Garda checkpoint - M4 - Friday 30th Oct

biobot

I passed a checkpoint on the M4 heading to Galway last Friday about midday, they were stopping 6 or seven cars at a time, which I assumed was checking the validity of why they were travelling, but I noticed what I thought was a prison van and a shuttle type bus (21 seater or smaller size) the Dublin side of where they had the cars being checked, but then parked at the side of the road just after the checkpoint was about 15-20 other random cars, with no one inside them.

I was waved through, so didn't get a good look at what was going on, but was wondering, what was going on with the unoccupied cars?

Uncle Pierre

Am obviously just speculating, but might it have been the case that those unoccupied cars had been seized for whatever reasons, and the bus was to transport the drivers and any other occupants back to somewhere other than the side of the motorway?

Atlantic Dawn

Uncle Pierre wrote: »

Am obviously just speculating, but might it have been the case that those unoccupied cars had been seized for whatever reasons, and the bus was to transport the drivers and any other occupants back to somewhere other than the side of the motorway?

Yes I'd be thinking that's the case, would be impossible for them to legally make it home otherwise.

GNWoodd

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Yes I'd be thinking that's the case, would be impossible for them to legally make it home otherwise.

Does the State not want people to drive any more ?
And I am not referring to the restrictions imposed because of Covid .
Twenty cars seized at mid day on a Friday ?
Taking someone’s car in these circumstances should be a last resort

Atlantic Dawn

GNWoodd wrote: »

Does the State not want people to drive any more ?
And I am not referring to the restrictions imposed because of Covid .
Twenty cars seized at mid day on a Friday ?
Taking someone’s car in these circumstances should be a last resort

Yes but if your driving along and some idiot with no insurance hits in to you your preference would be that they were never on the road in the first place.

colm_mcm

GNWoodd wrote: »

Does the State not want people to drive any more ?
And I am not referring to the restrictions imposed because of Covid .
Twenty cars seized at mid day on a Friday ?
Taking someone’s car in these circumstances should be a last resort

What if they have no insurance or licence or whatever

Fucc them, let them walk.

Jim_Hodge

GNWoodd wrote: »

Does the State not want people to drive any more ?
And I am not referring to the restrictions imposed because of Covid .
Twenty cars seized at mid day on a Friday ?
Taking someone’s car in these circumstances should be a last resort

Care to speculate on why the cars might be seized?

That's right......perfectly reasonable and legal reasons. If they shouldn't be on the road no Garda can allow then continue on their way.

Taking an uninsured or unroadworthy vehicle off the road is doing us all a favour.

mloc123

The unoccupied cars are mostly the guards own cars... The prison van is just a mobile base (canteen etc.. I guess)

They have a checkpoint also at the Celbridge/Leixlip exit and the same 7-8 cars are parked up there most days, I assume the guards on duty just drive to the checkpoints in their own cars.

GNWoodd

colm_mcm wrote: »

What if they have no insurance or licence or whatever

Fucc them, let them walk.

Or they could ride a high horse like you

con747

I don't know who's cars they are or what the large vehicles are, I do know the OH has an extra 2- 3 hours a day stuck in traffic getting to and from work everyday because of the feckn checkpoints. At this stage all they are doing is pissing off people who are essential workers.

colm_mcm

GNWoodd wrote: »

Or they could ride a high horse like you

Don’t need a licence or insurance for a horse so not a bad idea

GNWoodd

colm_mcm wrote: »

What if they have no insurance or licence or whatever

Fucc them, let them walk.

Or they could ride a high horse like you

dobman88

con747 wrote: »

I don't know who's cars they are or what the large vehicles are, I do know the OH has an extra 2- 3 hours a day stuck in traffic getting to and from work everyday because of the feckn checkpoints. At this stage all they are doing is pissing off people who are essential workers.

2-3 hours because of check points? Really? I'm a delivery driver and pass through multiple checkpoints a day. Longest I've been held up was about 10 minutes when the moron in front of me decided to have an argument with the Gard and refused to pull in out of the way for us to pass. Usually it's a few seconds chat, working away? Yeah. Grand so. Ok, thanks now.

Would love to know how and where your OH is being held up for 2-3 hours so I can avoid it.

con747

dobman88 wrote: »

2-3 hours because of check points? Really? I'm a delivery driver and pass through multiple checkpoints a day. Longest I've been held up was about 10 minutes when the moron in front of me decided to have an argument with the Gard and refused to pull in out of the way for us to pass. Usually it's a few seconds chat, working away? Yeah. Grand so. Ok, thanks now.

Would love to know how and where shes being held up for 2-3 hours so I can avoid it.

Try the M4 from Lucan to past Maynooth any day at rush hour. That's after the one just past her job also.

beachhead

GNWoodd wrote: »

Does the State not want people to drive any more ?
And I am not referring to the restrictions imposed because of Covid .
Twenty cars seized at mid day on a Friday ?
Taking someone’s car in these circumstances should be a last resort

Why? The cops don't arrest people for the crack.It's illegal to drive without tax,insurance,drugs and drink consumed,with illegal substances/items within the vehicle

dobman88

con747 wrote: »

Try the M4 from Lucan to past Maynooth any day at rush hour. That's after the one just past her job also.

Fair enough, it might take a while but 2-3 hours is surely a bit much. Thankfully I'd be over that way about 10am usually so I miss all the madness clearly.

con747

dobman88 wrote: »

Fair enough, it might take a while but 2-3 hours is surely a bit much. Thankfully I'd be over that way about 10am usually so I miss all the madness clearly.

Each way it's an extra 1-1+ a day.

bazz26

GNWoodd wrote: »

Or they could ride a high horse like you

Owning a car is a privilege, not a right.

If they were that concerned about losing their car then they should have all it's affairs in order. These cretin think laws and regulations don't apply to them or they are special and entitled to drive. They laugh at the saps who pay their way and the bleeding heart brigade who apologize and use the high horse card on their behalf. Maybe the walk home will give them a new perspective on things.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

GNWoodd wrote: »

Does the State not want people to drive any more ?
And I am not referring to the restrictions imposed because of Covid .
Twenty cars seized at mid day on a Friday ?


tax or insurance , tough sh1te

nct , i think a bit of leeway is needed in fairness given the circumstances

dobman88

I'd say majority of the cars belong to the Garda driving to the location. Youd see the same ones there all the time. Few others might be from idiots with unroadworthy vehicles.

Atlantic Dawn

Dorothy Tasty Knitter wrote: »

GNWoodd wrote: »

Does the State not want people to drive any more ?
And I am not referring to the restrictions imposed because of Covid .
Twenty cars seized at mid day on a Friday ?


tax or insurance , tough sh1te

nct , i think a bit of leeway is needed in fairness given the circumstances

With all lights working, all tyres legal I'd say fine, a complete shed, no.

Eggs For Dinner

beachhead wrote: »

Why? The cops don't arrest people for the crack.

Ah, in fairness they do.

On topic, to answer the question in the OP, they belong to the gardai working at the checkpoint.
They drive there, work their tour, then they go home.

Drifter50

The car pound off the N11 has been full almost every day recently with Section 14 and Section 54 seizures. It gets emptied regularly with the cars that are not claimed by the owners after 14 days sent off to the metal crushers in Wexford. Not sure what happens to the trucks though

Uncle Pierre

As the one who came up with the original theory that maybe the cars had been seized, I have to say that the other theory about them just being the Gardai's private cars probably makes more sense.

I've no issue with unroadworthy or uninsured cars being seized, but still, 15 or 20 of them being seized at just one checkpoint (even if on a busy motorway) would probably be an unusually high number.

Hurrache

mloc123 wrote: »

The unoccupied cars are mostly the guards own cars... The prison van is just a mobile base (canteen etc.. I guess)

They have a checkpoint also at the Celbridge/Leixlip exit and the same 7-8 cars are parked up there most days, I assume the guards on duty just drive to the checkpoints in their own cars.

Yeah, there's a big one on the M/N2 (outbound from the city) exit for Blanchardstown. There's a canteen style cabin and a bunch of garda cars parked up daily. I haven't been that way in a while but it was pretty permanent.

neris

One on the M2 just before Ashbourne similar set up to the post above

The permanent M1 Julianstown Exit checkpoint generally has about 2 Garda marked cars, a marked bike and then about 2-3 of the Garda's privately owned cars parked in on the hard shoulder, along with a portaloo trailer thing, too.