention, paying particular attention to what the idiot behind me is at, 2 rear enders in the last 9 months.
I observe the most atrocious driving from all ages and both sexes.
We don't know how to drive on Motorways/Dual carriageways.
Lane discipline is something we heard about, but don't seem to care.
Beware of old men with caps, their intentions are not known, even to God.
I passed my driving test, but I can't reverse my car.
Indicators will drain my battery so I never use them.
Fog lights are for blinding the fool behind me.
I paid a fortune for my tractor with 6 wing mirrors, I just never look in them.
My Micra/Corsa buzz box can do 0 to 90 in X seconds, I have no idea how long it takes to go from 90 to 0
Double yellow line are for parking your Merc/BMW/SUV.
I could go on, but I say again GATSO vans are a P.R. and revenue gathering exercise, nothing more, they will not address any of the above

I more or less agree with you up to the point I've highlighted.

It's only a revenue gathering exercise once people insist on exceeding the speed limit. Not everyone agrees with the limits we have and some are downright stupid (Condell Road), but they are the limits and they have to be obeyed. By speeding people are only filling the government coffers. If you can't pay the fine don't do the crime!

Your 1,200 km a week only equates to 10 hours of driving a week at motorway speeds or 2 hours a day (presuming a 5 day week), 12hours at 100kph or 2.4 hours a day, and 24 at 50kph, 4.8 hours a day. That means even doing 50kph all week, you've still got 19.2 hours a day you're not on the road. So yes you drive a lot but still not enough to be able to say what's happening on every road every minute of the day. So again just because you don't see a speed van doesn't mean they're not on the road.
(please be aware I'm not trying to be condescending here, just averaging out your driving over the standard work week in order to prove a point)

The three main factors in road deaths, are alcohol, speed and tiredness. Unfortunately tiredness cannot be legislated for and we have to rely on driver education. As a nation we're finally starting to cop on to the fact that drinking and driving don't mix....but we still have the problem with speed. We refuse to accept that speeding is dangerous to both us and other road users (including pedestrians and cyclists). I've got enough personal experience of RTC's where speed has been the major factor and none of them have been pretty.

fl4pj4ck

what's the speed limit there? I'll try to get caught driving my bicycle downhill, I wonder what they'd do then

TestTransmission

fl4pj4ck wrote: »

what's the speed limit there? I'll try to get caught driving my bicycle downhill, I wonder what they'd do then

50kph

jordainius

skyguy19 wrote: »

can some one tell me why the condell road is (I think) 50 km per hour, surely that should be about 100km, Ive been on small country roads that are 80km per hour

You think a road containing two pedestrian crossings should have a 100km/h speed limit???

Itsdacraic

jordainius wrote: »

You think a road containing two pedestrian crossings should have a 100km/h speed limit???

Of course it should, the quicker the pedestrians can cross the road the better.

source

jordainius wrote: »

You think a road containing two pedestrian crossings should have a 100km/h speed limit???

I reckon it should be 80kph on the Condell Road, being reduced to 50 approaching the traffic lights for Shelbourne Road. Dublin Road is 60 the whole way out and there's business and residences, foothpaths, cycle lanes and bus lanes adjoining the road.

Condell should be 60-80, 50 is way too low for that road.

jordainius

Itsdacraic wrote: »

Of course it should, the quicker the pedestrians can cross the road the better.

RSA, hire this man NOW!!!

thesimpsons

its not as simple as "don't speed and you won't get fined". I don't have any points or fines on my licence but that doesn't mean I can't give out about limits and GATSO sites.

While some people might refuse to accept limits and being a danger to others on the road, there is absolutely no excuse for the judge who recently make a farce of the law when he made the above comments. I remember reading the article at the time and just couldn't believe it that in this day, there are still judges getting sentences so very wrong.

source

thesimpsons wrote: »

its not as simple as "don't speed and you won't get fined". I don't have any points or fines on my licence but that doesn't mean I can't give out about limits and GATSO sites.

Actually it is as simple as don't speed and you have nothing to worry about. Why do you think it's not that simple?

Of course you have every right to give out about limits and gatso sites, I give out about limits myself and have seen the vans in some stupid (read dangerous) places, which I have been vocal about.

The area being discussed at the moment is at the bottom of a hill, with business around, including a business that would have a large amount of children attending. It's also the site of a sports ground and a shopping center. In my mind I think it's a good place for them to be, once not parked stupidly as the high traffic volume and high number of pedestrian in the area certainly warrants them being there. Because of this I don't think it's a stupid place for them to be and I don't think people should be giving out about it.

People get tunnel vision when it comes to these vans, ignoring the facts all around them and make presumptions based on biases they have, and to be honest I can't say I blame them. But a little bit of awareness of what's going on around the area will help people figure out what's going on.

At the end of the day they're enforcing a law that is in place for the common good. Whether or not people agree with that law is irrelevant. If you feel that strongly about it, you should go to your local TD, and lobby for it to be changed.

phog

source wrote: »

Actually it is as simple as don't speed and you have nothing to worry about. Why do you think it's not that simple?

Of course you have every right to give out about limits and gatso sites, I give out about limits myself and have seen the vans in some stupid (read dangerous) places, which I have been vocal about.

The area being discussed at the moment is at the bottom of a hill, with business around, including a business that would have a large amount of children attending. It's also the site of a sports ground and a shopping center. In my mind I think it's a good place for them to be, once not parked stupidly as the high traffic volume and high number of pedestrian in the area certainly warrants them being there. Because of this I don't think it's a stupid place for them to be and I don't think people should be giving out about it.

People get tunnel vision when it comes to these vans, ignoring the facts all around them and make presumptions based on biases they have, and to be honest I can't say I blame them. But a little bit of awareness of what's going on around the area will help people figure out what's going on.

At the end of the day they're enforcing a law that is in place for the common good. Whether or not people agree with that law is irrelevant. If you feel that strongly about it, you should go to your local TD, and lobby for it to be changed.

Good sensible post.

pappyodaniel

Last week I witnessed at least 20 examples of crashed cars parked in the hard shoulders of the country's motorways. I hope this doesn't mean we will have these vans introduced onto our motorways now.

Out my neck of the woods in Co Clare we have one of these speed camera locations. TV3 announced on its news programme that this location was statistically the most successful (or profitable) in catching speeding motorists in the country. From what I have learned about this stretch of a road was there was one fatality about 15 years ago, and with the greatest respect to the deceased and his family, it is learned that he was drunk and it was suicide.

The location of this van is after a tight bend, on a straight stretch of about 300metres coming up to another sharp bend. Lots of my mates have been caught and fined for doing between 51&55kmph. Even if you wanted to go through this area at 80km, you find it practically impossible.

I just want to see more common sense as regards to the locations of these vans, it's a pity that most of the dodgy stretches of road don't have adequate space for a van to park safely at the side of the road.

thesimpsons

source wrote: »

Actually it is as simple as don't speed and you have nothing to worry about. Why do you think it's not that simple?

Of course you have every right to give out about limits and gatso sites, I give out about limits myself and have seen the vans in some stupid (read dangerous) places, which I have been vocal about.

The area being discussed at the moment is at the bottom of a hill, with business around, including a business that would have a large amount of children attending. It's also the site of a sports ground and a shopping center. In my mind I think it's a good place for them to be, once not parked stupidly as the high traffic volume and high number of pedestrian in the area certainly warrants them being there. Because of this I don't think it's a stupid place for them to be and I don't think people should be giving out about it.

People get tunnel vision when it comes to these vans, ignoring the facts all around them and make presumptions based on biases they have, and to be honest I can't say I blame them. But a little bit of awareness of what's going on around the area will help people figure out what's going on.

At the end of the day they're enforcing a law that is in place for the common good. Whether or not people agree with that law is irrelevant. If you feel that strongly about it, you should go to your local TD, and lobby for it to be changed.

what I meant was that there is more to the discussion than just a simple "don't break the law and you won't get fined". the discussion was about locations of GATSOs. I'm not against GATSO vans in the least and I do believe that alot of the stupid driving which was the norm in the past is now gone.

tippboi

They must be making a mint if there there nearly 3 times a week!

phog

tippboi wrote: »

They must be making a mint if there there nearly 3 times a week!

They can only make money if drivers ignore the speed limits.