Tractor driver banned over 7km traffic tailback

Voodoomelon

http://www.irishtimes.com/tractor-driver-banned-over-7km-traffic-tailback-1.2177126

A tractor driver who caused a 7km tailback on a national primary road, involving 80-100 vehicles, has been fined €300 and banned from driving for a year.
Judge Mary Devins was told by Garda John Boyle at Castlebar District Court that on June 20th last he came across “a convoy” of vehicles travelling eastwards on the N5 outside Westport, which were being held up by a tractor towing a trailer which contained a mechanical digger.
Mr Boyle gave evidence that after overtaking between 80 and 100 vehicles he got to the tractor which was keeping traffic at about 20 km.

.......


After commenting that everybody has to exercise a little consideration on the road, the judge fined McGuinness €300 in his absence and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.

After seeing the sentence first and then reading the offence, I thought it was a little harsh. A fine sure, but a 12 month ban?

Everyone hates being stuck behind a tractor for miles, me included, but a ban to a farmer would be fairly detrimental to his livelihood surely?

He didn't even show up for the court case. Maybe he'll show up the next time...

Cuddlesworth

I wish there were more Gardai like this one.

Chuck_Norris

Voodoomelon wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/tractor-driver-banned-over-7km-traffic-tailback-1.2177126



After seeing the sentence first and then reading the offence, I thought it was a little harsh. A fine sure, but a 12 month ban?

Everyone hates being stuck behind a tractor for miles, me included, but a ban to a farmer would be fairly detrimental to his livelihood surely?

"Mr Boyle said that he had issued a fixed charge penalty notice to McGuinness but this had not been paid.




McGuinness did not appear in court to answer the charge."


Taken from the article itself. I think they may have been mitigating circumstances.

Voodoomelon

Ahhh, missed that it was an unpaid fine. Different story then.

Timberrrrrrrr

Voodoomelon wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/tractor-driver-banned-over-7km-traffic-tailback-1.2177126



After seeing the sentence first and then reading the offence, I thought it was a little harsh. A fine sure, but a 12 month ban?

Everyone hates being stuck behind a tractor for miles, me included, but a ban to a farmer would be fairly detrimental to his livelihood surely?

But the hundreds of people who were held up don't count right? Sends the right message out imo, one person shouldn't be able to hold up hundreds like this.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

Absolutely brilliant. Bravo judge. Been stuck behind many a slow driver in my time in massive massive tailbacks and I think it drives people to do insane overtaking maneuvers. It's incredibly dangerous and utterly infuriating.

While I understand tractors and other slow moving vehicles need to be on the roads a lot more of them need to pay attention to what going on behind them. What absolutely mystifies me is when the offending vehicle is a car and is capable of doing the required speed.

Voodoomelon

The Honey Monster wrote: »

Absolutely brilliant. Bravo judge. Been stuck behind many a slow driver in my time in massive massive tailbacks and I think it drives people to do insane overtaking maneuvers. It's incredibly dangerous and utterly infuriating.

While I understand tractors and other slow moving vehicles need to be on the roads a lot more of them need to pay attention to what going on behind them. What absolutely mystifies me is when the offending vehicle is a car and is capable of doing the required speed.

Well it transpires that he wasn't handed the ban for the offence, but for not paying the fine originally. That said, if you were a judge, would you hand someone a 12 month ban for causing a tailback?

Bpmull

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Ahhh, missed that it was an unpaid fine. Different story then.

If he is the type that didn't pay the licence. He will probably drive as normal with or without a licence. Or hopefully he will take it serious.

Voodoomelon

Bpmull wrote: »

If he is the type that didn't pay the licence. He will probably drive as normal with or without a licence. Or hopefully he will take it serious.

I thought the very same thing.

anncoates

Holds up traffic for 7KM, won't pay the fine and doesn't show up to court.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and wildly guess he's not exactly the considerate type.

michael999999

[Deleted User] wrote: »

He didn't even show up for the court case. Maybe he'll show up the next time...

Probably stuck in traffic!

SCOOP 64

Some tractor drivers will not pull in even if they have opportunitys to do so, so annoying.

Special Circumstances

michael999999 wrote: »

Probably stuck in traffic!

Still on the way

mirrorwall14

What exactly was he done for? Having a discussion with the husband about this and he doesn't think there's anything in law that would prevent you from this but obviously the guard fined him for something?

Voodoomelon

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

What exactly was he done for? Having a discussion with the husband about this and he doesn't think there's anything in law that would prevent you from this but obviously the guard fined him for something?

He didn't pay the original fixed penalty notice and didn't show up in court either. Probably causing a traffic obstruction.

mirrorwall14

Voodoomelon wrote: »

He didn't pay the original fixed penalty notice and didn't show up in court either.

But what was the fixed penalty notice given for?

ba_barabus

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

But what was the fixed penalty notice given for?

Driving without due care and attention?

Donnielighto

Glad people aren't rubbishing all tractor drivers. Did he have any excuse?

Marcusm

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

But what was the fixed penalty notice given for?

Driving without reasonable consideration?

POssible that he already had a trove of points.

colm_mcm

Probably should have banned the person at the front of the queue too for not passing him

moleyv

If the garda was able to overtake 80-100 cars how in the ****e was no one able to overtake the tractor.

That said he some farmers take the mick. 7kmph on a national route....

Tractors should pull over at any opportunity on a national route if they have a string of traffic behind them.

I've seen the guards pull over a tractor for causing a tail back before. Hope that fella got a fine too.

madcabbage

What a sad state of affairs that a law has to be brought in because some folk can't do something simple as pulling in if they're holding a large number of vehicles. The man got what he deserved for his no show antics alone.

JJJJNR

moleyv wrote: »

If the garda was able to overtake 80-100 cars how in the ****e was no one able to overtake the tractor.

That said he some farmers take the mick. 7kmph on a national route....

Tractors should pull over at any opportunity on a national route if they have a string of traffic behind them.

I've seen the guards pull over a tractor for causing a tail back before. Hope that fella got a fine too.

in fairness though I wouldn't overtake on the roads in mayo either, you might end up in a sink hole.

Hachiko

Voodoomelon wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/tractor-driver-banned-over-7km-traffic-tailback-1.2177126



After seeing the sentence first and then reading the offence, I thought it was a little harsh. A fine sure, but a 12 month ban?

Everyone hates being stuck behind a tractor for miles, me included, but a ban to a farmer would be fairly detrimental to his livelihood surely?

these idiots are the worst, slow drivers who cause massive tail backs should be shown the book also.

bloody idiots all of them. If they want to poddle along at 30mph or whatever stupid speed they go that is fine but at least gtfo out of the way for others.

Into The Blue

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Well it transpires that he wasn't handed the ban for the offence, but for not paying the fine originally. That said, if you were a judge, would you hand someone a 12 month ban for causing a tailback?

You don't lose your licence for failing to pay a fine.

jimmyw

What I cant understand is that surely most national roads are wide enough for cars to overtake.I have driven a tractor on local roads and a national road and all traffic could pass by easy when I was driving on the hard shoulder of the national road.

When there was a car behind me on the local road, I would pull in where I could to let them pass.Sometimes I would have to do so fairly regularly which was a pain, but I couldn't have a car held up behind him but there was no problem on the N road.

If its too narrow on the N road then it should not be a national road.I do understand though that some tractor drivers just could not be bothered their back side pulling over when they can, they just don't care so its good to show that its not acceptable.

moleyv

jimmyw wrote:

What I cant understand is that surely most national roads are wide enough for cars to overtake.I have driven a tractor on local roads and a national road and all traffic could pass by easy when I was driving on the hard shoulder of the national road.

N24 N74 and N69 are nightmares to name a few.

Not all national routes, even primary ones have hard shoulders. That said, just because there is a hard shoulder doesn't mean a tractor will drive in it, such is my experiences.

Maybe there should be a blanket ban on slow moving vehicles during certain times of day.

Damien360

moleyv wrote: »

N24 N74 and N69 are nightmares to name a few.

Not all national routes, even primary ones have hard shoulders. That said, just because there is a hard shoulder doesn't mean a tractor will drive in it, such is my experiences.

Maybe there should be a blanket ban on slow moving vehicles during certain times of day.

That's just silly. Farmers are going about their business also.

The vast majority of tractors I meet on the roads have consideration for drivers and make room for a safer overtake. They do not stop and I would not expect them to do that. They are working also.

It is the clowns in the micras directly behind them that will not overtake the tractors when given the clear opportunity that boil my blood. Why always micras ?

Dozer Dave

colm_mcm wrote: »

Probably should have banned the person at the front of the queue too for not passing him

Maybe the person in front was traveling with sufficient space between them and the tractor for the driver behind them to overtake. Ban that driver maybe.

ardmacha

colm_mcm wrote: »

Probably should have banned the person at the front of the queue too for not passing him

It isn't clear that some people did not pass the tractor. Provided the rate of arrival at the end of the queue exceeded the rate at which people could overtake a queue would still build up.

Not all national routes, even primary ones have hard shoulders.

New construction, certainly on national secondary routes, does not include hard shoulders.

A clear obligation to pull over is needed. A vehicle travelling at 12Kmh will only lose 200m if stopped for one minute, but many others would gain.

colm_mcm

Dozer Dave wrote: »

Maybe the person in front was traveling with sufficient space between them and the tractor for the driver behind them to overtake. Ban that driver maybe.

Totally.

moleyv

Damien360 wrote:

The vast majority of tractors I meet on the roads have consideration for drivers and make room for a safer overtake. They do not stop and I would not expect them to do that. They are working also.

Yes but I would argue that a tractor is for working on land/farm. Trips on a national route in particular should be short. Otherwise maybe a more appropriate vehicle should be used.

I regularly have 20-40 mins added to a 1.25 hr journey due to tractors on a national route.

Maybe farmers should plan their journeys better, and restricting their access to national routes an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening wouldn't be unreasonable.

I wonder are all these heavy pot hole making machines taxed....

Overtaking opportunities during rush hours on a national route can be limited even in high powered vehicles, let alone a Micra.

Hopefully a few more of these cases are highlighted in the media to make more farmers considerate.

challengemaster

If anything it's one thing the French do right - tractors drive in the fields adjacent to the road, not on the fupping road.

punisher5112

I am guessing that the tractor didn't keep left and didn't move in when he had chances to do so and with the poor training and none at all for some a lot don't seem to realize they have to change down to overtake.

I would take a good guess there was an auld one in a yaris right behind trailer hugging the centre white line leaving no opportunity to others behind to overtake safely.

See it all the time pure thicks driving about.

jimmyw

moleyv wrote: »

N24 N74 and N69 are nightmares to name a few.

Not all national routes, even primary ones have hard shoulders. That said, just because there is a hard shoulder doesn't mean a tractor will drive in it, such is my experiences.

Maybe there should be a blanket ban on slow moving vehicles during certain times of day.

That was the road I was on, a small section between mooncoin and waterford.It would only get a little tricky from the roundabout below the thatch pub, but I wouldnt normally be there.Tractors have stick to the N/Local roads anyway.

jimmyw

moleyv wrote: »

Maybe there should be a blanket ban on slow moving vehicles during certain times of day.

Not practical, I live in a rural area and god knows they get justified criticisms sometimes but this is not one.

John_Rambo

moleyv wrote: »

If the garda was able to overtake 80-100 cars how in the ****e was no one able to overtake the tractor

I'd say the Garda car was fitted with blue flashing lights and a siren.

I'm guessing here, but I reckon he/she was at the end of the snake and overtook everyone bit by bit using his or her siren and lights to see what exactly the problem was.

Seven clicks and eighty cars though!! Bloody hell. I just couldn't do it! It's simply not in me to see that build up behind me and not give a sheet!

cocoman

I don't think this guy was a typical farmer travelling from his house to the land. He was towing a trailer carrying a track machine. Probably a young lad working for a contractor - in which case the 12 month ban will probably see him on the plane to Oz.

John_Rambo

cocoman wrote: »

I don't think this guy was a typical farmer travelling from his house to the land. He was towing a trailer carrying a track machine. Probably a young lad

Are young lads not more aware and mindful these days?

Carawaystick

one evening fadó fadó, we were stopped at a picnic area beside the N13 in Normandy, when the noise of many honking horns disturbed our tea.
We saw a tractor and trailer in the overtaking lane doing about 25kmh overtaking another tractor & trailer in the driving lane doing about 23 kmh.

So we packed up and sped out of the picnic area to get just ahead of the jam and catch our ferry home.
So it doesn't just happen in Ireland.

I bet there will be no one put off the road for the traffic jams caused on the M50 from crashes over the easter holidays, which have a much higher economic cost.

I find it curious that gard Boyle could pass 80 cars, but the cars couldn't pass a tractor at 20 kmh...
I presume gard Boyle was driving with due care and consideration passing all of those cars too.

John_Rambo

Carawaystick wrote: »

I find it curious that gard Boyle could pass 80 cars, but the cars couldn't pass a tractor at 20 kmh...
I presume gard Boyle was driving with due care and consideration passing all of those cars too.

As I said already, he/she most likely had flashing blue lights and a siren along with bright yellow, blue and white livery and intermittent flashing headlights.

I thought this would be fairly obvious.

punisher5112

Carawaystick wrote: »

one evening fadó fadó, we were stopped at a picnic area beside the N13 in Normandy, when the noise of many honking horns disturbed our tea.
We saw a tractor and trailer in the overtaking lane doing about 25kmh overtaking another tractor & trailer in the driving lane doing about 23 kmh.

So we packed up and sped out of the picnic area to get just ahead of the jam and catch our ferry home.
So it doesn't just happen in Ireland.

I bet there will be no one put off the road for the traffic jams caused on the M50 from crashes over the easter holidays, which have a much higher economic cost.

I find it curious that gard Boyle could pass 80 cars, but the cars couldn't pass a tractor at 20 kmh...
I presume gard Boyle was driving with due care and consideration passing all of those cars too.

I would give my right arm for a blue light and siren great invention.

He would be well experienced on how to overtake.
It helps of course having blue lights

moleyv

John_Rambo wrote:

As I said already, he/she most likely had flashing blue lights and a siren along with bright yellow, blue and white livery and intermittent flashing headlights.

John_Rambo wrote:

I thought this would be fairly obvious.

I thought it would be fairly obvious that this is a given. The point is that the guard hardly drove into oncoming traffic. There was obviously gaps in the traffic that allowed the guard to pass.

These gaps were obviously present at the top of the queue.

That said. If people were overtaking, if more cars were arriving to the back of the queue than overtaking it will obviously build up.

loobylou

Something fishy here. 100 cars spread over 7km leaves a gap of 70 metres between each car. Don't see that happening in traffic moving at only 20kph.

moleyv

loobylou wrote:

Something fishy here. 100 cars spread over 7km leaves a gap of 70 metres between each car. Don't see that happening in traffic moving at only 20kph.

They haven't gotten the hang of the metric system up whest just yet

trabpc

I've often felt the urge to pull someone out of the cab and show what they are causing. I never have. But I think tractors on motorways especially on BH weekends are another danger. Miles of ques and hold ups because one Muppet who won't use the parallel old rd because his 4 x flashing beacon John Deere can do 60km\ h while empty. But pulling any weight and they can't go over 40....Ahhhhhghhgh

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

John_Rambo

moleyv wrote: »

I thought it would be fairly obvious that this is a given. The point is that the guard hardly drove into oncoming traffic. There was obviously gaps in the traffic that allowed the guard to pass.

These gaps were obviously present at the top of the queue.

That said. If people were overtaking, if more cars were arriving to the back of the queue than overtaking it will obviously build up.

Look, you know how it is Moluyv!!

There's a massive line of traffic, nobody knows what's going on, someone in a regular car tries to leap frog, people close up, tailgate to block the overtaker from moving back in after a leap-frog overtake. We've seen it a million times before. The black plume of diesel smoke when you indicate and overtake!!

People won't do that to a Garda car, ambulance, fire truck or coast gard vehicle with flashing blue lights.

Regarding the vehicles behind the tractor? Whatever, idiots, learners, single white line, campers, underpowered vehicles, cars towing, artics...? Who knows, but for whatever reason, they didn't overtake.

colm_mcm

It's a bad state of affairs when you don't have enough poke/bravery to overtake a tractor

slimjimmc

moleyv wrote: »

If the garda was able to overtake 80-100 cars how in the ****e was no one able to overtake the tractor.

That said he some farmers take the mick. 7kmph on a national route....

Tractors should pull over at any opportunity on a national route if they have a string of traffic behind them.

I've seen the guards pull over a tractor for causing a tail back before. Hope that fella got a fine too.

If he was in an official car with blues lit up I would think traffic in both directions would be much more accommodating.