Warning to all users these new Speed Camera Vans are in a lot of places and a lot of people are going to be caught out for no real good reason. Speed limits are meaningless when they are manipulated to increase revenue.

I know that one was parked on the Athlone bypass the other day, just after a bend! Perfect for revenue gathering!!!!
I'm looking forward to hearing stories about them being "taken out".

Totally.

This is just another defunct measure by a defunct Civil Service and it's political servants to penalize Irish drivers.
There will not be any significant improvements to road safety out of this. Indeed drivers should be paying more attention to the road environment rather than to the locations of Speed Cameras

Why not implement a course at Leaving Cert level so that students can get points by demonstrating their knowledge and driving skills? Course that would take real effort not laziness by these Civil Servant no goods.

Welcome to the future . My 15 year old Aussie Commodore has a speed alert botton . I set the speed limit and it beebs if I exceed it . Fucking annoying beebing . But speed alert is the way top go . Six years driving and not even one demerit point for speeding . I have never gone over the speed limit .

I am boring .But I had enough trills buying and selling property during the boom . Speed alert , demand it from your dealer .

Just a few ideas. Is there a way that drivers could carry signs in their cars and position them upstream of the trap locations.

Also, can pickets be mounted against these camera operators.

Also, maybe a few enterprising Cement Truck drivers could arrange parking alongside these trap vans so as to obstruct their view of the road and so prevent them implementing their revenue collection method.

Also, are these being manned by Garda or by private company employees? Surely it's possible in the latter case to mount a picket!

Any other ideas of how to take action or protest against this other destruction of liberty in the state.

trapster.com if you haven't seen it already people.

My understanding is the vans are paid by the hour, not by the number of drivers they catch.

The real story here is this: Irish people are fucking terrible, dangerous, inconsiderate drivers who slaughter one another and others at obscene levels every year. It is a national shame (yeah, another one). Slow the fuck down and learn to drive properly you stupid bastards.


/rant/.

Often it's not the speed that kills, it's the overtaking on a bend or driving home from the pub, not slowing down for the sharp bend etc. Doing a couple of km's over the limit in traffic seldom causes an issue.

I have no problem with these spped cameras.It's about time actually. Slow down. I see people speed up to junctions even though the ligts are red.It's driving without thinking.
Obey the limits and you have nothing to worry about.

I'm sorry OW, but just how are speed limited either a) meaningless or b) manipulated to increase revenue?

Speed limits are set, by law, and must be displayed. If a road user fails to notice the sign or chooses to ignore it,then who's at fault?

There certainly are some sections of road where limits could be increased, some where it should be lower and over all IMHO, especially on the motorway network, where limits should be varied (and clearly announced along the road) depending on the time of day and prevailing weather conditions.

Personally, I have little sympathy for those who drive with excess speed (and trust me on this, I am one of the biggest "petrol heads" around, but I do adhere to the speed limits, even the 30kph ones). Driving a car is all about observation and control, and it's control of both the machine and yourself.

Blue Horseshoe

Agree 100%. Drivers wouldn't suffer these hassles if they practiced some give and take. Too much of the behaviour that drivers seek to protect from nanny state interference is basically people 1) introducing a bit of excitement into otherwise sad lives, 2) giving a feeling of power/control/importance over others to those who feel powerless 3) an outlet for aggression.

+1
Speeding fines are a tax on muppets. If you don't think a speed limit is correct then contest it - you might even find out why it is there - they are there for a reason.

If you really want to organise a campaign to get rid of speed cameras then get everybody to obey the speed limits for 3 months - if they are really a revenue raising exercise they will be gone and you will have hit them where it hurts hardest - in their pockets. You'll also save yourself money that you can spend on blinding little fairy lights to put round your headlights, a nice purple neon underglow or new leopardskin seat covers.

a) meaninless because it won't have an impact to saving lives. Lives are lost because of bad driving, inappropriate speed, lack of care and consideration but not simply speed in of itself which is what is being patroled here.
b) manipulated because based on experience in other countries the cameras and patrols are set up in areas where it's basically like taking candy from a child. Wide open roads where an inappropriate lower than is safe speed has been set. Then you drive through that area and get nabbled by the G-men.


Set by law. So that's the basis of good administration in Ireland. No way it is. The law is manpulated by those in government and their buddies to suit themselves and damn to Joe Public and the rest. This is a Me Fein attitude of government to reap the rewards of inappropriate abuse of commuters to line their own wealth bags and big payouts. Bad politicians, bad civil servants and bad corporations and others who are a vested interest in this game. That's who's at fault.



Well you've answered your first qustion there BlueH.



I've no support for ANYTHING that the government does. We need outright anarchy and destruction these days. This government and its cronies are a sham.
Driver Licencing is still a mess.
Our roads are still a mess (take a look at per km cost in this country versus other places).
I agree about control.
I don't see guards checking for indicator usage at roundabouts now do I?
Why not set up the cameras there and find people 10 or 20 euro a shot for inappropriate lane and indicator usage in roundabouts.
Oh! No! That might actually mean that drivers might have to change their behaviour.

Let the sheeple drive as they do but fine them easily where we can.

Just for the fun of it I decided to drive at the 50km/h speed limit along the Old Bawn-Firhouse road yesterday morning despite the queue of fools who were flashing their lights and tail-gating me. One muppet even over took me in the bus lane and gave me the finger, but I bet he wasn't laughing when he saw the speed van parked near the school.


But there is a better way. Speed limit zones are a very crude way to achieve road safety because they don't take into account the road conditions, dangerous bends, weather etc. The speed limit often becomes a dangerous target speed. So what's the solution?

Well the patented Coles2 Speed Control System© could provide the answer. So how does it work? Well, it lets the drivers choose the safe speed limit.


Every driver assesses the conditions of the road and conditions, and together with their experience and knowledge of the road, makes intelligent decisions about what the appropriate speed is for that particular stretch of road. With ideal driving conditions the mean driving speed might be 63km/hr, but if it rains the mean speed might drop to 55km/hr, in fog 45km/hr, and in icy conditions 40km/hr. It clearly doesn't make sense to have a 60km/hr 24 hours a day, every day irrespective of the conditions, does it?

So, by using the intelligence of the road drivers to assess the safest driving speed, an upper 'unsafe' limit can be established. Perhaps the speed limit might be the current mean speed plus a certain percentage, 12%, perhaps? In the examples above the respective speed limits would be 71km/h, 62km/hr, 50km/hr and 45km/hr would apply.

Sounds complicated? Well, it's not. All it requires is that each speed limit sign would have a motion detecting camera and an LED display to show the current speed limit.

I'm full of good ideas...

There is an easy way to avoid being fined for speeding. Don't exceed the speed limit. This very basic advice has served me well, in a range of fields. By not stabbing anyone, I have successfully avoided being convicted of murder.

Speed limits in Ireland are reasonable enough, and there is no evidence to support the claim that they are manipulated to raise revenues. In Northern Ireland, average speed cameras and other enforcement measures have reduced road deaths by over half in recent years. That is over 50 people, per year, alive who would otherwise not be.

Speed is a factor in a majority of accidents, second only to alcohol.

Anyone who has seen the aftermath of a fatal accident would have no problem with enforcement. I have seen many, including children, because of my work. There is nothing sadder and more frustrating than picking up the pieces, literally, of a totally avoidable accident.