Tractors on public roads

Field east

My apologies if this topic has been already covered. Was on the Cashel Clonmel - via Rosegreen today and came across seven cars held up behind a tractor pulling an empty low loader for a Hi Mac. By the time the tractor reached the outskirts of Clonmel there were at least 20 cars behind it. The driver had ample opportunity to pull in at a number of side stretches, but no he did not. The tractor had itstwo wing mirrors and he had an unobstructed rear view.

Significantly slowing traffic down - is it due to ignorance, power play, very bad road manners, an ego trip or what. The tractor driver could be holding somebody up going to hospital for emergency treatment or going to visit somebody who has treatened suicide or visiting a family in distress because something might have happened a family member and need immediate support apart from people just going to work and want to be on time.

Is there a law against it, what can one do. On the suggestion of my partner I was nearly on the point of stopping the driver in a safe place , take his name , tractor owner’s name and of course the tractor reg , low loader reg - missing in this case -and info on the insurance disc and make an effort to ‘ discuss the matter with the Guards and the owner.

any suggestions apart from do no such thing as you might your head / eye bashed in?

Gorgeousgeorge

Public road. He has every right to be on it as do you. Its frustrating but they are necessary.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120895797#Comment_120895797

They have every right to be on it, but if they are causing tailbacks they have to pull over when they have an opportunity to do so. Drivers have been fined for not pulling over.

In saying that, especially on a fast flowing road, if the driver of a slow moving machine does pull over very often they can't rejoin the road due to cars not letting them back into the flow. So their choice is to either slow traffic by not pulling over and risk a fine or end up stuck on the side of a road.

Citrus_8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120895797#Comment_120895797

That's not the point. Roads users ethics is what we're talking. One vehicle disturbing the rest. In the European continent in such cases there's a decent ethics... But I see that Irish peasants still don't get that. Ignorant and self-centered.

blackbox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120897291#Comment_120897291

Don't assume the tractor driver is a peasant. He/she could be an ignorant self centred land owner.

There is no connection between wealth and ignorance.

chooseusername

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120895797#Comment_120895797

This "peasant" got fined and banned for defending his right ;

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/tractor-driver-who-caused-7-5524439

The 7 mile tailback bit is a bit of exaggeration though!

magicbastarder

Yeah, that example is the usual one given and it always gives me a chuckle as the gardai in question essentially gave false evidence and it was accepted at face value.

Finty Lemon

I travel that stretch quite a bit and to be fair there are not many places to pull in for a trailer, or indeed to pass a slow vehicle. As it happens I was stuck (in a hurry) behind a Corolla doing 40km on the Clerihan Clonmel part of that road on an evening a few weeks ago. Solution? Patience for the 80yo road user going about their business.

That tractor driver was doing their day's work, probably no malice in their mind, but possibly thoughtless all the same. The comical hysteria of the OP is something else.

I suggest you go by the motorway to Cahir and on to Clonmel from there next time, madam. There won't be any workers or peasants or ignoramuses impeding your way on that route.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120897291#Comment_120897291

There are plenty of impatient retards in cars as well - especially those who insist on driving right behind someone or try to pass when it is dangerous to do so. They don't realise that that actually slows everything up.

Many Irish roads are not great and you might actually have to drive more slowly if you have to drive right along the edge of the road. Also if you think some eejit behind you is going to try to overtake you dangerously you need to go a bit slower because you might have to jam on the brakes because they won't wait the 30 seconds before you can pull in to safely let them pass.

And as for peasants - that term is normally reserved for people who don't own land or who own very little land. As in if you have a garden at the back of your semi-D, that might be sufficient to qualify you as a peasant. So while peasants can indeed be ignorant and self centered - they likely are the ones at the back of the queue and not the front. There is a reasonable chance that the person at the front of the queue owns property valued at more than the entire cumulative amount that you will earn in your entire life.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058306434/tractors-on-public-roads

Maybe the farmer couldn't pull in to let you by because he was also rushing to visit someone who has threatened suicide.........

Stupid hypothetical scenarios work both ways.

shane b

I agree tractors can be a bit of a pain to pass, but sometimes it takes a bit of courage on the car drivers part too. If the first couple of cars dont make a move to overtake the whole thing slows very quickly and the queues begin.

I had a similar situation yesterday, tractor pulling a trailer but the first 2 cars were quite happy to travel along at 30-40 km/hr even when the tractor pulled in on to the hard shoulder. I was car number 5 behind the tractor. I the end the 2 cars in front of me and myself ended up having to overtake 2 cars and the tractor.

Citrus_8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120897373#Comment_120897373

Of course, I used the word in more of a sarcastic way, to rather highlight the mentality. Takes my words too literally :)

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120897558#Comment_120897558

Why didn't you user your authority to stop the tractor driver and take his name, the tractor owners name, and insurance details?

Did you not remember to have some trouble-making missus beside you egging you on? Rookie error. Once you have that, you'd be golden as it gives you special legal powers to do whatever you want.

have2flushtwice

As a driver who is sometimes restricted to 80 km h , I get my fair share of cars piling up behind me. I oblige when i can, as far as I know your not insured to travel in the hard shoulder. I do go in sometimes but if there's a junction coming up I'm going back out in plenty of time so I don't end up t boning someone.

The other morning heading towards mountrath, I could see a blue 11 oy mondeo drifting out for a look over and over. He was 3 cars back. Saw a gap and ended up on the opposite hard shoulder giving me the finger. He then swerved in and out over the yellow line and was so excited. Ffs.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120897164#Comment_120897164

They are legally obliged to pull over if they are causing a tailback. They have no legal right to quickly join the road again

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959885#Comment_120959885

Under what law isbthat written and how is tailback defined in that piece of law?

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959904#Comment_120959904

Not entirely sure but this might shed some light

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/district-court/tractor-driver-banned-over-7km-traffic-tailback-1.2177126

Melodeon

That Co. Mayo case from 2015 is often presented in these threads, but none of the reports on the case that I've seen ever mention what the "fixed charge penalty notice" was issued for.

Does anyone know?

An old saying regarding slow-moving vehicles: Number two makes the queue.

If the vehicle immediately behind the slow-moving vehicle doesn't/can't overtake, the queue grows and it becomes more and more difficult for anyone to get by.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959951#Comment_120959951

In that case, the tractor driver was fined for "driving without reasonable consideration" and didn't pay it which resulted in the court case as per the following news article...

https://www.advertiser.ie/mayo/article/77206/tractor-driver-banned-from-road-for-causing-seven-mile-tailback

This is completely different from what you originally claimed (which was nonsense):

They are legally obliged to pull over if they are causing a tailback. They have no legal right to quickly join the road again

techman1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120897558#Comment_120897558

Yes I have been in that situation too being the third car behind a slow moving vehicle. The danger is that you might see an opportunity to pass and immediately proceed to overtake, but then a car in front only concentrating on what's ahead will decide to also pull out but unaware that you are already overtaking. It's very dangerous,

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120960287#Comment_120960287

Yes but he wouldn't have been fined for driving without reasonable consideration if he had pulled in, ergo he had a responsibility to pull in, did he not?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120963940#Comment_120963940

Firstly, I assume that you are agreeing that what you previously stated is completely incorrect (included below for reference).

They are legally obliged to pull over if they are causing a tailback. They have no legal right to quickly join the road again

As for him having to drive with reasonable consideration, this applies to everyone on the roads. However, what is unclear is how many people behind you constitutes a tailback and should require you to pull over. To allow traffic behind to pass In the case in question, the garda claimed in court (which I would dispute) that there was a seven mile tailback (I reckon the tailback journey happened over the course of seven miles rather than was seven miles long) and the garda passed between 80 to 100 cars to get to the driver. (Technically, rush hour traffic could be considered a tailback and the same law would apply)

This obviously is an unusual case. In normal practice, can one car behind you be called a tailback so enough to warrant pulling over to allow them to pass? If not, is two? or three? or four? ...

As for rejoining the road, he has as much right as anyone else to rejoin the road so I'm not sure what your point on that was.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959951#Comment_120959951

this is the only case that's ever cited really on this topic. and his conviction was based on false evidence!

there are loads of examples of inexplicable decisions by judges, so a single case in a district court is not exactly going to be a precedent or gospel on the correct interpretation of the law.

Thelonious Monk

I would imagine they're doing this out of necessity and have no other way of getting from A to B with the vehicle. Just take a few deep breaths and enjoy the downtime.