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 None of the 1,000 motorists, in Ireland, summoned to court for failing to pay M50 tolls have contested their case. The vast majority of drivers have decided against engaging in a legal battle with the National Roads Authority over fines for failing to pay a €3 toll for using the motorway.
However this information begs the question: How many false claims have been made against motorists by BetEire Flow Ltd, appointed by the National Roads Authority to manage the barrier tolling system?
Answer: No one knows and worse still, it seems no one cares.
Based on personal experience and the experience of numerous garages in Co.Tipperary you do not have to be on the M50 to receive a Standard Toll Request (STR) in accordance with section 64950 of the Roads Act 1993 to 2007. It would seem the machinery used by Eflow on this stretch of Toll Road to track offenders, is far from accurate. Well it’s that or the staff used to operate this system need to pay a visit to Specsavers.
Recently, I received a Standard Toll Request (STR No 1080310700) demanding payment of €6 and threatening an additional charge of €41.50 if I failed to pay. The request for payment claimed my car was spotted Southbound on the M50 at 18:32:07, on the 7th July 2009. I raise my hands folks, I confess I have never been on this famous M50, ever, in my life time. Me, I prefer instead to travel on minor rural potholed roads, long forgotten by local Co. Councils and powerless public representatives.
Note: My car has never been stolen or loaned and although it has all the latest gadgets, it is not fitted with any special remote control facilities, so it can’t go for a drive on its own. Well that’s according to the manual which came attached. (Remember if at first you don’t succeed always read the manual.)
Incorrect Vehicle or already registered
Eflow is quick to advise those accused that if they did not make the journey they should contact LoCall 1890-50-10-50 to get the matter sorted. So the costs in phone calls and time, in getting it sorted out, are equal or greater than paying the actual fine of €6.
No I did not bother to call them, but if Eflow were to send me a postal order for €40, (That’s me hourly rate.) I will be happy to send them approximately 26 names and addresses of people who can honestly swear they were in the company of both me and my car, here in Thurles, at the time and date in question.
According to website www.eflow.ie/news/index.htm errors regarding registration are possibly caused by:
- The other vehicle having a broken, dirty or non-standard number plate.
- Poor weather conditions
- Mounting bolts obscuring letter or number details
These latter situations occurring, appear to gives Eflow’s staff, some sort of ‘Car-etic Licence’ to guess the registration plate of the offender, resulting in false accusations. It is not surprising therefore that the company appointed by the National Roads Authority to manage this barrier tolling system, is called, yes you have guessed it “ BetEire Flow Limited“. (Bet you got it wrong in my case.)
Under the barrier-free tolling system, motorists who choose the pay-as-you-go option must pay a €3 toll by 8pm the day after their journey is made.
If the deadline is missed, a €3 penalty is added and a further €41.50 penalty is added on if this is not paid within 14 days.
If the bill is not settled within 56 days, another €104.50 is levied and failure to pay this results in a summons being issued.
So it would appear if you want to avoid paying this toll, dirty your registration plates.
Now if Eflow persist with their false accusation, I can plead that my car was being driven by a member of An Garda Siochana, because interestingly enough Government Ministers cars driven by members of an Garda Siochana are exempt from these tolls under section 62 of the Roads Act 1993.
 The Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Dermot Ahern TD formally opened the newly restored Thurles courthouse yesterday.
The once dilapidated and disused building has now been completely renovated at a cost of approximately €4.5m.
Before the official opening the building was blessed by His Grace Dr Dermot Clifford Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cashel and Emly assisted by Church of Ireland Rector Rev Peter Massey Cole-Baker Templemore Union of Churches and Rev Father Martin Hayes CC, Thurles.
The building was nominated at the Irish Architecture Awards this year, and is regarded as a major civic and historical landmark in the centre of Thurles. Erected in 1828, the courthouse itself has played host to many historic events, the public meeting regarding Famine Public Works schemes in April 1846, the famous GAA Convention of November 9th 1887, the inaugural meeting of Thurles Golf Club on January 21st 1909.
The restored building now includes two new modern courtrooms, a reception and public waiting area, holding facilities, legal practitioners and consultation rooms and accommodation for the County Registrar and Court Clerks.
Speaking at the event the Hon. Mr Justice Matthew Deery, President of the Circuit Court stated,
“Once described as disused, dilapidated, and surrounded by cars, the Thurles Courthouse was in need of urgent intervention. That intervention by the Courts Service has resulted in this new fine, restored public building. All involved are to be congratulated and I am delighted the new Thurles Courthouse was nominated and exhibited at the Irish Architecture Awards this year”.
The project teams behind this joint restoration were, The Courts Service, who engaged with the main contractor Pierce Healy Developments Ltd, Architects, Deaton Lysaght, and the Office of Public Works.
As part of an ongoing programme of investment in modernising courts throughout the country, which started 10 years ago, 50 courthouses have now been completely refurbished or constructed marking an investment of €200m during this same period.
 A Thurles Garda who died in an arson attack on a Garda station has been hailed as “one of the finest to ever wear the Garda Force’s uniform”.
Garda Sgt. Andrew Callanan, aged 36 and pictured here, will be remembered in a special Mass tomorrow on the 10th anniversary of his death. The special Mass will be celebrated by the Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Eamonn Walsh DD in St Mary’s Dominican Priory, Tallaght, Co.Dublin.
Andrew was born in Thurles, Co Tipperary in 1963 and joined the Garda Siochana in 1982. He was on active duty in Tallaght Garda Station on the morning of July 21st, 1999, when a man walked into the station, at approximately 4.45am. Placing a plastic can of petrol on the reception counter he then slashed the container with a knife. Lighting a Japanese flare he held, he told an officer who had entered the room: “You have two minutes to evacuate the building.” Sgt Callanan sprayed the man with a fire extinguisher in a bid to save the perpetrators life. However the flare dropped to the ground causing an explosion. A door to the room was blasted shut by the explosion, locking itself and trapping Sgt Callanan.
Sgt Callanan later died of his injuries at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin and was buried with full State Honours.
Then acting Garda chaplain, Fr Ralph Egan, would later inform the congregation at Sgt Callanan’s funeral that the perpetrator of this act, had himself admitted that his life had been saved by the sergeant’s act of bravery.
The perpetrator was later jailed for 15 years for arson.
Sgt Callanan, who left a wife, Yvonne and three children, was later posthumously awarded the Scott Medal for exceptional valor.
Republic Of Ireland Has No National Honours System
Unlike most other countries the Republic of Ireland has no national honours system. Awards, orders of merit or chivalry were considered to be “Monarchist” or “Imperialist”. However General Owen O’Duffy, the first Garda Commissioner, did not seek the permission of the then Irish Government. The “Scott Medal for Valor” is not a State award, its award is entirely the gift of the Commissioner. The only involvement by the Irish Government is the formal presentation of the medal by the Minister for Justice. The medal is awarded only for “most exceptional bravery and heroism“.
Garda Sgt. Andrew Callanan was the 31st member of the Gardaí killed in the performance of his duties and while on active service.
 Police in Munster have severely setback the operations of a criminal gang, which has been terrorising communities across counties Limerick, Clare and Tipperary since the beginning of this year.
A dedicated Irish Garda operation, code-named Operation Safari, which is being led by Asst Commissioner Kevin Ludlow, former director of training at the Garda Training College in Templemore in Co Tipperary, began approximately two months ago and in the past week over 40 houses and apartments in counties Limerick, North Cork and Tipperary have been searched simultaneously using over 120 uniformed Gardaí and detectives.
A large collection of stolen property, valued at tens of thousands of euro, have been systematically recovered during a series of pre-planned searches. Indeed, Gardai are still trying to establish if property confiscated at these targeted premises, may also have been stolen by gang members.
Operation Safari, was activated to target the activities of this gang, following a dramatic increase in the number of reported burglaries and robberies across a number of Munster Garda Divisions, including Tipperary.
The targeted gang members are understood to has known links to the travelling community. Eight people are known to have been arrested at locations in Limerick and Tipperary and five men and one woman have subsequently appeared before Limerick District Court, charged with theft, fraud and road traffic offences.
Senior Gardaí believe there are still numerous core members of this gang, with strong Limerick , Nenagh and Thurles connections, who operate a close operational network right across the country. Although this gang appears to be primarily based in the Limerick and Tipperary area, they have travelled widely to Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford, where they have carried numerous pre-planned crimes, targeting private houses, co-ops, and offices and shops stealing jewellery, cash and high-powered cars. Two of these gang, who appeared recently before Limerick District Court were refused bail and the other four are due to appear again in court later this month following further investigations.
Gardai expect that further charges may be brought, in the near future, against others members suspected of involvement in this gangland operation.
 Plans to build a new Garda centre for the training of officers involved in firearms and advanced driving, have now been abandoned as part of our recession spending cuts.
The 220-acre site at Clonmore, latter situated close to Templemore, Thurles, Co.Tipperary, which was ear marked for use as a firearms and as a tactical training facility was purchased, three years ago, for €5.5 million and plans to begin development have now been put on hold.
An underground firing range in Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, has also been closed because of safety concerns. This means that gardaí who want to learn to fire weapons or take part in refresher training, are now depending on the goodwill of the Defence Forces.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) said that the Garda force currently have no dedicated centre in which to train members in the use of firearms or to train specialist units like the Emergency Response Unit in tactical manoeuvres, to deal with serious armed incidents.
Delegates at the closing session of the GRA’s annual conference in Killarney, Co Kerry, were told that the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, will be completely closed for two years because of the Government’s decision not to recruit any trainee Gardai until the State’s financial position further improves.
Approximately 19 Gardaí have been recently transferred from the the Garda College in Templemore and up to 50 other Gardaí are expected to be deployed to other Garda stations in the coming weeks.
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