Unpopular opinion; the speed camera zones

Mycroft H

So browsing the internet and I stumbled upon the Gardai Facebook page and the introduction of the National Slow Down Day. Browsing the comment on the page and in between the comments about water meters and going catching real criminals, there was some talk of the new speed camera zones.

You can view the google map of the zones and it gives you a breakdown on the zones and how many collisions have been on the road. I'm not sure over the time period though. Most I've clicked have had either a fatal collision or a mixture of Serious/Minor or all three..

Cynically, we've all thought it. That camera is on a grand bit of road. It's only going to be netting money.

There's a few roads where locally you could think of that where I am. One of those is the R148 (Kilcock-Kinnegad). Former National Road, now regional road when the motorway was opened. It's one that's very good quality. Or so you would think.

However, when I sat down and thought of it, it is a road that sees quite an amount of accidents. It was closed about two years back near Kilcock for a fatal collision. My aul lad came off his motorbike and was lucky to walk away.

It's not that great of a road when you think about it. Loads of traffic, low enough speed limit and rare enough overtaking spots. Encourages lots of terrible driving.

Perhaps a bit of enforcement isn't a bad thing here and there....

Grueller

Agree with you up to a point op. Then you have the real fish in a barrel spots. We all know them, right inside a 60km zone coming out of a 100 zone etc.
Where I agree is on the lkes of a road local to me here. 80 km zone and correctly so with one fast straight. The van haunts the straight because a little further on are the worst bends in the area. Before the vans started coming here the traffic never slowed before the bends, now they are forced to. I don't know the statistics but those bends shortened up a lot of cars in their day but now it must be two years since a car went over that ditch. Overall I think they are a good thing.

fancy pigeon

I've harped on and on about Navan race course being a blackspot many times before. There's plenty of spaces at different parts of the race course to pull in safely off the road and make people slow down beside where there actually were countless accidents and numerous fatalities.

Where do they park instead? Bottom of a hill half a km down the road where the limit changes from 80 to 60. What a scummy lot. Saving lives me arse.

I challenge anyone to prove how that van where it parks is actually going to prevent an accident at the race course

Kamili

heres a link to the RSA where they show collisions and fatalities on a map.

I've not actually cross referenced where they put the speed traps but it might make interesting reading..

http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Road-Safety/Our-Research/Collision-Statistics/Ireland-Road-Collisions/

Vicxas

fancy pigeon wrote: »

I've harped on and on about Navan race course being a blackspot many times before. There's plenty of spaces at different parts of the race course to pull in safely off the road and make people slow down beside where there actually were countless accidents and numerous fatalities.

Where do they park instead? Bottom of a hill half a km down the road where the limit changes from 80 to 60. What a scummy lot. Saving lives me arse.

I challenge anyone to prove how that van where it parks is actually going to prevent an accident at the race course

That road is a nightmare, especially with all the concealed entrances and the blind hills. Its a hateful road all the way to Kingscourt.

Zubeneschamali

They just announced a speed camera zone between the Moate junctions on the M6. Strange, i thought, the Motorway seems like an unlikely place for speed related casualties.

But look, there it is on the map - two fatalities. In a head-on collision? Yep, we are talking about an incident where a 66 year old woman who had been drinking joined the motorway at Athlone, drove 10K the wrong way up the M6 before ramming another car head on, killing both drivers.

Solution? Speed camera zone!

Zubeneschamali

They've extended the Athlone bypass speed camera zone west, which has to be due to the death of a baby. Single car accident, family hit ice and slid sideways onto the end of a crash barrier near the bridge.

Solution? Speed camera zone!

Special Circumstances

Apparently travelling the right way, at 140kph, in good conditions, in a roadworthy car, fully awake, no intoxicants, fully engaged in what you are doing has been leading to shed loads of fatalities on motorways.

Automated speed detection is definitely the solution to these situations. Or it might be completely undermining any credibility in the system. One or the other probably.

coylemj

Kamili wrote: »

heres a link to the RSA where they show collisions and fatalities on a map.

I've not actually cross referenced where they put the speed traps but it might make interesting reading..

http://www.rsa.ie/RSA/Road-Safety/Our-Research/Collision-Statistics/Ireland-Road-Collisions/

Tried that with Firefox but it refused to zoom in, it works fine using IE.

Special Circumstances

coylemj wrote: »

Tried that with Firefox but it refused to zoom in, it works fine using IE.

Firefox is toooo FASHHHT for the RSA. They like that cup of tea while IE opens up.

TBi

fancy pigeon wrote: »

Where do they park instead? Bottom of a hill half a km down the road where the limit changes from 80 to 60. What a scummy lot. Saving lives me arse.

On the Cork - Mallow road they always have a speed van just over the crest of a hill after an overtaking area. Another place for shooting fish in a barrel. Most people slow down after they finish overtaking but they've already been nabbed.

edburg

TBi wrote: »

On the Cork - Mallow road they always have a speed van just over the crest of a hill after an overtaking area. Another place for shooting fish in a barrel. Most people slow down after they finish overtaking but they've already been nabbed.

I agree with them in certain places but as above they make habit of being in that spot (or similar) as they know with it being one couple two lanes sections that's a mad rush from cars to get past slower moving vehicles.

Not seen him for awhile but they also parked behind a shortish wall in rathduff just before speed change from 60 to 100. Know of 4 people caught there picking up speed to early.

_Kaiser_

A day in the life of a GoSafe operator : http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/keeping-a-lookout-with-a-speed-camera-operator-1.2663418

On the Stillorgan Dual Carrigeway of course. Safety my arse!