Unusual Garda Checkpoint.

eddie

Driving northwards on M7, noticed a garda car, near Portlaoise, parked on a south facing slipway with garda half out drivers window holding radar gun with two hands, presumably to "catch" passing traffic.

Is that possible, practical or even legal.?

xabi

eddie wrote: »

Driving northwards on M7, noticed a garda car, near Portlaoise, parked on a south facing slipway with garda half out drivers window holding radar gun with two hands, presumably to "catch" passing traffic.

Is that possible, practical or even legal.?

Was he on the opposite carriageway? I have seen this a few times on the motorways.

freshpopcorn

The Gardai have being doing this for years and they appear to catch people speeding.

Pinch Flat

Saw this myself heading south o the M9 a few weeks ago around Carlow - Garda car on opposite slipway leading to the northbound carriageway - seemed to be pointing at traffic coming against them on the opposite side. Presumably they have another car waiting to apprehend someone speeding?

bazz26

Yep, usually another Garda Traffic Corp unit further up the road to stop the flagged speeder.

hi5

Yes, they do it all the time on the M9 especially at Paulstown and there's a Garda ramp a few kilometres further down which the never use.
The reasoning I presume is that they can reverse back up the slip road to attend an emergency if needed.

xabi

I assumed it was to check cars going away from them, that way they can give chase straight away.

freshpopcorn

Whenever I've seen this they appear to be clocking people on the same side of the carriageway there on. There basically clocking people from behind. They can then either follow them or have another car waiting to stop the speeder!

coylemj

xabi wrote: »

I assumed it was to check cars going away from them, that way they can give chase straight away.

Yes the little ramps beside the motorway would seem to be designed that way but a lot of the time they're looking at people coming down the other side of the motorway.

xabi

both facing the same direction, that way they just drive after them

pa990

eddie wrote: »

Driving northwards on M7, noticed a garda car, near Portlaoise, parked on a south facing slipway with garda half out drivers window holding radar gun with two hands, presumably to "catch" passing traffic.

Is that possible, practical or even legal.?

Possible: Yes
Practical : NO
Legal: Yes

Sterling Archer

Do you mean the garda is on the slip onto Northbound lane and aiming down the slip out onto the motorway in what appears to be the southbound lane...

I've seen this done near the raheen exit in limerick.. they are actually aiming at the back of northbound traffic, it's easier to catch people as they don't see the garda car until he has caught up to them to pull them over

Silvera

I've seen garda cars parked on motorway slip roads doing speed checks many times (likewise when driving abroad).

_Kaiser_

This is a fairly common one on the M7 alright.. usually around exit 15-17 (Portlaoise). The idea being that you don't see them until you've already passed them below.

Often though they're partly obstructing the slip lane while they're at their "safety" exercise but of course that doesn't matter! :rolleyes:

Once you're wise to the game though it's easy to avoid it.

eddie

Shane_ef wrote: »

Do you mean the garda is on the slip onto Northbound lane and aiming down the slip out onto the motorway in what appears to be the southbound lane...

I've seen this done near the raheen exit in limerick.. they are actually aiming at the back of northbound traffic, it's easier to catch people as they don't see the garda car until he has caught up to them to pull them over

No - it was a normal slipway for all traffic and he was parked on it half way down half out of the car... anyone coming onto the slipway would need to avoid him, seemed very careless to me... facing traffic going away from him so I suppose if he caught a speeder he could set off after him.. at high speed

Almost as if they are not interested in actually reducing speed overall just in catching the extreme speeders

eddie

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

This is a fairly common one on the M7 alright.. usually around exit 15-17 (Portlaoise). The idea being that you don't see them until you've already passed them below.

Often though they're partly obstructing the slip lane while they're at their "safety" exercise but of course that doesn't matter! :rolleyes:

Once you're wise to the game though it's easy to avoid it.

The reality is that even if you are on the speed limit, you are taking attention away from driving to constantly check the slip road you pas to see if there is unit.

Seem a lot like "hiding in the bushes" to me and I cannot believe it is legal to camp on slip road. Presumably the handheld radar is the "finder" and then the actual offence has to be caught on the car mounted unit....

Del2005

eddie wrote: »

The reality is that even if you are on the speed limit, you are taking attention away from driving to constantly check the slip road you pas to see if there is unit.

.

Why would you be checking for speed checks if you aren't exceeding the speed limit?

eddie

Del2005 wrote: »

Why would you be checking for speed checks if you aren't exceeding the speed limit?

Really ? Thats the best you have ?

Paddy@CIRL

They're forever on the M9 doing this and they're indeed catching the traffic that's driving away from them on the same side of the carriageway.

Still, makes an improvement from the utter pleb of a Garda who thought it was a good idea to park on the hard shoulder of the M9 outside Thomastown, with his door wide open and sat sideways into the road with the speed gun facing back into traffic. Seen him more than once too...

marno21

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

They're forever on the M9 doing this and they're indeed catching the traffic that's driving away from them on the same side of the carriageway.

Still, makes an improvement from the utter pleb of a Garda who thought it was a good idea to park on the hard shoulder of the M9 outside Thomastown, with his door wide open and sat sideways into the road with the speed gone facing into traffic. Seen him more than once too...

When someone gets killed doing this, what are the chances that the foot of the blame will lie at the 'speeding car'.

_Kaiser_

marno21 wrote: »

When someone gets killed doing this, what are the chances that the foot of the blame will lie at the 'speeding car'.

Doesn't even have to be "speeding"

I was coming up the M8 late one night a while back and around Tipperary I rounded a bend in the road to find a Garda car plonked in the driving lane, with the Garda himself standing in front of it waving people to the off-ramp .. I think it was related to this if I recall right.

So you're doing 120, round the corner to find headlights and blues facing you and a guy standing in your way! Good thing I was awake/have good brakes! Why the guy wasn't maybe 3/400m further up the road or at least by the side of the road is beyond me!