I'm fairly sure that's the first time she's ever raised a significant issue about their budget. It's a bit late now Liz.
Enforcement won't happen, because it would be unpopular. We want safe roads, but not if it means giving up Instagram.
The RSA's position reminds me of an old Goon Show sketch
Minister: I called you Heads of Services together to break the news. Gentlemen, apparently for the last three years, we've been at war. Milligan: I say, it sounds jolly dangerous! Seagoon: Who are we at war with? Minister: That's what I keep asking myself. If only we knew, we could tell a policeman.
Gardai, RSA and Politicians will all dance around the only thing that will make a real difference - enforcement and the fear of enforcement.
That means camera technology, both State and Road User, and quick and decisive follow up for all road offences including parking. If that nettle isn't grasped in the current faux outrage, it will never be grasped, because "shooting fish in a barrel, joe"
God bless the aul local councillors…
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/wexford/wexford-district/notorious-wexford-road-to-feature-in-rte-prime-time-special-on-road-accidents-and-fatalities/a1661987546.html#:~:text=Councillor%20Lisa%20McDonald%20speaking%20on%20Prime%20Time%20about%20the%20Duncannon%20Line.&text=A%20Wexford%20road%20which%20has,Time%20this%20Thursday%2C%20April%2011.
"There’s been umpteen deaths on the Duncannon Line,” she said. “I know all too well, I live just off it. We’re constantly told speed and driver error etc are responsible, but we can’t just accept that.”
Yes, because that would be to actually face up to reality and accept a level of personal responsibility for our own actions. Much easier to lay the blame somewhere else… de gubbermint or de roads.
Meanwhile, in the same article… "Speeding remains a major factor in road traffic fatalities, disproportionately affecting male drivers. 87 per cent of drivers killed while driving above an appropriate speed were male, according to the latest RSA data." And in the same paper… https://www.independent.ie/regionals/louth/news/garda-arrested-in-connection-with-death-of-popular-louth-gaa-coach-niall-maceneaney/a920289378.html#:~:text=A%20member%20of%20An%20Garda,but%20remains%20suspended%20from%20duties.
Don't forget the colouring competitions. When people are fearful of walking or cycling on a public road, a colouring competition is always worth a shot at solving the problem.
Sitting on the bus this morning coming into work, crawling in traffic towards Leeson St. bridge, I glanced to my right to see the driver of a Garda van scrolling through his phone.
The whole system is f**ked, but shur, lash out a few builders vests and tweet a few condescending, zero-evidence-based, victim-blaming messages… that should cover all bases.
Ah its pretty clear she is doing a bit of a back pedalling PR job.
However - looking at it, I think she has a point. And if a motion of no-confidence was needed, it was probably more in the way the Guards are policing the roads….. or not policing them.
However as regards its own remit - yes the RSA has absolutely and completely failed in any attempt to create a culture of compliance or 'safety first' amongst Irish motorists, or to be fair cyclists or pedestrians either. Nobody gives a f**k, and there is very much a culture of each group feeling they are being targetted and marginalised.
The headline is much better as gaeilge 'Neamhshuim as cuimse á déanamh de shábháilteacht ar bhóithre' translates to 'Gross disregard for road safety'
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2024/0410/1442739-road-safety-ireland/
I'm trying to wrap my head around this extract:
Ms O'Donnell said she would take issue with criticism of the RSA made by road advocacy groups.She added that the RSA budget is not fit for purpose and said she would call on the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice to put the resources needed into enforcement.
Ms O'Donnell said she would take issue with criticism of the RSA made by road advocacy groups.
She added that the RSA budget is not fit for purpose and said she would call on the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice to put the resources needed into enforcement.
So the RSA doesn't get enough money, but any extra money should be put into enforcement? Sounds like the RSA is saying the RSA wouldn't be necessary if we had enough enforcement. Disband the RSA and replace with independent traffic corps so?
They also compile data and sort of do research, but it smacks of policy-based evidence making (or did the last time I looked at in detail).
We think RSA=road safety, but they have a huge remit focused on regulations not safety. It needs to be split up
Been 20 years since I took my driving test so wasn't familiar with the current process until recently when someone pointed out just how hilariously bad it is. They actually have a queuing system on their website where you can wait anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours to login as the website can't handle the "massive" traffic volumes of people trying to book driving tests.
the RSA are responsible for the running of the driving tests. IIRC, it's their biggest source of income.
I grew up in Ashbourne. There is a junction there, a kind of cross roads there, in the centre of town.
There is a Garda station right on the junction.
I was watching the traffic there on Saturday morning, cars absolutely tearing through the lights, must have been close to 60k per hour; with 4 pedestrian crossings waiting to cross.
Then as ever, with the lights turning orange, the cars are going even faster to get through. Twice the speed they should be doing in a built up, busy urban area.
It was absolutely nuts that this was happening right in front of a Garda station.
Which goes back to the point on the RSA; and the Gardai.
The RSA to my knowledge has no powers of enforcement. I actually dont know what they do, apart from hand out Hi Viz vests to people.
And for the Gardai, god knows they are stretched, but traffic offences feature so far down the list…..its years since I've been stopped at any sort of checkpoint Bus lanes are a free for all. You can drive through any town at any speed you want pretty much.
Two people were on NT Friday saying RSA unfit for task and that it has car-centric focus
...
What is it about the bikes and social media.
I had a look at Dublin Live facebook page - every other article, 12 comments, 15 comments, 20 comments.
Article about the Garda getting new bikes - 405 comments.
To be fair a lot of them supportive, but still the usual horseshit ones….. more anti-garda than anti-cycling
As they used to say about scrote cars that could go faster than police cars- "nothing can outrun a Motorola radio".
are the e-bikes delimited?
would be a keystone kops-esque scenario watching a bike chase with some scrote on a bike capable of doing 40, being chased by a garda on a bike where the motor cuts out at 25.
€250,000 for 200 bikes, €1,250 per bike, must be the bike to work scheme 😀
European Declaration on Cycling was signed today
including.. I assume that's why Garda failures on bike injury stats was in news recently
Well done - better than giving out about it here on boards
I got so annoyed that I wrote a strongly worded letter to the Irish Independent. I doubt they'll publish it so here it is:
I take umbrage with Senan Molony's article from 2nd April 'Green Party leader Eamon Ryan hails new bicycle stand and EV charging points at Leinster House'.
He states "The Greens are claiming success as an expensive new bicycle stand is installed at Leinster House, along with extra electric vehicle (EV) charging points." I don't want to claim an anti-cycling bias but why did Senan feel the need to say "an expensive new bicycle stand" when he later wrote "no costs for the new structures are yet available and I'm presuming that EV charging points would be a multiple times more expensive than a bicycle stand. Unless the stand is made from gold, I struggle to see how it could be expensive. The lack of any photograph of this expensive bicycle stand, makes it impossible for me to confirm if the stand is indeed made out of gold.
The stand is not fully enclosed as, according to Senan, the OWP believes ".... such stands often end up being used for the storage of lawnmowers or other items." I know TDs and ministers are extremely busy and doubt they have the time or inclination to bring their lawnmower to Leinster House.
Maybe it was an expensive bike stand after all. Feasibility studies, Alignment studies, planning iterations, consultancy reports to get it just right……
Hopefully they figure it out and while still a disaster its something other than the batteries or chargers as it will only add to the hype about electric transport in general.
Doesn't bode well though given US reactions to fires which is more than likely cheap parts as the root cause.
https://insideevs.com/news/683944/ebike-escooter-ban-colleges-universities/
Large blaze in DCU building used for e-bike storage by Moby Bikes (although the source of the fire is not yet known)
https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/large-blaze-damages-building-used-by-e-bike-sharing-company-on-dcu-campus/a1016291826.html
Maybe they stuck this atop Leinster House for a while?
I don't even know what this is about
"The stand for bicycles at Leinster Lawn features a cantilevered canopy – after tests established the prevailing wind is from the north."
was someone paid for this testing?
That is some level of journalism:
First line "The Greens are claiming success as an expensive new bicycle stand is installed at Leinster House, along with extra electric vehicle (EV) charging points.", half way through the article "No costs for the new structure are yet available.".
And as said elsewhere, and this is the cherry on top of a non article "This is for both aesthetic reasons and because such stands often end up being used for the storage of lawnmowers or other items.". Are they expecting a few TDs to ride in on their lawnmower or for the groundstaff to just abandon their lawnmowers there.
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