can gosafe vans be placed anywhere now ?

RobAMerc

2 times in the last week I have seen a "gosafe" van in a non designated area.

My understanding is they areas they operate are strictly on stretches identified as being high risk and marked as such by camera signs.

Is this no longer the case ?

db

Yes, they can be placed anywhere. This was changed a few years ago when they expanded the zones. They probably didn't want to put up be signs.

RobAMerc

so, like most things in Ireland - its a money racket. Another opportunity to fleece the motorist

EchoIndia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699171#Comment_120699171

That's a pretty trite comment. If motorists are compliant with the speed limit, no money will be collected.

Markcheese

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699171#Comment_120699171

Hardly , it costs more to run than it brings in .. and its really easy- in theory - to not get a ticket ..

runawaybishop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058300282/can-gosafe-vans-be-placed-anywhere-now

This is still the case, all the new go safe van locations added last year are located in areas where there have been speed related collisions. The network of locations are all in areas of risk and are announced well in advance - go safe cannot operate outside of these locations. The Garda can of course.

They stopped putting up the camera signs though as far as I know. You can see all the locations on the Garda website, and you are able to download them to your phone if you use Waze and a few other navigation apps.

Puttingg aside the 'no fine if you don't speed' argument, if the government really wanted to make money out of this they would pay go safe a commission rather than a flat rate. As it stands they get paid the same whether they catch 0 people or 1 million.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699171#Comment_120699171

Surely you know the clever trick to avoid speeding fines?

https://www.ukcophumour.co.uk/simple-trick-to-avoid-speeding-fines/

tesla_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699257#Comment_120699257

Be a smug self satisfied rules merchant?

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699171#Comment_120699171

No, it's applying the speed limit. It's easy to travel those roads without incurring any penalty.

bazz26

Contributing to the "money racket" is totally voluntary.

Answers on a postcard on how to avoid it.😉

rolling boh

With cruise control on so many cars and trucks you just have to get into the habit of using it to save the fines and the points .Too much worry if you keep going over the limits because if you do you wil end up off the road .

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699820#Comment_120699820

I generally power my EV off my smug sense of self satisfaction.

Strumms

^^^ What’s the craic with so many of them parking in bus lanes, cycle lanes, actually on paths etc….

this second one is actually an unmarked Garda traffic van…

A traffic corps superintendent had to issue an apology for the parking of this Garda vehicle in the cycle lane… ^^^

So if the Garda traffic corps van can’t park there you sure as shît presume that gosafe can’t either.

Another gosafe regularly parks on the path up beside Glasnevin cemetery.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699171#Comment_120699171

Funny enough, I must have seen a gosafe van over a hundred times and never been fleeced.

Victor

1. They are placed in the zones for enforcement. They can be placed anywhere for surveys.
2. They can park anywhere, provided it is safe.

tesla_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120700259#Comment_120700259

I power up mine off a wall charger

Padraig Mor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058300282/can-gosafe-vans-be-placed-anywhere-now

They changed their procedures a few years ago so that not alone are they now placed in areas with high numbers of collisions, they are now also placed in 'safer' areas where relatively high numbers exceed the speed limit - shooting fish in a barrel if you like....

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120700384#Comment_120700384

That's not true. They have to adhere to bylaws and existing road rules. They can't as you put it park anywhere

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120700781#Comment_120700781

If only there was some possible way for the fish to avoid getting shot in the barrel?

Victor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120700789#Comment_120700789

They use the same rules as the Garda.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699236#Comment_120699236

The location of the go safe vans where I live are not at the dangerous locations, for some reason the van can be within a certain distance of the dangerous location which is usually the open section of road where no one has crashed.

Our speed limits are why speed vans are a cash cow. We have dual carriageways with 60 limits yet gravel roads with 80 limits. You never see speed enforcement in housing estates or on 50 roads

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120701593#Comment_120701593

So 'where necessary for performance of duties' and 'provided it doesn't endanger other road users' (I'm paraphrasing obvs) still apply?

Witcher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120701712#Comment_120701712

But they're not a cash cow, the system operates at a heavy loss annually.

My new car actually has a speed limiter on it and adjusts to the speed of the area I'm driving in.

Grolschevik

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120701785#Comment_120701785

This needs to be stickied at the top of the forum.

10pennymixup

mmmm.........I wonder if someone is looking for an out for a ticket they might yet receive?

walterking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120701755#Comment_120701755

That is correct as they now operate "on behalf of an Garda siochana"

The person in the van just sets up the equipment and monitors that it does not malfunction. Go safe and their staff have zero input into who gets tickets.

A video file is sent to Thurles traffic centre and a Garda reviews the file and issues the tickets.

I'm guessing that the technology can separate all vehicles going xx kmh and over so it's a relatively easy job for the Garda to do.

bmc58

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058300282/can-gosafe-vans-be-placed-anywhere-now

There's one in Clonmel on the Davis Road regulary where there was rarely an accident,never mind fatal one.Trying to catch people going 55ish in a 50zone.It's a long straight stretch where one could be easily go a few kms over the limit with no danger to pedestrians as there are no crossing points on this stretch.It's simply shooting fish in a barrell.

db

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120701234#Comment_120701234

Exactly, everyone should flash oncoming traffic after passing a speed trap

RobAMerc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699257#Comment_120699257

Motors used to be a good forum for people with an interest in cars etc. there are plenty of forums on board for those to moan about them too. I gave up coming here because of the prevalence of 1 or 2 smug keyboard warrior w*nkers who actually hate cars ( probably because they bought one to try help get a girlfriend and it never worked ). this thread reminded me now why I stopped coming here.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699981#Comment_120699981

Cruise control is only appropriate to certain roads and driving conditions. Elsewhere it's more dangerous I would argue than speedsters who are reading the road, traffic and weather.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120702755#Comment_120702755

It's possible to be interested in cars and be interested in not killing people with cars too.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120702728#Comment_120702728

I flash oncoming traffic all the time. It's a great way to keep average speeds down.

rolling boh

Fair point but for me it's fine if traffic is light enough and I have a decent view of the road ahead .

db

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120702797#Comment_120702797

Most drivers probably ignore you flashing your bicycle lamp

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120702985#Comment_120702985

Wait till yiz find out that most cyclists also drive.

unkel

I had no problem with the gosafe vans on stretches of road with high accident rates. But what's the reasoning behind them now being in areas where there is a lot of speeding going on (but not unsafe). The only 2 reasons I can think of is just purely enforcing of rules (don't make me laugh - enforcement for the sake of it in this country?), or just making more money. These stretches obviously have a speed limit that is too low (as there are little or no accidents)

And before anyone asks, yes I do speed where I deem it safe (mostly on quiet motorways in good conditions). I have never had penalty points.

JohnC.

How is little or no accidents an indication that the limit is too low? Should there be a certain amount of accidents to say it's just right?

And it's only page 2, but the third time we get a false claim of money making.

irishgeo

Seen one on the motorway way on one of the Garda only spots. Are they allowed there?

It had an orange light on the back at roof level lit. Anyone know if that means speed check operating or in survey mode?

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699820#Comment_120699820

It goes without saying that you sign up to be a 'rules merchant' as soon as you get your license surely?

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120703699#Comment_120703699

Typically gosafe operate in specific zones and typically at specific designated parking spots. The zones are ONLY shown on Garda websites and speed camera signs are old wrong and not updated. The zones selected are agreed with gardai at the review phase and can charge every few years. They can also set up at road works and often do as many motorists break road works limits.

At night while the vans look reflective the actual stickers are not reflective and they are hard to spot. They can operate 24/7 such as enforcing 30km/h limit on the quays at 3am mostly catching taxis.

The gardai themselves used to have their own vans that could go anywhere. I am not sure they still do. These used to be unmarked.

In recent years most garda divisions got handheld or tripod speed cameras that measure speed and take a photo of the car. These can go anywhere and I saw one on M1 overpass in pitch dark at 11pm. The range of these from overpass on motorway can be very high.

The gardai traffic core have cars with speed equipment and often wait on slip road on to motorways and measure passing cars from behind. They can also check for no tax, no insurance on the move with licence plate recognition cameras front and rear that are black rectangle on top of car on rear.

So it's just just gosafe vans you need to worry about.

magicbastarder

slight thread hijack - what's the deal with the supposed regs on new cars sold since the middle of last year requiring automatic speed limit detection? was that abandoned, or did it come in? i've not heard much talk at all about it.

Lionel Fusco

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120699171#Comment_120699171

Drive at the speed limit and you'll be fine.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120704993#Comment_120704993

Drive over it and you'll be fined.

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120701788#Comment_120701788

I want this, didn't know it existed. The dream is just to put foot down and speed be adjusted automatically.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122654391#Comment_122654391

A good few newish cars have that now, all Teslas have had it for 10 years. You can't "put the foot down" though, all of the systems I have come across only adjust the speed if you are using active cruise control (so the car controls the speed, not your foot). The cameras from the car need to recognise speed signs and adjust the speed when the speed limit changes.

Rosahane

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120702985#Comment_120702985

He probably meant flashing in another sense 😳

mrcheez

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122654521#Comment_122654521

I hired a car in Spain once, it was the cheapest Mini they had as I wasn't fussed and just needed an A - B.

The advantage of such a low powered vehicle was that the max speed was literally the motorway speed limit. It was amazing just to drive and not have to worry about going over.

Ironically I was the only car on the route actually going the speed limit.

It would be nice if all cars could be smarter and somehow just max out like this.

listermint

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122654723#Comment_122654723

It isn't max speeds that cause accidents .....

mrcheez

Sure it is, going over the speed limit increases damage to another person.

Adding a forced max speed limiter directly in the car prevents those who like to speed... or in the case i mentioned it also makes it easier to not go over max speed as most drivers will inadvertently go over the speed limit at least once in a trip without realising it e.g when traversing from 60 to 50

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122655613#Comment_122655613

It's perfectly safe doing well over 400km/h on an empty motorway if you have a capable car and a capable driver (and no, that wasn't a typo). This is also legal to do in Germany. A country well known for its focus on rules, regulations, safety and strict enforcement of the above:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pg1hhW5qhM&ab_channel=RadimPasser

But if you insist you never want to go over 120km/h, it is fairly simple and cheap to get a speed limiter built into your car, whatever car it is. Your insurance company might even like you doing that