N4 Speed limit @ Palmerstown

dceire

I'm pretty sure I was caught 'speeding' by a gatso van outside Esso heading outbound on the N4, near Palmerstown, tonight. I was trundling along not really paying close attention to my speed, as it was more than safe for the road, conditions, traffic level etc. I saw 2 flashes, as I'm sure the other few cars around me were doing a similar speed. I was doing roughly 70 km/h in what is a 60 km/h zone.

I know I'll probably be labeled bitter by some but I've never understood why a 2 lane dual-carriageway could be classified as being a 60 km/h zone and not an 80 km/h. I'm guessing that it's maybe 'justified' by there being a junction at Palmerstown but there is also a pedestrian bridge there so I don't understand why it's not an 80 zone. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is the N7 & Newland's Cross not an 80 zone?

Stheno

dceire wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I was caught 'speeding' by a gatso van outside Esso heading outbound on the N4, near Palmerstown, tonight. I was trundling along not really paying close attention to my speed, as it was more than safe for the road, conditions, traffic level etc. I saw 2 flashes, as I'm sure the other few cars around me were doing a similar speed. I was doing roughly 70 km/h in what is a 60 km/h zone.

I know I'll probably be labeled bitter by some but I've never understood why a 2 lane dual-carriageway could be classified as being a 60 km/h zone and not an 80 km/h. I'm guessing that it's maybe 'justified' by there being a junction at Palmerstown but there is also a pedestrian bridge there so I don't understand why it's not an 80 zone. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is the N7 & Newland's Cross not an 80 zone?

Is this just after the Liffey Valley exit?

slavetothegrind

nah stheno other side of m50

The Royal Scam

This van parks right across from my mothers house, just beside the esso. I had trouble sleeping on night while it was there the bleedin' thing was flashing non-stop.
Were you heading for town? if so it's a 60 zone. There is nowhere safe on the outbound side for the van to park.

endacl

Yeah it's 60 there. Spotted the camera flashes as a rake of cars overtook me this evening. Flashed 3/4 times for 5/6 cars. It's a serious aul' fishing spot there. You may have been safely hidden in the herd. 60kph at that point is probably to allow for the merge from the slip road from ballyfermot/chapelizod.

Luckily for me, I had the high horse bang on 60. If you're not used to the road though and don't spot the speed limit signs its an easy fishing spot to get hooked at. I normally don't have much sympathy in these threads, but that point in the road baffles me...

Stheno

slavetothegrind wrote: »

nah stheno other side of m50

DUH, gotcha now. Actually I ended up driving along there in the rush hour last week, and not realising that the exits for the M50 had changed had a delightful time, ending up in Liffey Valley and having to turn around

Sad tale aside, it's 80 from just past heuston and then slows to 60 and to be honest I can see why. It was seriously mental with a junction of two lanes trying to filter onto the main lanes, then you've a couple of sets of lights at crossroads, and then once you get past there you'll have idiots people like me who due to lack of signposts need to cross maybe three lanes to get to the right exit for M50N/S or N4

I think the 60kph is appropriate to be honest.

And iirc as you come up to the lights at Newlands it drops first to 80 then to 60kph

Haven't driven the other side in years so don't known about it

superblu

Must remember this. I'm always on that road up and down from the country. I got nailed on the stillorgan dual carriageway for speeding. That is 60 as well which is a bit of a joke.

dceire

Just to answer a few of your questions. I was heading outbound and turning down towards cherry orchard at the lights; the plain white unmarked gatso van was parked out side the Esso station. It flashed twice from what I could see, I was on the inside lane and ahead of a few other cars, still being overtaken mind you; although, I'm still pretty sure that it nabbed me and maybe only one of them.

I can accept a 60 km/h zone after the lights on the approach to the M50 slip roads but it's hard to swallow as far up as the Esso. If I was doing 80+ then fair enough but, as I said, I wasn't even looking at the speedo as I was doing what I felt was a very appropriate speed which seemed even a little slow given the road.

slavetothegrind

i feel your pain i got my first points coming up the M4 in 3 lanes in the middle passing the golf club

Stheno

dceire wrote: »

Just to answer a few of your questions. I was heading outbound and turning down towards cherry orchard at the lights; the plain white unmarked gatso van was parked out side the Esso station. It flashed twice from what I could see, I was on the inside lane and ahead of a few other cars, still being overtaken mind you; although, I'm still pretty sure that it nabbed me and maybe only one of them.

I can accept a 60 km/h zone after the lights on the approach to the M50 slip roads but it's hard to swallow as far up as the Esso. If I was doing 80+ then fair enough but, as I said, I wasn't even looking at the speedo as I was doing what I felt was a very appropriate speed which seemed even a little slow given the road.

But isn't that junction with two lanes that merges with the main traffic just after the Esso?

I didn't remember it was there and got a fair shock hitting it even in the rush hour.

Capt'n Midnight

In the past you'd be heading Northbound on the M50 and turn off on to the N4 heading westwards. And even though you are still on a multi lane road that was as wide the speed limit halved. Was very hard to to keep the speed down when every instinct was telling you "it's the same road I've been cruising on"

Also if you head from Palmerstown down the hill to Chapelizod there is oftentimes a speed trap on that hill very close to the 50Kmph sign - do not wait for the rumble strips or speed bumps to slow down.

Stheno

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

In the past you'd be heading Northbound on the M50 and turn off on to the N4 heading westwards. .

When did that change do you know?

Capt'n Midnight

Stheno wrote: »

When did that change do you know?

a long time ago before all the roadworks and the 100Kmph limit when it was still a roundabout and there wasn't as much vertical distance

late at night when you were one of the few cars on the road it felt so sloooowwwww and your brain still registering the central barrier and the wall beside Liffey Valley

Stheno

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

a long time ago before all the roadworks and the 100Kmph limit when it was still a roundabout and there wasn't as much vertical distance

late at night when you were one of the few cars on the road it felt so sloooowwwww and your brain still registering the central barrier and the wall beside Liffey Valley

It's a few years since I drove that road until last week!

RedorDead

Have seen the van here at high speed three times now too late and (touch wood) have never seen it flash. What is the rule? Is it automatically controlled or manually? I have definitely been over 60 each time i have seen it.

Victor

dceire wrote: »

I'm guessing that it's maybe 'justified' by there being a junction at Palmerstown but there is also a pedestrian bridge there so I don't understand why it's not an 80 zone.

Just as well it is 60km/h, because there is a second junction with no pedestrian bridge! :cool:

http://maps.google.ie/?ll=53.353763,-6.367366&spn=0.000815,0.002642&t=k&z=19&layer=c&cbll=53.3538,-6.367535&panoid=x4AwEfCcm51-etlXc4e1yQ&cbp=12,331.93,,0,16.36

Turtle-TM

slavetothegrind wrote: »

i feel your pain i got my first points coming up the M4 in 3 lanes in the middle passing the golf club

Perfect example of people not knowing where the M4 ends and the N4 starts coming inbound.

M4 ends and becomes 80km/hr just at the leixlip east on ramp, just past the flyover. I'm sick of people coming up my arse as I slow from 120 to 80 at this point then feeling the need to flash as they want to continue at 100+

I'll move over to the middle or left lane, but only when I've passed any slower moving and merging traffic from the slip road.

Max Power1

Turtle-TM wrote: »

Perfect example of people not knowing where the M4 ends and the N4 starts coming inbound.

M4 ends and becomes 80km/hr just at the leixlip east on ramp, just past the flyover. I'm sick of people coming up my arse as I slow from 120 to 80 at this point then feeling the need to flash as they want to continue at 100+

I'll move over to the middle or left lane, but only when I've passed any slower moving and merging traffic from the slip road.

The mind boggles, where to begin?

-Merging traffic do not have right of way. You should be in the leftmost (ie driving) lane. The clue is in the lane
-Why were you in a situation where you were in the outermost lane? let me guess, the "faasssht" lane right?

Turtle-TM

Max Power1 wrote: »

The mind boggles, where to begin?

-Merging traffic do not have right of way. You should be in the leftmost (ie driving) lane. The clue is in the lane
-Why were you in a situation where you were in the outermost lane? let me guess, the "faasssht" lane right?

Coming to this area I'm nearly always in the overtaking lane, as there's slower moving traffic in the left lane. As it becomes a duel carriage way it tends to get clogged up, the middle lane with people going slower than 80kph and and the left most lane with people merging from the slip road from leixlip east.

I'll slow to 80kph, as I'm legally required to do and continue in the overtaking lane, passing slower moving traffic in the middle lane, until I have enough space to move to the middle lane, and then the left lane.

What I won't do however is speed up just because someone behind me feels the need to continue at motorway speeds and I should get out of his way when there is no space to move into the middle lane.

I'm not speeding up and risking points just so they can continue at their desired (illegal) speed.

And before someone says "if you thing you're travelling at 80kph you're actually doing 74", I set my cruise control just above the speedo indicated 80kph to where I GPS verified 83kph was.

mitosis

Victor wrote: »

Just as well it is 60km/h, because there is a second junction with no pedestrian bridge! :cool:

http://maps.google.ie/?ll=53.353763,-6.367366&spn=0.000815,0.002642&t=k&z=19&layer=c&cbll=53.3538,-6.367535&panoid=x4AwEfCcm51-etlXc4e1yQ&cbp=12,331.93,,0,16.36

And that's a school on the left!

ironclaw

RedorDead wrote: »

Is it automatically controlled or manually? I have definitely been over 60 each time i have seen it.

Tis automatic or manual. However if there are two cars in the same picture your pretty much off the hook (Reasonable doubt exists). So if your being overtaken, and it flashes, chances are you won't hear anything or will have very good grounds for appeal.

But without sounding high and mighty if people just slowed down in these 'fish barrel' zones and drive intelligently you would never be caught. All it takes is some common sense, knowing where the vans like to live and keeping a very keen eye if your speeding. It kinda goes to show that most people arn't capable of concentrating while driving let alone while speeding. Vans are easy to spot if you know what to look for.