Thurles Information

Long threatening comes at last folks. From midnight on Monday 15th November 2010, new Garda mobile safety cameras will be in use across Irish roads.

Excessive or inappropriate speeding is no doubt a major factor in road traffic collisions, as are indeed drugs, alcohol and attempts by young men to impress their young lady friends, while in control of a vehicle. Safety cameras will be on the roads all across Ireland where fatal collisions are happening as a result of these inappropriate and unacceptable practises and the locations of these roads can be viewed by clicking on here. Further information on the safety cameras and a limited list of frequently asked questions are also available by clicking here. The  sections of roads, indicated on the map, were identified as having a significant proportion of collisions, whereby, in the opinion of the investigating Garda, a safe speed was exceeded.

Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy and Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern signed a five-year €65 million contract with the GoSafe consortium to provide the service last November following a lengthy tender process.

The GoSafe consortium is being paid a flat fee to provide the service and there is no provision for commission or bonuses irrespective of how many motorists are caught speeding.

Gardaí use a range of speed detection technology to reduce speed across Irish roads. A reduction in speed will lead to a reduction in the incidence of fatal and serious injuries and will improve road safety for all road-users.

The Gardaí will be working closely with a range of Partner Agencies, including Government Departments, the Road Safety Authority, the National Roads Authority and the community, in order to develop a national culture of safe road use and the map will be updated accordingly.

An Garda Síochána are appealing to  all motorists to familiarise themselves with these sections of the road  network, (If you have a computer) so do slow down,  the life you save could be yours.

A Range Of Partners Working Closely – I Really Wonder Do They?

First allow me to state that I fully support 100%, any initiative, by any body or group of Partners, which will ultimately save lives.

However, let us examine just a small sample of the work done by this partnership, who dictate the speed limit’s on our various roadways;

R639 -Travelling South to Cashel Roundabout

1. Knockroe / Moycarkey (N62), correctly marked as dangerous on the garda safety camera map, speed signs allow a driving  limit of 100km/h, while, what was the main Dublin to Cork road (R639) prior to the new motor way, stretching from Urlingford to Cashel, which is much wider, is limited to a speed of 80km/h.  Are we being forced onto the new motorway for toll purposes?
2. The Cashel to Golden Rd (R505) which is narrow with numerous dangerous bends, yes you have guessed it, speed limit 100km/h, or 20km/h faster than R639.
3. Fennor Hill, that steep climb southward out of Urlingford on the R639 allows for 100km/h for about 200 metres of roadway and when you get to the clear straight stretch at the top of this steep incline, where drivers can actually observe oncoming traffic, speed is reduced to 80km/h.
4. Staying on the R639, travelling south to the roundabout just outside Cashel, the roundabout shows two speed limits signs with two different speed limits indicated, (50km/h and 80km/h, Pic shown above) as was the case on R498 outside the Ragg for over 18 months and latter only recently partially corrected with just one sigh. Travelling from Cashel on this same stretch of the R639 the speed limit is 100km/h, so on this road these new cameras will have a choice of three different speeds with which to impose fines.
5. Then of course there is the road to The Heath out of Thurles, which is a mere lane-way in terms of describing roadways. Here we have no speed limit indications at all, thus allowing traffic to travel at 100km/h or the National Speed Limit (62.4 mph).

Someone is going to die or be seriously hurt on the road to The Heath soon, so why not  finish this work properly.

With County Councillor, Urban District Councillors, Politicians, National Roads Authority ( NRA ) officials and Gardaí travelling each day along this selected and very small chosen grid of roads, why has nothing been done, in the interests of  safety and the law, surely we taxpayers pay you more than enough to note required changes. Obviously the latter individuals are driving with undue care and attention.

Then maybe these cameras are just a further method of obtaining revenues from over taxed motorists, as at €80 per speeding fine, the privatised speed cameras alone could generate roughly €40 million a year. Let’s be logical here, the €65 million spent would have filled in a lot of potholes Minister Ahern, while the banning of those caught speeding for long periods of time would have been cheaper than €65 million to introduce spy cameras, particularly in these recessionary times. Will detailed information from thes cameras be used to track the movements of motorists other than their speeding information?. Can the cars of known drug dealers be tracked for example?.

Meanwhile, are there any strange or confusing road anomalies near you, let us know and we will attempt to educate this Partnership.